In the seven of pentacles we see a man contemplating six pentacles in a bush. A seventh pentacle lies at his feet and he leans on his staff or working implement while he gazes at the bush. The background looks like a field that he has been working.
Although the pentacles are there for the taking, the man is working hard to obtain them. The message conveyed in the card is that we too have to work at our project before rewards come our way. That one pentacle lies at the feet of the man is significant in suggesting that we may already have some wealth ourselves – but what potentially can be ours is far greater.
There are two leaves after falling from the bush, suggesting the time of year is late autumn. The work the man has put in over the summer is paying dividends as he harvests the fruits of his efforts.
We are close to realising the rewards for the work we put in. We may have been working on a project that is close to fruition. The harvest will come shortly. That the man is not holding the pentacles is significant. He can see them in the bush but they have yet to be realized. The seven of pentacles encourages us to put the work into our projects in order to bring them to a successful outcome. There are no short cuts to success or quick money to be made. This man has had success because he planned his actions and worked hard at them. He planted his crop of pentacles in the Spring, tended to them in the Summer and in the Autumn he still works hard at them, harvesting his crop of seven pentacles.
The card also tells us that we may need to review or think about the work we are doing. We need to take a break and contemplate the best way to achieve our goals. Perhaps we have already accumulated wealth in whatever field that is – financial, relationships, educational or spiritual. We need to take a step back for a moment and contemplate what is the best way we can use that which we have gathered.
It could also be that rather than the young man gathering up his harvest in a bush of pentacles, the pentacles are actually entangled in the bush and he is working to free them. He has one pentacle lying at his feet, perhaps he has freed this one from the bush. The message here is that our previous efforts have resulted in a ”thorny bush” or tangled mess. Although we can see our pentacles in the bush, work still remains to be done.
There are no other people in this card suggesting that it is ourselves that must put in the work. There is nobody to help us, nobody to guide us. But using what we have and relying on ourselves, we can find wealth on our own.
Overall, the card is a positive card. The central theme is that planning and work produce rewards and encourages us to continue our own efforts to reap our rewards. We should remember to review our work so that we can decide what to do with the success we have achieved.
Seven of Pentacles Reversed
There may be delays in projects or finances. We may have invested significant time and effort into a project but we are not quiet ready yet to reap the harvest. Further work is required. It could be a warning that we are expending considerable time and effort on a project that may never bear fruit. Our pentacles may be tied up in intractable problems that could cost us more in resolving than they are worth.
Perhaps we will have to work harder than we thought. What seemed like easy money turns out to be a hard slog. It’s one we will have to carry out on our own. There is nobody to help the man in the card, there will be nobody to help us. So prepare for some hard, lonely work ahead but if we apply ourselves, our efforts will bear fruit.
When the Seven of Pentacles is reversed, it also tells us that we may need to step back and review what we are doing. Maybe we are making money unethically. We are making fast money that is not the result of hard work and honest effort. Perhaps our project is less than ethical and we would be better served putting in hard work into something that both makes us money and soothes our soul.