by Marcus Katz
The History of a Minor Card
Having a time travel machine helps us see how the meanings of the tarot cards have come about. We will eventually look over every card, but for now let us take a detailed look at one.
In this section, we need a montage to tell our tarot story. In the 1930s and 1950s, the montage made its appearance in movies, having been popularised by Russian director Sergei Eistenstein in the classic silent film Battleship Potemkin (1925). We all recognise classic and clichéd montages these days, such as the training montage and the “getting ready for the heist” montage. However, we need to go all the way back to the old stand-by, the “calendar flipping” time compression montage for our story.
It is a common question students ask: “What does this card actually mean?” or “How can a card have many meanings?” Some students also become confused when they read “different meanings” in different books. Let us now explore this in our time travel device.
Taking a single tarot card and flipping it forward through time, rapidly, we see how the meanings of the same card have changed since it first appeared. This is also like watching the fashions change on the mannequin in the shop opposite the time machine in the original film, as Rod Taylor cavorts backward and forward in time.
We can use this montage method to really understand how a card can stand for one “theme” or “concept” across a wide range of different expressions.
This is also called “multivalency,” where a card works to provide many meanings depending on the question and the situation. We will further see some surprising revelations when we do this in-depth for just one card—something that has not been done before.
We have chosen for our time travel card the 2 of Pentacles, because it is such a unique image in the modern tarot since its depiction by Pamela Colman Smith. It was once wide open to speculation for a century until a reasonably definitive source was proposed in our own research, as “False Mercury” by Edward Burne-Jones. 6
4. 2 of Pentacles, Llewellyn’s Classic Tarot by Moore and Smith, 2014.
We will show how the meaning has been expressed from a large range of books in private collection and then highlight what this might indicate for the card’s actual “meaning.” In some cases, we have paraphrased the original text for brevity and consistency.
1888: Embarrassment, worry, difficulties. Reversed: letter, missive, epistle, message. 7
1910: Card of gaiety, recreation and its connexions, news and messages in writing, obstacles, agitation, trouble, embroilment. 8
We now see how these early meanings of communication and miscommunication disappear from the card as authors move towards interpreting the “juggling” nature of Pamela’s 1909–1910 depiction and the nature of the Pentacles as representing money and business.
1941: Initiative, stability, practical sense. Diplomacy, adaptability, poise, and resourcefulness are the main factors of this character. The conflict lies between the desire for practical achievements and a restless instability of purpose. 9
1951: Shared instances: divided money, shared accommodations, financial partnerships, division of possessions and or money, part-time income or work; part-time anything. Money; finances; securities; settlements. Financial or practical partnerships of any kind. 10
1967: Money acquired by hard labour. Independence. Financial gain through ingenuity. Profitable partnership or marriage. Gain through unexpected social activity. Unusual courtship. Reward through mental effort. Romance hampered by coldness. Recompense for service rendered. Friendly gathering for scientific interests. Way out ideas. New methods in the working environment. 11
1970: Keeping two or more projects going or working towards two goals, at the same time. He embodies cleverness and the ability to keep a careful eye on more than one situation. Emotional ups and downs. Linkage between the material and spiritual aspects of our lives’ activities. Flexibility in perspective. Physical dualities. Potential for transformation. 12
1971: Juggling two propositions, trying to decide which to accept, ability to handle several situations or business proposals at a time. Maintain harmony amid change. New projects may be difficult to launch. Helpful message can be expected. Sea of (his) emotions is rough. 13
1972: The Cycles of change at work in the world, natural fluctuations of fortune which must be allowed when planning ahead. Indicates movement and changes that are imminent. News, communications, journeys all connected with business/money, joys in the pleasures of society, knowledgeable manipulation of the rules of life. 14
1972: Difficulty in launching new projects. Difficult situations arising. New troubles, embarrassment. Worry, concern. 15
1979: Trying to cope with two situations, much more will be achieved if a decision is made. Essential that harmony is maintained. Expect to receive acknowledgment, reassuring news, small sum of money or a gift. 16
1984: Constant fluctuation and change make new projects difficult to launch. Established business needs careful handling. A need to budget carefully. A warning to avoid purchasing on credit. 17
1985: The card stands for the necessity to keep several propositions going at once. The flow of movement, however, indicates that skillful manipulation achieves success. There is a change particularly with regards to financial matters, but also harmony within the change if the person can be flexible enough to keep everything flowing. 18
1986: New inventions, investing effort in new projects, keeping (him) busy and active and willing to try several things at once. The 2 of Pentacles represents a state of change or fluctuation in material fortunes. Taking risks and using capital, rather than hoarding and saving at a time when new opportunities arise. Play with money. 19
1987: A well-organised lifestyle, good social skills, the ability to remain calm on the face of change, a variety of activities. 20
1987: Adaptability, mobility. Expanding your horizons. Change travel play. 21
1988: Change that occurs slowly and in a balanced and orderly fashion. Planned change, alteration that is self-regulated and self-determined, rather than unexpected and sudden. 22
1989: Entanglements and conflicts. When the 2 of Pentacles appears in a layout, it probably indicates that we are in danger of misinterpreting the meaning of events connected with the issue at hand. 23
1993: Amusement, dissipation of resources, money. 24
1993: Change. Understanding cycles of birth, death, and rebirth in the physical world; expanding awareness through change; recognising the idea of duality in life; agitation and duality. 25
1996: The 2 of Coins represents movement from one financial or material condition to the next. 26
1996: This is a time of balancing books, weighing choices, reflecting on a career and trying to create greater harmony in work. It shows a decision or choice in work or career needs to be made. A good time for thinking about contracts. 27
1997: Manipulation, ingenious, knowledgeable manipulation of the rules of life, real operator both of human beings as well as of material goods /services, delicate balancing of resources, the ability to juggle simultaneously several projects. Travel or messages or hinted at by the ships. Far-reaching enterprises. 28
1998: Change is the primary interpretation of this upright card, but not always for the better. Problems and setbacks are likely. Balance between competing demands. Financially, this is a good card but prudent management of resources is recommended. 29
2000: Key phrase: Keeping track of many “irons in the fire.” Major obstacle: Life out of balance. Here the consciousness maintains a certain equilibrium in the middle of opposing forces and the turbulent surroundings. The infinity symbol reminds us of endless cycles of change, and that sometimes life is like a balancing act. The old ying/yang. Pain and joy. Peace and interruption. Time budget and career, family and health and recreational considerations can hit us all at once, sometimes forcing us to make choices per minute. 30
2000: This card represents movement from one financial or material condition to the next. It shows us that we need to become more adaptable or flexible in what we do. That way, we can easily develop different skills, or relocate and work somewhere else, without any trouble or difficulty. 31
2001: I know how to balance my money. Balancing health and money is an eternal struggle. Desire for material possessions, faith in future prosperity. 32
2002: Juggling with money, robbing from Peter to pay Paul. Spreading resources of time, money, or energy very thinly. Sometimes this card represents a break of a relationship and the subsequent splitting of resources. 33
2003: Juggling finances, need for flexibility, balancing multiple obligations, walking a tightrope, pulled in many directions, monetary fluctuations, a balancing act, splitting up resources, a change of job or environment, time is money. 34
2003: The 2 of Pentacles is an atypical card in its air of fun and whimsy. It advises us to be flexible and adaptive so that we can keep things in balance, but it also seems to say, “Have fun while you are at it.” This card indicates juggling various projects or tasks, but saying that we have a lot going on, but we will be able to handle it all if we keep our balance.
Advice: Balance your needs against those of other people. Whenever you are competing with someone else for resources, bring some balance into the situation. 35
2004: The two pentacles suggest the duality of this card. The 2 of Pentacles signifies equilibrium in the material realm, as well as both emotional and financial security. A young man is generally shown juggling two pentacles and, although the sea behind him may be turbulent, he appears happy and light hearted, for this indicates enjoyment of life. Balance is the most pressing issue when choosing the 2 of Pentacles. We find ourselves having to juggle different needs and finds ways of managing these conflicting aspects. Sometimes pressures of work or study conflict with need for leisure time. 36
2004: You may need to seek balance in life. Trust and playfulness. Up and downs of material fortunes. Always attractive to have two of anything but keeping both in play can cause stress. Two or more jobs, homes, or demanding relationships or whatever you are trying to juggle can be hard at times, but the card conveys a sense of optimism and playfulness, but behind that a deep trust in the dance of life. 37
2004: Financial stability or solvency, a boat or boat ride, eyeglasses. Near the Knight of Wands, it may mean a motor cycle or a bicycle; near the Ace of Swords it may mean an eye exam; near the Sun it may mean a pair of sunglasses; near the Chariot or the Ace of Swords it may mean a car needs a new tire or a wheel alignment. 38
2005: Here we are faced with a physical or material decision that has emotional undertones. We are keeping our options open by juggling more things than we can really handle over the long-term. Meanwhile, we struggle with the internal process of what things to keep and which to let go. 39
2005: The juggler is working hard to maintain a happy balance between competing forces. But he is in control and may even be enjoying the challenge of keeping more than one ball in the air at one time. If you get this card in a reading, you are likely to be juggling material or practical issues. Working out how to achieve a balance between career of leisure activities or making a choice between two job offers. 40
2007: Recreation and celebration balanced against minor troubles and frustrations, the arrival of news or a message. Minor irritations and setbacks. A hectic schedule may force you to juggle more than one job. 41
2009: Choices must be made. Juggling, resourceful, flexible, adaptable, accommodating, willing to please, managing priorities, displaying multiple talents, multitasking, keeping with change, juggling the demands of family, work, money, and relationships, having too many balls in the air, trying too hard to keep everyone happy. 42
2009: A man juggles his coins as a ship in the background is tossed about carelessly by the ever-changing sea. Professional, not overly concerned, yet pensive, trying to find the perfect balance, ongoing struggle for balance through constant adjustment and analysis, ongoing emotional imbalance. 43
2011: Learning to unite the forces of mind and body and bring balance to (his) physical and spiritual existence. The constant struggle to balance time and money, work and pleasure, and personal and professional obligations. 44
2011: Successfully maintaining a balance. Juggling more than one project simultaneously—home/work balance, etc. Juggling finances. Juggling more than one project. 45
2011: This card has connotations of equilibrium and harmony. Ideally everything will be in balance and be kept in that state—past and future, memory and hope, sky and earth, privacy and openness. A mysterious light floods the darkness. Now that the one has become the two and new beginnings are afoot, endings are also possible. Unless we remember that all created things pass away, we only live in two dimensions. 46
2012: Balancing financial or health issues, perhaps both. She may be juggling several jobs at once, at work or at home and personal projects. Market days or the Faire, generally happy days. Knows how to balance the problems of life with fun and socializing. Change in financial situation indicated. Balance, fun, and flexibility. Teamwork. 47
We will now skip ahead to our recent re-casting of the card back to its original divinatory roots and true to Pamela Colman Smith’s depiction of it.
2015: The image [which inspired Pamela to depict Waite’s meaning of false communication is] “False Mercury,” the poisonous flower also known as “Dog’s Mercury.” Burne-Jones describes this image as “The Dream-god shewing happy dreams of home to sleeping mariners at sea.” Making contacts and socialising is good and beneficial to be happy and successful in life. However, on the downside, be aware of the more connections that you make with others, say through social media, Facebook, and on Twitter, may lead to communications being confused because as Waite says, “it is read also as news and messages in writing, as obstacles, agitation, trouble, embroilment.” So, beware of Facebook trolling and miscommunications! From the reversal view Waite warns against “Forced gaiety, simulated enjoyment,” so keep it real and authentic. 48
We could now make a family-tree of meanings for the 2 of Pentacles, showing important branches of words and concepts, and when they originated. We can see clearly in our list that some words are like family traits, skipping a few generations only to later return. This may be evidence of the influence of previous authors upon following authors, or if they were not aware of the earlier writings, it might be evidence of the morphic field said to connect information between us. As time travellers, we may even come to encounter these words floating around the Akashic Field or upon the Astral Plane.
You can see that certain concepts, whilst perfectly appropriate to the card, are time-based. The concept of credit-balancing only comes in after the 1950s, when credit became available to households on a mass scale. The idea of the card as signifying work-life balance is only a very recent meaning of the card.
The theme of unity is very much in evidence in the 2 of Pentacles as is the notion of juggling, be it of finances, ideas, the truth, or weighing projects.
Your Time Touchstone in Tarot
To ensure a safe journey through time and a return to the present, we need to calibrate ourselves to the current moment. We can do this by selecting three cards out of the deck to create a time touchstone.
Take out your cards and split your deck into three piles: the twenty-two major cards, the sixteen court cards, and the fifty minor cards.
Shuffle each pile whilst thinking about your past, present, and future. Then draw one card from each pile.
The major card represents your “pattern” in time. This is the card that is presently influencing your life based on the decisions of your past and the consequences still to play out in the future.
The court card represents your “being” in time. This shows who you can best be now to honour your past an
d best prepare your future.
The minor card represents your “situation” in time. It gives a clue as to how the other two cards come together in real life and everyday events. It is the touchstone that tells you when to be more like your court card and recognise that the major card is active.
Look at the cards now and write down any meanings you have for those cards; any ideas, concepts, associations, or correspondences you might read for each. We can then compare that to how you might see them when we have finished travelling through time.
Now that we have established a touchstone, we will complete our brief survey of the cards with a brief look at the major arcana and then learn a method for getting a quick answer from the deck so we can safely commence our time travels.
The Major Arcana in Time
In 1781, during the first era of tarot, the twenty-two major arcana cards were an illustrated history of time, shrouded in secrets and lost in mystery. Comte de Mellet (1727–1804), writing in Court de Gébelin’s Le Monde Primitif, presented the arcana as telling the story of the three great Ages: Gold, Silver, and Iron, in three series of seven cards. 49 We paraphrase his story as follows:
Gold: The Universe (World) gives birth to mankind (Judgment) and then are created the Sun (Sun), Moon (Moon), Stars, and fish (Star, corresponding to Aquarius). There is a fall from heaven (Tower), and the Devil (Devil) comes to end the Golden Age.
Silver: We are led by an Angel (Temperance) who teaches us to live and try and avoid death (Death) and accident (Hanged Man) now that we are no longer in the Golden Age. We are assisted in this by our strength to cultivate ourselves and resist our own wildness (Strength). In coming to realise we now live in an inconstant and changing world (Wheel), we seek (Hermit) Justice (Justice).
Iron: In the wars that follow (Chariot), we are caught between vice and virtue, no longer led by reason (Lovers). We raise religions and rules (Hierophant) and set Kings (Emperor) and Queens (Empress) upon the earth. This leads the people to pride, idolatry (High Priestess as Juno and the Peacock) and deception (Magician). 50
