Am I The Only Who Doesn't See the 6 of Pentacles as "Balance"?

[Madrigal]

As someone mentioned upstream a card never has a static meaning, it's conditional upon the mutable moment. That said I most often see it as the Six of P as the card of titration. A bit like when the student is ready the teacher appears...or vice versa The scales speak to the giver knowing just how much the receiver can 'digest'.

 

[tarot_quest]

For the upright card, I usually see it as an exchange between people or associations, whether it be materially or emotionally. However, this card represents GIVING to me, so when upright, it could also mean that one person is being too generous, and as Enlightenment said, who knows if the balance will be achieved.

On the other hand, the reversed 6 of pentacles means that a person is being selfish or egoistical. In some situation, this is a GOOD thing.

So upright = generosity, sometimes balance (an exchange) if the other party returns the favor

reversed = selfishness, prioritizing your own interests

 

[Thirteen]

How you see the card isn't always what it technically means

We're going to have to agree to disagree here, Thirteen. There are no guarantees that the giver gets a balanced return on their gifts. And I do believe it is up in the air. I can choose to begrudgingly hand over $100 to a friend who asks for it, but receive zilch for my good deed 'til the day I die.

Yes. But if you asked the cards about what you'd get from this friend if you gave them $100--and the answer was "zilch" you wouldn't get the 6/Pents upright, in the positive. That's my point. You'd get the 5/Pents or 5/Swords. Or the 6/Pents rx. They take, and return nothing.

And another thing - no one but the giver can determine whether their returns were balanced.

Agreed. And once again, if you get the 6/Pents then the card, in the positive, is saying "You will determine that the return was balanced."

It is about balance. Whether you decide to ever read it that way is up to you, but you asked about it, and, in regards to what the card actually means, irregardless of how you feel, that's it. You might as well ask, "Am I the only one who feel the fall of the tower doesn't indicate a shake-up?" You may feel that way. You may get readings where it hasn't been that way. But...a shake-up IS the meaning of the card.

 

[SunChariot]

Hey guys,

When I first started learning tarot, I had the hardest time with the 6 of Pentacles. Why? Because in perusing through the net and sifting through the threads, there was always one word that people always paired with this card - "balance."

Now that I am a little bit more experienced, I cannot disagree more. In my humble opinion, the 6 of Pentacles is not about balance, it's about imbalance of power and status. If we look at Rider Waite-based imagery, there is no balance of "give and take" - there is only one party doing the giving. And there is only one party doing the receiving.

So, on the plus side, this could materialize as someone with more leverage/clout handing a homeless man some money, a well-known socialite holding a fundraiser for a charity, or an institution handing a student a loan.

But if you look at its shadow side, I've seen this card to mean a taker who abuses the generosity of others. So, for example, a perfectly healthy worker who keeps stealing money from government safety net programs that serve people with disabilities. Or a relationship where one party is doing most of the work, but the other is being passive and just receptive (e.g. an infatuated man keeps texting his crush, but the woman doesn't care to reply). I've also seen the 6 of Pentacles Rx mean unrequited love. So, for example, a woman who pretends to like a guy because he keeps taking her out on luxurious dates (free food!), but she's really using him.

So with these being my experiences with the 6 of Pentacles, it's just so strange to me that "balance" is paired with this card. To me, it's all about inequality - only one party is doing the giving.

Can anyone else shed some light on this for me?

Just to say that there is not only one agreed upon meaning for any card, and although my meanings tend to be a bit unique..., my meaning for the 6 of Pentacles has nothing at all (in any way, shape or form) to do with balance.

For me the card talks about either setting loving/love-based goals ....and/or working on your goals in loving and caring, considerate ways.

 

[SunChariot]

As someone mentioned upstream a card never has a static meaning, it's conditional upon the mutable moment.

Very true. Card means are fluid more than static and unchanging. In a reading they flow. Also my belief that different readers cards talk to them differently.

Babs

 

[G Dren]

6 of Pentacles

I for one see as more of a personal balance of charity and sensibility financially speaking! A person may desire to give more of their good fortune to others in need. don't sacrifice your well being in the process! Then you will wind up need the same charity.

Bluntly put: The desire to be more generous; the need to be more discriminating.

I also wonder of the dual meaning to the end part. such as:

Would you give an alcoholic on the street; money for food, and expect them to get food with that money?

Others thoughts always appreciated. Being ex-military gives me an odd take on things!

 

[SunChariot]

I for one see as more of a personal balance of charity and sensibility financially speaking! A person may desire to give more of their good fortune to others in need. don't sacrifice your well being in the process! Then you will wind up need the same charity.

Bluntly put: The desire to be more generous; the need to be more discriminating.

I also wonder of the dual meaning to the end part. such as:

Would you give an alcoholic on the street; money for food, and expect them to get food with that money?

Others thoughts always appreciated. Being ex-military gives me an odd take on things!

I actually learnt a lot from that meaning. I am going to try to work that into my readings. It may become a meaning for Temperance for me. But I want to incorporate that into my card meanings somewhere. Thank you, that helped me quite a bit.

Babs

 

[Barleywine]

Considering the sad state of charitable enterprises today (in which less than 5% of the "take" of most charities finds its way to the intended recipients), I might consider the card to have more to do with "shared resources" than selfless "giving." The man dispensing the money could represent the charitable entity, the person receiving the coins is the charity's operating arm and CEO with his/her grossly inflated seven-figure income, and the one getting nothing is the pauper that unwitting donors think they're actually benefiting. "Balance" has nothing to do with that scenario, nor does social virtue.

 

[Grizabella]

The bottom line, though, is that if you see it as not meaning balance then that's okay. You can read it a different way if you want.

The scales in the RWS show balance, though. The image also shows only one beggar getting coins, but the card indicates someone actively doing the giving so intention may be in play here, as it seems to me the card indicates that the giver is in action and giving the second beggar coins is going to happen and there's the intention of it.

 

[think]

Interesting discussion.

I suppose I do see it as some kind of balance, sometimes. But, compared to the 5 of pentacles I mean, or the 7.

So in the 5 we have one person being left out in the cold. Perhaps they have done a lot of giving, or perhaps they are in need of receiving. Or perhaps they don't want to give or don't want to receive.

In the 6 then we have a more 'balanced' concept in that the guy from the 5 of pents now is prepared to receive, or prepared to give, or wanting to make things quite equal in terms of giving and receiving.

But equal isn't always balanced, is it? If we treat everyone equally are we treating them fairly?

So that comes down to ethics and morality (haha, can you tell I'm taking a philisophy module at present?)

But more than that, I think the giving and receiving is balanced (perhaps, but for argument's sake I'll say that here), but not necessarily fair, but more than that, it's one part. So in a relationship, I can give to my partner and I can receive exactly what I give, but it's then a transaction, and real life has more depth than a mere transaction. Relationships do, or they can. I'm sure those that are simply based on a balanced giving and receiving do work out, but that's kind of disatisfying to me.