Three of Pentacles At A Glance
Keywords: Shared goals, partnership, agreements and contracts, apprenticeship, professional allies, poor motivation, conflict, ego, competition, greed
Season: Autumn
Element: Earth (the physical, our bodies, health, resources like money, time and energy)
Three of Pentacles Tarot Card Description
The Three of Pentacles is the third card within the suit of Pentacles in tarot. In the Rider Waite Smith imagery we can see a young blacksmith stands before a priest and a nobleman. We can tell he is a blacksmith because he holds a pewter gauntlet and wears an apron.
The three speak together in a cathedral and stand under an archway carved with three decorative pentacles. Pentacles in tarot are coins stamped with the pentagram symbol which is a five-pointed star that symbolizes the elements and is worn as a protection ward.
The young man is elevated on a bench and speaking whilst the priest and nobleman look upon a roll of parchment as they listen to him. These appear to be plans drawn by the blacksmith.
Though the blacksmith is the youngest he has a lot of knowledge that is vital to the priest and nobleman therefore his expert opinion is listened to.
The nobleman is likely a patron of the blacksmith likely using his funds to support the creation of the plans. The priest is there to offer moral advice and to make sure the plans benefit everyone in the community.
Each person has their own skill set and expertise and brings these to the team. It takes many sorts of different people and skills to make a business or other venture possible.
Three of Pentacles Upright Meaning
When we see the Three of Pentacles in its upright form it is a very positive sign for any financial plans we have, especially if they involve teamwork or multiple different people chipping in.
In the artwork we see three very different people from diverse backgrounds and with a variety of skills and knowledge between them. Theses valuable assets are brought in to the team and shared unreservedly because each person has faith in the shared goal or plan.
They know that sharing these today will lead to a better tomorrow for everyone.
“A rising tide lifts all boats” - John F. Kennedy
Three of Pentacles Reversed Meaning
When the artwork is presented to us upside down the Three of Pentacles is reversed. What was once teamwork in the upright meaning has now become selfishness and bickering.
Each person involved is unwilling to share what they have and only willing to take from the partnership and so the team or the shared goal breaks down into nothing. Stubbornness has prevented each person from being able to see the bigger picture.
This could look like arguing over funds or wanting more than one’s fair share from the fruits of the team’s labor. For a team to work each person must set aside their differences and their individual preferences and instead sacrifice a little so everyone can gain more tomorrow.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” - Helen Keller
Three of Pentacles: Yes or No
The Three of Pentacles is a yes card when upright, however it comes with the caveat that we cannot do this on our own. We must collaborate with others for this to be successful.
If reversed it is still a yes but it suggests finding our team or group before we agree to take this on because we will require help from others from the very beginning, even before.
We require a dedicated team to plan this before we act on what the ‘yes’ means to us.
Let’s Break Down the Three of Pentacles In Our Lives
How the Three of Pentacles meaning can change and how it answers questions about specific areas of our lives.
Three of Pentacles In Love
The Three of Pentacles in love readings speaks of the potential to work in a professional capacity with a loved one. This could be friend, family member or lover.
It could also suggest single people may meet a new potential lover through their work. It can also imply a couple saving money for shared goal for example buying a house or car together.
Reversed the Three of Pentacles suggests bickering in a relationship that leads to destructive actions and the results cost the couple greatly. This may look like an argument which leads to one person in the relationship spending more money than agreed or signing an agreement using joint funds but not discussing it with the other person.
It can also represent a selfish lover or one person repeatedly putting their own needs over partnership, even to the determined of the relationship.
Three of Pentacles With Money
The Three of Pentacles in financial readings suggests the way to earn money or better resources for ourselves may lie in working with friends and loved ones. The partner we need may come from unlikely sources so we should consider everyone as a potential team mate no matter our preconceived views.
Reversed the Three of Pentacles speaks of a failed team effort. Through no fault of our team we are forced to cut our losses. It could be that the same team requires a new goal or the same goal needs us to find a new team.
In business we must learn how to see the signs of incompatibility. We must know the difference between when team incompatibility issues can be helped or when they are inconsolable and we must part ways.
Three of Pentacles At Work
The Three of Pentacles in a career reading is a wonderful card to receive. It highlights group projects and team building as a way to improve not only the individual’s but the entire team’s moral.
There is valuable wisdom to be gained by listening to each colleague. We can find unique insights from the most unlikely sources.
Reversed the 3 of Pentacles reminds us that through no fault of their own some people just cannot work together. By noticing personality clashes, and changing the roles and methods used in the workplace we can accommodate for everyone’s needs whilst still progressing together.
Three of Pentacles With Others
When we ask social questions and receive the Three of Pentacles it suggests we might receive help from an unlikely source. This could look like discovering a friend is an expert in something we never knew about.
Perhaps a loved one speaks another language and can translate, or a friend is amazing at Math and calculates important figures for our particular goal.
Reversed the Three of Pentacles suggests we might only able to see our differences and not our similarities with others. This could be causing conflict and disagreements that are easily avoidable. It could also suggest unhealthy competition with peers.
The Three of Pentacles reversed can also be guiding us to seek professional help and guidance with our goals because we do not have the essential expertise to fulfill this on our own.
Three of Pentacles With Self
The 3 of Pentacles in regards to the self suggests complete cohesion within ourselves and total commitment to fulfilling our life’s purpose. From the original artwork we can see the people represent essential parts of us.
The priest represents our spirit, moral compass and passion, the nobleman is our resources (our funds, time and energy) and the blacksmith represents our skills and action. When these are aligned and put towards our goal we are more likely to succeed.
Reversed the Three of Pentacles warns we may be subconsciously sabotaging our goal because we are not fully aware of our psyche. There could be part of us that is not aligned for example a fear of failure may be holding us back and preventing us from fully committing to the steps we must take.
Three of Pentacles As Feelings
The Three of Pentacles feels like the joy of contributing to a well-balanced team.
Each person feels supported and listened to and each is a vital part and shares the feeling of success and pride that comes with this positive communion.
