Weekly Card Prince of Pentacles
We’ve met this hearty card before but he was using one of his other names: Knight of Pentacles . The beautiful new Illuminati Tarot deck is one of several that use Princes instead of Knights. The Enchanted Tarot is another, and so is the Crowley Thoth Tarot. You’ll want to note that the Thoth Tarot also uses Knights, but Thoth Knights are equivalent to Kings in other decks.
There are other names for Knights in some of the modern decks. Two notable aliases are Brother, in the Tarot of the Spirit (we saw one of the Tarot of the Spirit cards in the 9 of Wands post ), and Explorer in the Gaian Tarot.
What do you make of these titles, Prince, Brother and Explorer? Explorer is very upfront about the Knights’ mobility. But what’s with Princes and Brothers? If our other choices are Kings and Fathers, we get a clue as to the differences. Princes and Brothers don’t have the responsibilities of a kingdom or family to tie them down. Although they have responsibilities, they also have more freedom. What kind of lessons might the Prince of Pentacles be learning if he is in training for eventual coronation in the practical Pentacle kingdom? And what sorts of interests would the very earthy Pentacle Brother (and remember, Tarot of the Spirit names the suits for the elements they represent) be pursuing?
We can see illustration of the Knight we were introduced to last month in the Illuminati deck. Remember the image of tending the garden? Notice where our ponderous Prince is standing. Might he have come to the field to see how his investments are growing? Notice that he’s focused on his Pentacle. The material — facts and results — are his guide. He’s always measuring his ideas for expansion against the visible reality. If they don’t show results, you can be sure he’ll turn his big, solid horse around and go back to the drawing board to tweak the plans. He didn’t get all that beautiful finery from wishing and hoping.
What if our Prince of Pentacles rides into an 8 of Swords situation? How do you think he’d meet all that criticism and stuckness? What would the situation become with his involvement?
How about a 9 of Wands (or 9 of Fire in the Tarot of the Spirit) situation? What would the Prince do if he met up with the guarded 9 of Wands? What would 9 of Wands look like when he was done with it?
Don’t forget about the nature and health aspect of the Prince/Knight of Pentacles. Have a look at your own little slice of the natural world this week. Enjoy deepening your knowledge of your body, your garden or the plants and critters that are part of your life.