The Ten of Pentacles represents some kind of magical stability. When the Ten of Pentacles appears we have it all. Life is abundant, comfortable. There is enough to go around, we are all well fed, we all have roofs over our heads and satisfying, enjoyable work.
If we take a walk through the ten cards of the suit of Pentacles, we have experienced what happens when we plant seeds. We have learned what what it takes to nurture and grow those seeds and work towards goals and harvest the fruit of our labours. We’ve talked about material resources, teamwork, give and take. We’ve practiced and worked hard and reached this point of really achieving something. Things have manifested. Things are good.
There is plenty to celebrate when the 10 of Pentacles appears in a spread but it is wise to remember that Tens represent endings. The final card in each suit’s numerical sequence, each Ten shows us a cycle coming to a close. There has been a journey, you have a story to tell. Lessons have been learned. It’s a point where you can look back and appreciate that story, before looking forward to what comes next. But there is no question! The energy is about to shift.
As this well heeled, prosperous woman, swans down the staircase, showing off her new found fortune with a flourish, one cannot help but wonder, as, no doubt, the small rabbit wonders, how long this good fortune will last. Fate, things like Covid-19 and wild bushfires have a knack of pulling the rug out from under our feet, demolishing any illusion that we can have it all forever.
Tarot readers will encourage you to celebrate what you have, to feel rich and to enjoy all the good things in your life. They will tell you that you deserve all the good things and to relax. However, it may be a mistake to get too caught up in material acquisition (important though it is to have comfortable foundations). In doing so you risk losing sight of the more spiritual elements of your life.
Of course, one’s response to a card like this does hinge on the question that has been posed by the querent (the one who seeks). In my case the Ten of Pentacles appeared in the third position in the Tree of Life Spread. The third card called upon me to consider what element of the mother archetype I might benefit from.
The mother archetype is one of the most common and universally recognised archetypes in most cultures. Representing the universal, idealised version of motherhood, the archetypal mother is frequently depicted as the nurturing, selfless carer who protects and provides for their offspring at any cost to themselves. Needless to say the converse can also be true, with the archetypal wicked stepmother, or neglectful mother who abandons her child also common also a popular feature in literature and art.
@badger_tarot commented that this ‘mother’ is happily running away from her duties because she has done enough. She observed that she has her memories and carrying the pentacles like little balloons.
At my age, after mothering others for most of my life I am happy to focus on ‘mothering’ myself in my latter years. Now it is all about me! I have my memories and like this woman, carry them joyously like little balloons.
The Tarot Midwife 