A man similar to the Fool in the Major Arcana is depicted, balancing a pentacle in either hand. Wrapped around them is the symbol of infinity. In the background are waves with two ships making their way through them.
The sign of infinity suggests that we are capable of handling many problems, or that we have many problems to balance. It may be a never-ending process with us – there will always be problems and we have to learn to juggle them while remaining happy – just like the man in the picture. Of course, after the Ace of Pentacles where opportunity invited us to follow the path of our idea, to be suddenly hit with not just two pentacles, but a symbol of infinity, speaks to us about how things multiply beyond our expectations once we start a new project or venture. It may never be just two problems – those two problems will spawn more and more and more and such reality is life.
There is a subtle theme in the card in the similarity between The Fool and the Two of Pentacles. The Fool was happy because he was unaware of the journey he was taking. He was blind to that around him. In the Two of Pentacles, the young man looks content because he is aware that what he juggles is only material in nature. It is not the two pentacles that make him happy, it is the path he dances or walks that fulfills him. Whether he successfully balances the two pentacles or not, the young man almost seems aware that he can pick them up and try again or that in the bigger scale of things, should he drop the pentacles it is only a lesson to be learned and not something that should destroy his enjoyment of life.
In the Ace of Pentacles white mountains were depicted in the background, symbolising that our path would not always be easy, that obstacles would appear that we would have to overcome them. That theme continues in the Two of Pentacles with the waves symbolising the ups and downs of life. Even though the waves are large, the ships are still able to plough on through them, suggesting to us that even though we may be tossed around by life and our path, if we put our head down and drive on we can make our way through even the most difficult challenges thrown up by life.
In contrast to the waves in the background, the young man is on solid ground, suggesting that there may be a solid foundation beneath us despite us having to juggle our problems.
Even though we may meet a multitude of problems and have to juggle them, the young man depicted is dancing and having fun. He does not let his worldly problems bring him down, nor ruin his enjoyment of life. That is the real message of this card. Even though we have problems, even though we look out to sea and see huge challenges ahead of us, we must remind ourselves that all these concerns are just material – that the best things in life, like health, family, friends and happiness are down to us and all the possessions in the world will not bring happiness.
The two pentacles are like Yin and Yang, interwoven in an endless dance. When Yang is in excess, it transforms to Yin and when Yin is in excess, it transforms to Yang. Thus, when you have solved one problem, another one appears and life is about accepting that there will always something to be solved, something to be balanced, another problem, option or path you can take.
The number Two is associated with something that is being born, but has not yet been made material (It becomes material with Three). So even though we have reached the stage of duality at Two, we still do not have a 3-D point of reference for the material world. Therefore, this card could be taken to mean that we are balancing potential options or problems related to material wealth. But until we pick one, or find a balance, we remain in a state where the material wealth coming to us will not manifest.
The red hat in the Two of Pentacles is also peculiar. It could mean red as in fire/birth but originally, it was possibly more a shade of brown/red signifying the earthy nature of pentacles. Why the hat is so tall, I’m unsure, but it may point to some connection between heaven and earth or that the balancing of the two pentacles requires some thought or higher power.
Two of Pentacles Reversed
The Two of Pentacles reversed suggests that we are finding it a challenge to juggle all of life’s problems. We may risk becoming distracted by our concerns, so much so that we forget to enjoy life. We are focusing all our attention on problems, on material things or money. The agility of the young man in the card may be missing from our life. We may be plodding and rigid in our approach to problems rather than allowing ourselves the flexibility of change.
