Twinn Swan

How do we grow from the Three of Pentacles to the Ten of Pentacles? There is, indeed, a journey of 6 steps along the way. On that journey, we will have to grapple with many of the difficulties of our financial journey. We will encounter poverty, but we will also encounter generosity and goodwill. We may have to come face-to-face with the miser, but we will also meet our economic partners and benefactors. And lastly, and dare I say most importantly, we may lose our jobs, but we may end up starting a business.

A financial crisis is usually one of the significant milestones of the Ten of Pentacles destination. We have gone through something that is not our fault. It came into our life through external circumstances. It seems that someone or something greater than ourselves set this unfavourable wheel of fortune into motion. Perhaps we even suffered a terrible humiliation and an atrocious loss as a result of it.

Even though all seems lost, I say, this is the moment where you have everything to gain. It is only uphill from here. You don’t need to fight, flee or freeze. Just take it one footstep at a time and you will have the opportunity to live the life of your deepest desires and your grandest dreams.

It all boils down to your ability to transform a curse into a blessing. And believe me, you can do it.

The Dog

The Ten of Pentacles, along with The Fool and The Moon, is a card that features the dog: our beloved canine companion. The dog represents the importance of family in our life. Anyone who has ever had a dog knows that it is a valued family member.

Recently, I saw some YouTube videos of people who mistreat their dogs and abandon their dogs out on the street. Although I felt sad that people could treat their companions in such a way, I also felt a sense of relief when a passerby decided to help them out. In the end, the dog would find a new master and a new home.

The symbolism of the dog asks us: who is our family? Is it our colleagues and coworkers? Is it the family we were born into? Is it our friends from our spiritual affiliations? The dog feels instinctively and intuitively connected to the members of its pack.

If you are not feeling it, I suggest you don’t force it. Eventually, you will find yourself a home that you’re happy with. Or better yet, someone suitable will find you.

The Patriarch

In addition to the dog, the family patriarch features prominently in the illustration of the card. He embodies the archetype of the wealthy patriarch who accomplished much in his life. Due to this, he is happy and is able to provide his family with wealth, abundance and prosperity. His family will be able to enjoy financial security due to the efforts that his generation made. His legacy is one that he is proud of.

Will his descendants share the same views and the same values as the family patriarch? The answer may be yes, but it is quite likely that the answer may also be no. In the event that the answer is ‘Yes’, it may not necessarily be a good thing either. Behaviours and belief systems which were healthy, vital and necessary for their time can end up being passed down through the generations. Future generations may feel stifled, held back and even suffocated by the traditions of their forebears. Not all traditions are ones that we should hold dear and be proud of. Paradoxically, change, is, indeed, necessary if a tradition is to continue.

One important point to note is that the Ten of Pentacles legacy is not only about tangible wealth, but also about the softer symbols associated with it. Family crests are displayed prominently to remind both insiders and outsiders of the family’s heritage and history. This is not only about family money, but also the relationship that a family has with their home and the community-at-large.

RICH

While many of us do dream of being rich ‘someday’, the truth is that most people make do with the job opportunities they have. Families who own businesses or have owned businesses know that being a boss is not all a bed of roses. The potential is there for poor financial management, lack of foresight and worst of all, vices that can lead the whole enterprise down the drain and right into ruin.

As important and as necessary money is, the Ten of Pentacles reminds us to remind our children that being overtly materialistic is not the goal of life. In the end, we will have to leave behind our possessions when we pass on and it is best to do so in a way that does not compromise the future welfare of our descendants.

Generally speaking, the Ten of Pentacles is a card that speaks of family wealth and the importance of that wealth staying in the family, quite possibly for generations to come. This card represents wealth that is created through an enterprise as opposed to wealth that is conventionally earned through employment.

A caveat: it is not uncommon for businesses to have years where they have difficulty bringing in profits. At the same time, the Ten of Pentacles comes to warn of financial losses that must be avoided at all costs. If you have realised that a particular course of action has failed to bear fruit, you must stop all your losses till a more fortuitous time returns. If you are patient, you will succeed in the end.

With the Ten of Pentacles, you can expect to suddenly come into possession of a windfall. This can happen when someone passes away. Generally speaking, the Ten of Pentacles is a card of riches and of old money. At the same time, it’s not all puppies and rainbows. The Ten of Pentacles can show up to represent a financial crisis, especially one related to debts, insolvency and so on. It could also represent a contested inheritance, a long-standing financial dispute as well as a failure to provide for your family after your passing.

The Ten of Pentacles serves to warn us that money can sometimes be an entrapment. It can lead a certain strata of society to become accustomed to entitlements, indulgences and luxuries. This often comes at a price. Your children may not realise that they have to learn to share with others and that they are, in many ways, no better or worse than anyone else.

When the Ten of Pentacles appears, remind yourself that your time on the Earth is short and the journey truly does go on, even after we have passed on.