Seven of Pentacles: Modern RWS Tarot Card Meanings
Upright Seven of Pentacles Meanings
Keywords
Patience, Investment, Long-term View, Assessment, Perseverance, Harvest
Generally
The Seven of Pentacles is a card of patience, long-term investment, and thoughtful assessment. It depicts a farmer leaning on his tool, gazing at the pentacles growing on his bush like fruit. He has worked hard and his investments are beginning to pay off, but it is not yet time for the full harvest. This card represents a moment to pause, reflect on the progress made, and decide on the next steps. It signifies that perseverance will be rewarded, but patience is required.
In a Love Context
In a love reading, this card suggests that a relationship is a long-term investment that requires nurturing and patience. You have both put in the work, and now you are at a point of assessing where the relationship is going. It's a time for a check-in to ensure you are both still aligned on your future goals. For single people, it can mean that the effort you've put into self-growth is about to pay off in your love life, but you must be patient and not rush into something that isn't right.
In a Money/Career Context
This card is very at home in a money or career reading. It signifies that your hard work and investments are growing. This could be a long-term project at work, a business you are building, or your financial investments like a retirement fund. Now is a time to review your progress, take stock of what is working, and plan for the future. The rewards are coming, but you must continue to tend to your efforts and not expect overnight success.
In a Spiritual Context
Spiritually, the Seven of Pentacles represents the patient cultivation of your inner world. The spiritual seeds you have planted through meditation, study, and practice are beginning to sprout. This card advises you to take a moment to reflect on your spiritual journey, to see how far you have come, and to patiently await deeper insights. Spiritual growth is a slow, organic process, not a race.
In Common Spread Positions
As Advice
Be patient. Take a long-term view. Assess your progress before making your next move.
As (Ultimate) Outcome
Your efforts will lead to slow, steady growth. A period of waiting and assessment is ahead.
As Obstacles
Impatience is the primary hindrance. A desire for immediate results is preventing you from seeing the value of your long-term efforts.
As Hidden Energy
A deep, unacknowledged understanding that true success takes time and consistent effort.
As Resources/Alliances
Your own patience and perseverance. The tangible results of your hard work, however small they may seem.
‘The Seven of Pentacles’ Reversed
Keywords
Impatience, Frustration, Lack of Growth, Bad Investments, Procrastination
Generally
Reversed, the Seven of Pentacles can point to frustration and impatience with a lack of results. Despite your efforts, things are not growing as you had hoped. This can be due to a poor initial investment of time or resources, or from a lack of perseverance. It can also signify procrastination and a feeling of being stuck, where you are putting energy into the wrong things or scattering your efforts without focus.
In a Love Context
In a love reading, this card reversed can indicate frustration with the progress of a relationship. You may feel that you are putting in all the work for little reward, or that the relationship is stagnant. It can be a sign that you are growing apart or that the foundation was not as solid as you believed. It warns against impatience and the temptation to give up just before a potential breakthrough.
In a Money/Career Context
This can mean a project at work that is failing or a business that is not taking off. You may be feeling that your hard work is going unrewarded and unrecognized. It serves as a warning about bad investments, whether of time, energy, or money. It is a call to reassess your strategy and cut your losses if a particular venture is proving fruitless.
In a Spiritual Context
Spiritually, this card reversed suggests frustration with your spiritual progress. You may feel that your practice is not yielding the insights or peace you seek, leading to a desire to give up. It can be a sign that you are not truly invested in your spiritual path or that you are seeking quick fixes rather than committing to the long-term work of inner growth.
In Common Spread Positions
As Advice
Re-evaluate your efforts. Are you investing in the right things? Cut your losses if something is clearly not working.
As (Ultimate) Outcome
Frustration and a lack of tangible results. A project will be abandoned due to impatience.
As Obstacles
A refusal to put in the consistent, long-term effort required for success. Scattered energy and lack of focus.
As Hidden Energy
A secret fear that all your hard work will amount to nothing. A deep-seated frustration with a lack of progress.
As Resources/Alliances
The clarity that comes from admitting a project has failed. The freedom to reinvest your energy elsewhere.
Additional Notes on The RWS ‘Seven of Pentacles’
Waite’s Divinatory Meanings of The Seven of Pentacles
"These are exceedingly contradictory; in the main, it is a card of money, business, barter; but one reading gives altercation, quarrel--and another innocence, ingenuity, purgation. Reversed: Cause for anxiety regarding money which it may be proposed to lend." (The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911)
RWS Seven of Pentacles Symbolism
A.E. Waite’s Seven of Pentacles depicts a young farmer resting from his labor. He leans on his hoe, contemplating the seven pentacles that are flourishing on a large bush. His posture is one of reflection and assessment. He is not harvesting yet; he is pausing to take stock of his work so far. The scene is an allegory for the value of investing effort over the long term and the importance of pausing to evaluate one's progress before continuing.
Meditations On The Seven of Pentacles
How well am I managing my finances?
Am I being patient with my own growth and progress?
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