Tarot of Prague Café Club – 9 of Pentacles

Bean Feasa

Like the Hermit this is an important card for me in any deck. I have to say though that for once I don’t relate quite so well to the ToP version. It’s extremely eyecatching and elegant and I certainly admire it. But it doesn’t touch me the way it does in other decks. I think this is because there’s so much gold in the picture, gold pentacles arc over the woman’s head and gold streams like a waterfall down the mosaic behind her. Her orange robe and the yellow garland on her head add to the effect, and it all seems to me to tip the emphasis of the woman’s self-sufficiency and independence exclusively towards material wealth. I know that this layer of meaning is always there in this card, but usually it speaks as well, through the soft, luxuriant garden of a more rounded fulfilment, possibly even with a touch of the spiritual to it – a blossoming or prosperity in all realms of life, so to speak, and I find that depth lacking here. The figure is also rather stylised and difficult to identify with, I find. But it certainly it is another take on the 9 Pentacles, since most other decks do follow the RW ‘garden’ version very closely, and it is interesting to see a rather different depiction.
 

contrascarpe

I guess I am coming at this card from a bit of a different direction. The 9 of pentacles was never a favorite of mine in the standard RWS for some reason, although I do like the bird :)

The first thing I noticed in the ToP version was also the mosaic in the back, but instead of a waterfall, I saw it as an extension of the second thing I noticed on the card - the beehive over her head. I felt as if the item cascading down the back is honey, not water and that the fruits of her labor have already started to realize themselves.

I also like the presence of the sun and the moon, as if the scene is not a snapshot in time (or a respite as indicated in the RWS), but an ongoing evolution of life.

The only part of the card I tend to dislike is the expression on her face - instead of satisfaction or anticipation, I sense some apprehension.
 

Bean Feasa

I like your idea about the honey, contrascarpe, it softens the idea of over-gildedness for me. I hadn't really paid too much attention to the beehive and the tree and the sun and moon - they looked a bit 'crammed in' to me at the top of the card like afterthought memories of the garden/natural world feel you get in other cards. When I look at them again they do look quite evocative.
I agree about the expression on her face - maybe that's what I was picking up on when I felt I couldn't identify with the figure. In other decks the woman looks you in the eye, and seems to say - look at all the wonderful things in life - I have them, I enjoy them so much - make sure that you enjoy all you have too.
 

Jewel-ry

Hi everyone,

I have to say that I really like the bees and the hive in this card. Bees are very hard-working and organised. Every one has a given task to perform. They represent structure and teamwork. When I think of a bee, I think of a warm, sunny day. The bees buzz around, busy transfering the pollen. They are so crucial to the fertilization of plants and fruits. Future generations of both the bee colony and the plants and fruits depend on their success. When they 'dance', they do so to let the others members of their colony know where the best supplies of nectar are. They are so clever. So whilst each bee has an important task to perform they are part of a much bigger picture and this is a nice way of looking at this card. Another thing to remember is that bees have a sting and when they have stung someone, they die. Is that a warning in this card?

This woman is stood on a pedestal. Who put her there? Did she achieve this self-sufficiency on her own or was she aided. What is the bigger picture here? Is she a small cog in a big wheel? The Sun and Moon could give a clue here. Yes she is successful and all the symbols of RWS are here, the abundance of the garden at the bottom of the card, and the bird, but there is more to this card. The orange of the starburst could represent the honey. Bees transform nectar to honey. Orange is the colour of confidence. The yellow coins lined up in the sky could represent her reaching for something more than just material success. Transforming her success into something more meaningful. Her head is just turned away. That look. I cant quite put my finger on it. Could she be saying 'I have all this, now what shall I do with it?'

I dont understand why that one coin is isolated on the far left. Any ideas anyone?

J :)
 

Bean Feasa

Jewel-ry posted:
The yellow coins lined up in the sky could represent her reaching for something more than just material success.

I like that thought Jewel-ry - maybe that's where that flicker of something extra, something more than just material wealth is to be found in this card.

Regarding the isolated coin on the far left, I know in the very first deck that I bought, the Sharman-Caselli, the Pentacles in the Seven of Pentacles were separated out like this. The man working stood to one side of a path contemplating 6 pentacles and on the other side of the path, out on its own in a field was the seventh pentacle. The book (Tarot for Beginners by Juliet Sharman-Burke) said that this represented being at a point where you've been quite successful and got your 6 pentacles together, and now there's a new opportunity - the one pentacle all alone in the field. There's risk associated with it though, and you have to decide whether you're willing to begin again, to speculate in order to accumulate, or whether to stick with what you've got, consolidating your gains. Don't know if this would be applicable here though.
I like the way in the ToP 9 Pents the sun forms part of the arc of pentacles - I had to count to check whether it was actually standing in for one of them. I'm getting to like this card better the more I contemplate it.
 

annik

This card gives me the feeling of prosperity and a successful bussinesswoman. The bees are viewed as industrial and hard working. And the honey is really a good sweet!