King of Pentacles
Successful and secure, you lead with generosity and practical wisdom.
- Card
- Minor Arcana · Pentacles (Earth)
- Upright keywords
- Success, Wealth, Stability, Trust
- Reversed keywords
- Greed, Stubbornness, Materialism, Corruption
- Yes or no
- Leans yes
Traditional correspondences Element: Air of Earth / Golden Dawn: Prince of the Chariot of Earth / Thoth: Prince of Disks / Aries 21° to Taurus 20° / Sephirah: Tiphareth (Beauty)
Upright meaning
Success, wealth and trustworthiness.
A king sits on a throne decorated with bulls, surrounded by grapevines, a pentacle in his hand. The King of Pentacles is success and security: wealth, business acumen and reliability. Upright, he shows the rewards of hard work and the wisdom to use them well.
Reversed meaning
Greed or stubbornness. Don’t let money rule you.
Reversed, success turns to greed or rigidity. Materialism or stubbornness may get in the way.
For ways of reading reversed cards, see how to read reversals.
Love
A generous, secure partner.
Materialism in love.
Work
Business success and leadership.
Greed or rigidity.
Money
Wealth and wise management.
Greed or losses.
Relationships
Generous and reliable.
Controlling with money.
Health
Strong constitution.
Overindulgence.
Tarot does not diagnose physical conditions. If you have symptoms that worry you, please see a doctor.
Mind and spirit
Abundance with purpose.
Valuing things over people.
As a person
A successful business person, a provider.
Someone greedy or stubborn.
Timing
Results firm up over weeks to months. In the calendar, mid April to mid May is also a guide (roughly April 11 to May 10).
Advice
Use your success generously.
Don’t let money rule you.
Questions to ask yourself
- What does success mean to me?
- How can I use my resources well?
- Am I generous?
A common misreading
The King of Pentacles isn’t only rich. He is wise with resources.
The story of this card
The King brings earth to maturity: abundance used wisely.
The Waite deck’s picture and symbols
In the Waite deck the King sits on a throne decorated with bulls, surrounded by grapes and vines, holding a pentacle and a sceptre. A castle stands behind him.
History and differences between traditions
In the Golden Dawn system he is the Prince of the Chariot of Earth.
Words for today
I use my resources wisely.
Generosity is my wealth.