Tarot of Prague Café Club - 2 of Pentacles

Bean Feasa

This card comes up for me a lot in daily draws, and I find the figure on it endearing. He's very eighteenth-century looking with his breeches and plump calves and carefully-curled wig. His clothes, and the sward of grass beneath him, bisected by a path, are all painted in primary colours - red, blue, yellow, green, and I think this contributes to the uplifting feeling I get from this card, like being a child in a schoolroom again, experimenting with the basic colours.

I know the 2 of Pentacles can sometimes be a difficult card, meaning feeling stressed out, trying to keep all the balls in the air; in other decks it often makes me think of some of my very busy women friends who run homes, care for children, hold down demanding jobs and are consequently wiped out with fatigue a lot of the time. But I think the ToP version shows someone who is enjoying the challenge of swinging those two Pentacles around, and looking forward confidently to the outcome of his balancing act. The book mentions that he looks quite happy despite his rather awkward position. It's a card that I always take as a little reminder to get back to my Yoga or Qigong, both of which I love and benefit greatly from but which I often don't make enough time for.

On a more ominous note, I do feel that the tower of the building behind looms quite tall, and clouds are building up in the sky. I wonder if this is a warning that great flexibility/agility may often be called for. A Tower situation may occur at any time, and so it's essential to be strong and grounded and skilful as this figure seems to be.

I like the way you can see traffic on the far side of the river - the mix of old and new gives this card a universality, a feeling of being applicable to all eras.
 

contrascarpe

The first thing that sticks out in this card to me is as you say, the awkward position. That right arm almost has no business being at that angle.

The Pentacles look almost "stuck" to his hands, almost like he is cheating somehow and, as you mention, in contrast to the typical jugglers you see for this card.

Notice he is standing on the path and is heading in a direction unknown. I usually interpret the Two of Pentacles to mean a choice has to be made. In this case, it appears the choice has been made. Perhaps he is pushing away that Pentacle he is holding awkwardly while gathering in the one in his left hand. He is leaving his city behind and the river has created an even bigger gulf between him and his youth.

My take on it as I look closer - looking forward, leaving the nest, taking what you have learned and earned and embarking on a new adventure.

This card wasn't very striking to me at first, but you are right, Bean. The colors are extraordinary, especially the reflection of the city in the river.

Dan
 

Jewel-ry

I see a certain amount of playfulness in this card. Its the colours that do it! It seems to me that he is juggling life or lifes issues, in order to achieve an overall balance or harmony. He has one pentacle under control but the other is proving a little more difficult. The water behind him is very calm so obviously his juggling is successful. There is a certain amount of grace in his stance which tells me that he is having to balance his pentacles, but in such a way as to maintain decorum so he is probably putting in quite a lot of energy and could even be putting a brave face on things.

I think the clock on the tower is significant and indicates a timing issue so he may have to negotiate in the business world with a deadline looming (notice the city life in the background)! On the other hand, this side of the water is lush and green and could signify him finding time for himself, a winding down time, a balance between work and pleasure!

J :)
 

annik

Yes, there is playfulness in this card. The juggler try to amaze with some impressive moves. So, even if we are multi-tasking (juggling), we can do it with some panache and fun. The word panache always makes me think of Cyrano de Bergerac. Now, I think the association will stick into my head! lol!