Suit of Pentacles
Pentacles represent the element of Earth—the material world, physical body, work, money, resources, security, practicality, manifestation, results, health, nature, craftsmanship, stability, foundations, and the senses.
We see Pentacles energy in the writing process, represented by the practical craft of writing itself and your end result or manuscript. This includes the physical act of writing (whether it's typing or handwriting), the business side (including publishing contracts, marketing, sales, and income), building a sustainable writing career, the discipline of daily writing practice, editing for structure and grammar, thorough research for world-building, creating vivid sensory details, and the physical setting or atmosphere of a story.
Writers can use Pentacles energy in their work. If you pull a card of Pentacles, first look at the meaning of that card, then ask yourself: How is this situation or event affecting my character’s resources, work, health, home, or physical reality? Show what your character is doing in response to look after their material or physical wellbeing.​
Tarot Suit of PENTACLES
Element: Earth - can relate to the zodiac signs of Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Traditional Tarot Symbols: coins (tangible value), gardens (cultivated growth)
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Core Themes: the material world & the physical body
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Character Domains: resources, stability, sensory experience, security, work, money, health, nature-loving, practicality
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Character Types: the provider, craftsman, steward, builder, holistic healer, gardener, banker
Character Traits (Light): showing discipline, abundance, reliability, nurturing, practicality
Character Traits (Shadow): showing stubbornness, stagnation, stuck in greed, neglect
Pentacles Energy in the Narrative: can be dull, financial planning, gardening, sustainability efforts, craftsmanship, physical healing practices
Pentacles Energy in Genres: family sagas, eco-fiction, social realism (more below)
Numbers on the cards can suggest narrative timing: 1 pentacle equals 1 year, 8 pentacles equals 8 years, etc.
Pentacles can represent narrative characters and situations in positive (light) or negative (shadow) ways, including:
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At best, pentacles’ energy is grounded, calming, resourceful, and reliable with a strong work ethic. It is earth-bound, sensual, and loyal. It shows up in good craftsmanship, practical skills, financial and material competence, patience and stability.
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At worst, pentacles’ energy is stubborn, closed-minded, overly stoic, materialistic, dull or routine-bound, slow paced, resistant or slow to change, risk averse, and overly cautious.
Genres that express Earth energy, include:
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Eco-fiction exploring relationships between humans and the environment and focusing on nature, like The Grapes of Wrath, Dune, or The Road.
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Historical Fiction & Multi-Generational Epics focusing on inheritance, land stewardship, economic shifts, and family legacy, like Pachinko or The Pillars of the Earth.
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Domestic Fiction & Kitchen Sink Realism exploring daily routines, home economics, and the value of domestic labor, like Mrs. Dalloway or Olive Kitteridge.
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Agrarian or Pioneering Narratives about working the land, seasonal cycles & self-sufficiency, like The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck and Wendell Berry’s Port William series.
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Financial Thrillers & Economic Dramas about wealth accumulation, market crashes, greed, or financial ingenuity The Wolf of Wall Street and American Psycho.
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Wellness & Medical Narratives about physical health, healing practices, or a physical struggle, like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Still Alice by Lisa Genova.
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Craft or Trade-Centered Stories celebrating artisanship, skilled labor, and mastery, like The Signature of All Things or the restoration subplot of The Goldfinch.
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Eco-Horror & Body Horror reflecting pentacle’s shadow side (i.e. grotesque materialism or nature retaliating) and use environmental decay or bodily transformation as metaphor, like Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
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Social Realism & Class Struggles examine poverty, labor exploitation, and social mobility, like Germinal by Émile Zola and The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.
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Solarpunk & Eco-Utopian Fiction imagines sustainable futures, renewable economies, and harmony with nature, like A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers.
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Legacy Narratives & Estate Fiction revolving around inheritances, property disputes, or ancestral burdens, like Brideshead Revisited and The Dutch House.