Knight of Pentacles
Slow and steady wins the race. Reliability brings lasting results.
- Card
- Minor Arcana · Pentacles (Earth)
- Upright keywords
- Steadiness, Responsibility, Patience, Reliability
- Reversed keywords
- Stagnation, Laziness, Stubbornness, Sluggishness
- Yes or no
- Depends on conditions
Traditional correspondences Element: Fire of Earth / Golden Dawn: Lord of the Wide and Fertile Land, the mounted “King”, equivalent to the Waite Knight / Thoth: Knight of Disks / Leo 21° to Virgo 20° / Sephirah: Chokmah (Wisdom)
Upright meaning
Steady, reliable effort brings results.
A knight sits still on a sturdy black horse, holding a pentacle and looking over ploughed fields. The Knight of Pentacles is steady progress: hard work, responsibility, routine. Upright, slow and steady effort pays off.
Reversed meaning
Stagnation or stubbornness. Get moving.
Reversed, steadiness becomes stagnation. You may be stuck, lazy or stubborn. Try something new.
For ways of reading reversed cards, see how to read reversals.
Love
A reliable, committed partner.
A relationship stuck in routine.
Work
Hard work and steady progress.
Stagnation.
Money
Steady saving.
Missed opportunities from caution.
Relationships
Dependable friends.
Stubbornness.
Health
Consistent routines.
Inactivity.
Tarot does not diagnose physical conditions. If you have symptoms that worry you, please see a doctor.
Mind and spirit
Patience.
Lack of growth.
As a person
A reliable, hardworking person.
Someone stubborn or slow.
Timing
Steady progress over weeks to months. In the calendar, mid August to mid September is also a guide (roughly August 12 to September 11).
Advice
Keep going steadily.
Shake up your routine.
Questions to ask yourself
- What steady effort am I making?
- Am I stuck in routine?
- What would help me move?
A common misreading
The Knight of Pentacles isn’t boring. He is reliable and thorough.
The story of this card
The Knight carries earth into action, slowly and surely.
The Waite deck’s picture and symbols
In the Waite deck a knight sits on a heavy black horse that stands still, holding a pentacle and looking out over ploughed fields.
History and differences between traditions
In the Golden Dawn system this figure is the King, the fiery part of earth.
Words for today
Steady effort brings results.
I welcome change.