Card Meaning: Ten Of Pentacles
General
The old man caped in the robes with grapevines and coat of arms as the signs
of abundance and status is sitting in the foreground. Two hounds are a clear
indication of his status. He is rich and wise man in his old age. He is gazing
towards two persons and a child, clearly the family, his successors. This scene
has a strong sense of inheritance, the old generation is leaving its legacy for
younger generation to work on their foundations. The castle, the hounds and the wealth
will be owned by the people that maybe have nothing to do with their
acquisition. Here again we see the reminiscence on the former cards in the suit. In
the Nine of Pentacles we see an accomplished and successful person in her
prime. But what now with all that wealth? We can't just give it away, that is
clearly suggested by re-appearence of the libra that we see for the first time in
the suit in the Six of Pentacles. The logic conclusion of this card is to build and
to protect, and when time comes, give to someone who will build upon your
achievement for the benefit of all. We see that the child's hand is already on
one of the dogs. Inheritance can be knowledge or any kind of accomplishment. The
metaphor of dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants is a good example what
this card is all about. This is in the core of advancement of the human species.
This essence is further accentuated by positioning the pentacles in the form of
the kabbalistic Tree of Life.
Reading
Positive:
ancestral, inheritance, prosperity, family ties, satisfaction through work of
the others before you.
Negative:
dissipation, financial problems, family quarrels over money, lousy management.
A man and woman beneath an archway which gives entrance to a house and
domain. They are accompanied by a child, who looks curiously at two dogs
accosting an ancient personage seated in the foreground. The child's hand is on
one of them. Divinatory Meanings: Gain, riches; family matters, archives,
extraction, the abode of a family. Reversed: Chance, fatality, loss,
robbery, games of hazard; sometimes gift, dowry, pension.
— The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, by A.E. Waite