Queen of Pentacles (RWS)

[Joan Marie]

Pure Luxury

This card exudes everything that is warm and rich and abundant, satiated and comfortable.
This queen enjoys that rarest and greatest of luxuries: time to think. And a wonderful place to do it, some solitude. She can allow her thoughts to run free, her mind can expand as she contemplates the symbol she holds, or maybe she is staring right through it.

The symbol could stand for anything that helps one to relax and open the mind, such as cards, or crystals or a cat.

I've always admired the look on her face, the intelligent smile, the calm.

Waite mentions that too, her "greatness of soul" and "serious cast of intelligence." She looks quite happy to me. Happily deep in thought. She's a woman with a clear conscience.

But just now as I was studying this card I noticed something that I never had before:

A Rabbit!

I think rabbits are very symbolic of a closeness to nature. They are so guileless. Just existing in the moment.

I may be imagining it but I also think I see a face in the side of her chair, a Bacchus sort of image. So we have rabbits, roses, Bacchus which all stir ideas of fertility and abundance and pleasure. But this is not a wanton kind of freedom and pleasure, it's the pleasure of time well used, not in busyness, but in introspection, in contemplation. It's emotionally pleasing.

All this red and gold and rabbits just reminded me of a photo I took recently.

My pet Bunny on the balcony

(Sorry to digress but I had to include that. it just fits to me.)

So what are your thoughts on the Queen of Pentacles? What kind of a message does she send you? What do read in the symbols she is surrounded by?

[Amoroso]

The rabbit can also be a symbol of fertility due to their ability to spawn quickly. This is apt since the Queen of Pentacles is the feminine exaltation of the suit of Earth, being the vessel of prolificity, fecundity, and abundance. In her best aspect, she is the personification of Cornucopia. She is like the Empress equivalent of the Courts, with whom she shares the same elemental attribution. Among the Queens, she is the wealthiest and the most maternal.

[Charlie Brown]

I'm glad that Amoroso made the post he did, as it shows that I haven't been alone in thinking of the QoP as a kind of mini-Empress card about maternal nurturing and fertility. This is quite common, I think. I'll quote Biddy because self-respect isn't something I care much about tonight:

The Queen of Pentacles is the nurturing mother of the material world. At home, she shows her love for others by cooking nutritious meals, maintaining a clean and inviting home, and giving warm cuddles to those who need it most. She is also able to work a full-time job and make a financial contribution to the household, often as the primary breadwinner. She is masterful at taking care of the practical needs of work, home and family, while also giving her love and support to those she cares about.

It does make sense to think of QoP as a kind of Mother Earth/Earth Mother figure. But, the more I think about it, I'm not sure that's right.

Joan, I was a little surprised, at first glance, when I saw you write about her in terms of material luxury and contemplation. Part of the reason for this is because I associated those qualities more with the woman in the 9 of Pentacles. But, perhaps, the 9 speaks more of independence and freedom than it does luxury, per se. Another part of it is that I had always understood the pentacle as an object of care rather than an object of contemplation. However, it makes sense. The pentacle as contemplative object aligns perfectly with her depiction in the Tarot de Marseille.

I decided to look her up in Waite's Pictorial Key, which I have in pdf, but haven't actually read except as a reference book in cases like this. He definitely holds that she's contemplating the pentacle and makes no reference to anything remotely akin to her being a nurturing mini-empress. The words he uses are "intelligence, opulence, magnificence", etc. He does use the words "generosity and security" but those hardly add up to a Biddy-esque interpretation.

I checked to see what Mary Greer had to say. She casts the QoP as "someone who channels sensory information and practical knowledge" in order to marshall physical resources. I like this quite a bit because it seems very complementary to the King, who's more of the straight money man. She does spend a little time making her into a kinder, somewhat supportive figure (I think because of the water/earth elemental combination) but doesn't quite cross over into Biddy/Charlie/Amoroso land.

[chiscotheque]

since the maternal aspect of the Empress card has been brought up numerous times, I'd like to go on record as saying the maternal aspect of the Empress card is vastly over-stated. people seem to fall over themselves to stress what beauty and caring and great goddess power the Empress symbolizes, as if it was a card without any dark, unsavoury, or ambivalent aspect.
The Queen of Pentacles seems to me much more a card about pregnancy and mothering. the Pentacle in her lap is like the baby in her womb. the rabbit reiterates the fertility theme. As peaceful and happy as she is, there is at the same time a sense that this gift of child-bearing is also a burden. there is even a hint of sadness in the queen's love and maternity.

[Charlie Brown]

You're probably right about The Empress, but I am warming to the notion that the Pentacle isn't meant to be like a baby. I had meant to post the TdM Queen to show the connection of the coin/pentacle as an object of fascination rather than something to nurture.

Coins Queen.jpg (21.87 KiB) Viewed 5991 times

[Joan Marie]

One small point of clarification, when I used the word "rich"in my original description, I meant it like "sumptuous" or "luxuriant" not as in wealth, although admittedly they often go together.

I have to say that for myself, I have trouble attributing the symbols here toward motherhood. It seems a bit facile to me. I'm the one who brought up the rabbit, and I know that rabbits are commonly associated with fertility, but that is not their only known symbolic association. Rabbits are also associated with abundance and comfort as well as cleverness and creativity.

But because of the way they procreate they often get stuck with that one association. Rats breed like crazy too but no one associates them with motherhood and fertility.

Additionally, fertility doesn't always have to mean baby-making. One can have a fertile mind for example. And combined with the look of intelligence on her face and her contemplative pose, I tend to lean in the direction that we are seeing a very satisfied woman in the throes of very productive and creative thought.

She looks on the verge of a great idea to me.

[Amoroso]

For me, the suit of Pentacles, corresponding as it does to the element of earth, also reflects the abundance of metals and minerals found therein. I also have decks which represent this suit as Coins or Deniers, and that's why I at times associate it with money and finance.

When it comes to readings, there are occasions in which I feel that the Queen of Pents is a person. If she is surrounded by many cards from the same suit, it often turns out that she is a lady of means, of considerable wealth, or at least of a high social status. If she is surrounded by Cups or by cards that suggest children/childhood like the 6 of Cups, The Sun, The Fool, etc then most often she turns out to be a mom. If she's surrounded by cards indicative of romance, marriage, or union like The Hierophant, 2 of Cups, Temperance, etc she is oftentimes a wife or a girlfriend.

When ill-aspected, depending again on the other cards she can be a spinster, a purveyor of carnal pleasures, a gold digger, or a woman buffeted by various misfortunes.

[Joan Marie]

For me, the suit of Pentacles, corresponding as it does to the element of earth, also reflects the abundance of metals and minerals found therein. I also have decks which represent this suit as Coins or Deniers, and that's why I at times associate it with money and finance.

When it comes to readings, there are occasions in which I feel that the Queen of Pents is a person. If she is surrounded by many cards from the same suit, it often turns out that she is a lady of means, of considerable wealth, or at least of a high social status. If she is surrounded by Cups or by cards that suggest children/childhood like the 6 of Cups, The Sun, The Fool, etc then most often she turns out to be a mom. If she's surrounded by cards indicative of romance, marriage, or union like The Hierophant, 2 of Cups, Temperance, etc she is oftentimes a wife or a girlfriend.

When ill-aspected, depending again on the other cards she can be a spinster, a purveyor of carnal pleasures, a gold digger, or a woman buffeted by various misfortunes.

Serious question, do you attribute similar qualities to the King of Pents or any other male card, i.e. children, romance, marriage?
And what would be the male equivalent of the pejorative "spinster"? Or of "Gold digger?" or "Purveyor of carnal pleasures?" And why would "spinster" or even "purveyor of carnal pleasure" be necessarily "ill-aspected"? Isn't that a judgement?

I think we entering interesting territory here.
But we may be seeing how certain learned social bias' might influence or colour how we read the cards. So often the female cards are interpreted to a large degree by how they relate to relationships and reproduction and sexual behaviour to the exclusion of all other possibilities of life experience.

I think this is worth considering. Even Waite entirely avoids these kind of limiting definitions.

The Queen of Pentacles: The face suggests that of a dark woman, whose qualities might be summed up in the idea of greatness of soul; she has also the serious cast of intelligence; she contemplates her symbol and may see worlds therein. Divinatory Meanings: Opulence, generosity, magnificence, security, liberty. Reversed: Evil, suspicion, suspense, fear, mistrust.

Would it be possible to consider, as I said here, that this queen has other fish to fry that don't really have anything to do with limited definitions of her role and value as a woman? Does the fact she is a Queen not even raise her status above potential whore? (I'd have used the less pejorative "sex-worker" but since it is "ill-aspected" i went with the other term for purveyor of carnal pleasures.)

Sorry to be so blunt but I truly value the growth that comes from reflection on bias and can only see that it would improve our skills at interpreting the cards to be rid of certain ones.

I have never so deeply considered this topic until now so I really do appreciate the conversation though I hope it remains on point as it regards our interpretation of the Tarot and Queen of Pents specifically.

[Amoroso]

I'm alright with your questions, Joan Marie. You sound genuinely curious about my views, so I'd try to answer them.

I attribute fatherhood to the King of Wands, since the Emperor, which I see as the paternal figure of the Majors, answer to the element of Fire. And yup, while the King of Wands can be a visionary, leader, innovator, etc. when surrounded by cards indicative of childhood/children I interpret him as a father.

I have attributed worldly power, first-rate intellect, and glory to the Queens, though I see them as more manifest in the Wands and Swords suit. The Queen of Pentacles I've seen as a society matron, a dowager, and if attended by cards of puissance and triumph, as a sovereign regnant, the Empress of the Earth, though this hasn't turned up in a reading yet.

I'm not averse to assigning sexual mores to the various courts. I have interpreted the King of Wands as a man in the height of his virility and potency, while the austere Knight of Swords can get off on conquest and domination. It's not just the women of the Courts that get these interpretations from me.

When ill-aspected, depending on the cards I can interpret the King of Pentacles as an impotent figurehead, a voluptuary, a hedonist, a man who's enslaved by his own sensual proclivities. I've interpreted a reversed Knight of Cups as a boytoy too.

The sword of my interpretations falls on all of the courts, with their severity depending again on the surrounding cards. A king can be penniless, a queen can be a mistress - that's just how I interpret them, and it works for me.

Lastly, I never presume to judge someone who asks for help. I have my own faults, and as long as their iniquity does not affect me in a negative way, I just let them be.

[Charlie Brown]

Rats breed like crazy too but no one associates them with motherhood and fertility.

They certainly do. Often as a precursor to some kind of ethnic cleansing.

[Charlie Brown]

I hear what you're saying about imposing social biases onto our readings, but I do want to point out that this seems to be a pretty common contemporary interpretation that, I think, derives from a too-heavy focus on the Earth symbolism absent the influence of the suit. This is probably easier to do with the Pentacles because, really, what the *** is a pentacle? It's easier to keep grounded when you're dealing with coins. I'm definitely coming around to the idea that it isn't the best way to read the card. But reading it that way certainly must be attributed to more than individual prejudice.

Here are few things that were within arm's reach and/or on the top of my head. 3 of the 4 are women authored. And we already mentioned Biddy.

Shadowscapes LWB - "nurture and care of others"
Tinker's Damn LWB - "The connected heart. Powerfully attached to home and family"
The Wild Unknown deck depicts the card with a bambi-esque fawn cuddling up with its mother

And how could I pass up a chance to post the Barbara Walker? I will point out the woman in her 9 of Pentacles is about 9 months pregnant.

On the other hand, we have the Fountain. This Queen of Coins looks more like the direction we're going in. I especially like the topiaries. They keep the abundance of the garden but also deftly highlight the control over the earth. The direction of physical resources, a la MKG.

[chiscotheque]

Rats breed like crazy too but no one associates them with motherhood and fertility.
rabbits rather than rats have been chosen for symbols of reproduction, so when you see a rat you don't think of reproduction but when you see a rabbit you do. of course rabbits can mean joy, innocence, pleasure, etc., but reproduction is the rabbit's first and primary symbol. look at easter - two common symbols of it are the bunny and the egg - an odd combination, except that they both suggest birth.
the Q of P is facing to the left, which is to say backwards toward the valued thing in her lap. she protects and nurtures it like a child - the child that will come be to be next generation in the cycle of life on earth. in this way, she is analogous to Mother Nature. this is not to say all women should be mothers, or motherly, or if they are that's all they are and could or should be.
if we consider queens historically and realistically, with a few exceptions they became queens because they were chosen by some king and his advisors for the explicit purpose of producing offspring of his lineage. this is in no way to say that this is all those women were, but it's how they attained their position, and it's a lens through which the woman was scrutinized - a grand version of how women have been viewed by potential husbands forever. her relationship to those around her, the world, and herself, was unique and varied - bias exists everywhere, in part because the one discerning thinks they know what's good and best over and above what another feels and lives.
does the Q of P mean pregnancy? no, not as such - it's a symbol, not meant to be taken literally. writers consider their books and invented characters their children. a maternal turn can apply to a weasel with a broken paw or a rummy in a soup kitchen. it may be a rather tired symbol, but what has more entranced, enlivened, and engendered guardianship in humanity than the propagation of life forms like themselves?

[Joan Marie]

I decided to look her up in Waite's Pictorial Key, which I have in pdf, but haven't actually read except as a reference book in cases like this. He definitely holds that she's contemplating the pentacle and makes no reference to anything remotely akin to her being a nurturing mini-empress. The words he uses are "intelligence, opulence, magnificence", etc. He does use the words "generosity and security" but those hardly add up to a Biddy-esque interpretation.

Yeah, I know that in other decks this sort of "mumsy" interpretation is more drawn out, (i.e. the "Mother" of Pentacles ) but I see no reason to attach those interpretations to the RWS Queen of Pentacles. I really think it's a bit of a stretch to assume the object in her lap is a "baby" or represents a child. It seems a little reductive to me.

Does anyone think the pentacles here represent babies?

I sort of doubt it.

[Joan Marie]

rabbits rather than rats have been chosen for symbols of reproduction, so when you see a rat you don't think of reproduction but when you see a rabbit you do. of course rabbits can mean joy, innocence, pleasure, etc., but reproduction is the rabbit's first and primary symbol.

That may be true, but it is not the only thing rabbits/hares symbolise. Here is an excerpt from the Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia about the symbolism of rabbits.

But if we dig a little deeper into their stories we find that they are also contradictory, paradoxical creatures: symbols of both cleverness and foolishness, of femininity and androgyny, of cowardice and courage, of rampant sexuality and virginal purity.

In some lands, Hare is the messenger of the Great Goddess, moving by moonlight between the human world and the realm of the gods; in other lands he is a god himself, wily deceiver and sacred world creator rolled into one.

There's more in the article. Actually a ton more. It's really interesting.

[Joan Marie]

And this about rabbits also from the Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia:

In Ireland, it was said that eating a hare was like eating one’s own grandmother — perhaps due to the sacred connection between hares and various goddesses, warrior queens, and female faeries, or else due to the belief that old "wise women" could shape–shift into hares by moonlight.

The Celts used rabbits and hares for divination and other shamanic practices by studying the patterns of their tracks, the rituals of their mating dances, and mystic signs within their entrails.

It was believed that rabbits burrowed underground in order to better commune with the spirit world, and that they could carry messages from the living to the dead and from humankind to the faeries.

As Christianity took hold in western Europe, hares and rabbits, so firmly associated with the Goddess, came to be seen in a less favorable light — viewed suspiciously as the familiars of witches, or as witches themselves in animal form.

[Charlie Brown]

I honestly a bit confused at this point. It seemed like you were critiquing my post for deviating too far off of Waite and then you're bringing Chinese Buddhist symbolism into the mix.

The rabbit is a very small feature of the card. Its overt symbolism within Waite's cultural context doesn't need to be denied or problematized in order to think that QoP=Earth Mother is a flawed and unbalanced interpretation of the card. Celts aside, Waite himself was very much a Xtian mystic.

As a tangent, if the King of Pentacles were holding the pentacle in the way the that Page is, I might very well think of fatherhood or even grandfatherhood given the sense of the 10 as legacy and his more aged depiction in the TdM.

Andy B. has made the point that the move from coins to pentacles has been dolorous for people's understanding of the court cards. They see the Earth as slow and plodding while money wants to move. The words currency and current are closely connected. The financial centers of the world are busy,fast, frenetic places. From this perspective, your initial observation on the queen's wealth and power manifesting themselves through space, time, and stillness seem resonant. Like in those movies where the bad rich guy has their place decked out like Versailles and the good rich guy has a chic minimalist apartment with view that rivals that of the Rainbow Room.

[Joan Marie]

Actually, I used the Chinese buddhist excyclopedia as a reference, but if you look at the link, they give uses of Hares and rabbits through time in all kinds of folklore, folklore that could well have influenced Waite or Pixie in their use of symbolism.

But the article ends with this:

Whether hovering above us in the arms of a moon goddess or carrying messages from the Netherworld below, whether clever or clownish, hero or rascal, whether portent of good tidings or ill, rabbits and hares have leapt through myths, legends, and folk tales all around the world – forever elusive, refusing to be caught and bound by a single definition.

So what is the meaning of the rabbit with the RWS Queen of Pents? Maybe it is a sort of "familiar". Or I am reminded of Arthur C. Clarke's description of the monolith in the film "2001: A Space Odyssey" when he called it "A cosmic Swiss Army knife."
The rabbit may be small but I think in a Tarot card it's not a mistake. It's meaning can be fluid. It may support the idea of fertility that so many are fond of. But it could be many other things that could influence the interpretation of the card in a given situation.

[chiscotheque]

right you are Joan Marie - the rabbit/hare could be many things. but one thing it isn't is a mistake, or accidental. Thank you for the Chinese interpretations of rabbits - i wouldn't've said there's much orientalism in the RWS deck, but rabbits of course have had many different roles in our myths, from Aesop to Br'er Rabbit to Peter Cottontail to Bugs Bunny.
not to split hairs, but while i associate the Q/P card with birth and regeneration, i wouldn't say i'm particularly "fond" of it. and if i can be forgiven for attempting an Enrique Enriquez-esque interpretation: in the hare we see the heir.
your reluctance to accept the Q/P as a card of procreation, Joan Marie, reminds me of my own rejection of that same allocation to the Empress card. but i absolutely do agree that this card's meaning - as with each card's meaning - is not simply one thing, nor even a related group of things indicating one over-all meaning.

[Joan Marie]

your reluctance to accept the Q/P as a card of procreation, Joan Marie, reminds me of my own rejection of that same allocation to the Empress card. but i absolutely do agree that this card's meaning - as with each card's meaning - is not simply one thing, nor even a related group of things indicating one over-all meaning.

Yes, I would say "reluctance" is a pretty apt characterisation of my feeling toward accepting all the mother/fertility references to this Queen as opposed to, or to the exclusion of her other creative powers and intellectual aspects. Certainly the more traditional interpretations are absolutely valid. But I guess it's just a difference, in the end, of the perception of "creation". If I seemed a bit strident it was because I was trying to open a door to other perceptions of the feminine powers of creation as I see them expressed in this card.

The gift of life takes many forms.

right you are Joan Marie - the rabbit/hare could be many things. but one thing it isn't is a mistake, or accidental. Thank you for the Chinese interpretations of rabbits - i wouldn't've said there's much orientalism in the RWS deck, but rabbits of course have had many different roles in our myths, from Aesop to Br'er Rabbit to Peter Cottontail to Bugs Bunny.

I was not trying to imply there is much or any orientalism present in the RWS. That encyclopedia I referenced is called "The Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia" but it is compendium of references of all types, including (mostly really) western and christian ones. It was just the most complete single source of references I could find.

and if i can be forgiven for attempting an Enrique Enriquez-esque interpretation: in the hare we see the heir.

No, I'm sorry but that is unforgivable.

---Just an aside, I hope you are all enjoying these discussions as much as I am. I like that it gets a little dicey at times. It would be a bit dull if it didn't, and I think we are all making ourselves and each other consider all these things more intensely. It's been a long time for me since I've given the old RWS a very serious look and I'm surprised by all the ideas, thoughts and questions it is raising.

[CharlotteK]

Late to the discussion, but I don't associate the QofP with mother / procreation / fertility, any more than I do the other females in the deck. I tend to see her as a bit of a fixer of problems, practical, astute, canny, financially literate, organised and a good reader/manager of people and resources.

[Charlie Brown]

We do know that Waite purposefully obscured certain elements of the Golden Dawn system in order to maintain his promise of confidentiality. I looked in Liber T. There, the Queen of Pentacles is accompanied not by a rabbit, but by a goat.

[Tomatosauce]

The Queen of Pentacles is kind of my homegirl.

I tend to see the courts, and particularly the Kings and Queens, in terms of service to their community; the idea that any ruler's proper role is to promote the flourishing of the community they govern. The Queens I tend to think of as, not reactive, since that implies a judgment, but concerned with solving the problems in front of them, whereas the Kings I associate with structural thinking.

So the Queen of Pentacles I think of as the very practical person who expresses love by making sure people's practical needs are met, that no one is going hungry or uncared for. She shows up with a casserole when your mom dies or when there's a new baby in the family. She gives you a ride to chemo so you don't have to spend money on an Uber. She's got a Mary Poppins bag full of stuff someone might need- a first aid kit, some lotion, an eyeglass screwdriver, a protein bar, a tampon, a phone charger... This could definitely be characterized as maternal, because it is nurturing, but it's also practical, and preparation-oriented, and rooted in the needs of the people around her. (As opposed to the King, who I tend to think of as the person who asks why we don't just stock tampons in bathrooms like toilet paper so people don't get caught out without them.)

So I don't generally associate QueenP with literal motherhood, but I definitely associate her with the practical labor of caregiving and nurturing that our society most frequently associates with women generally, and mothers in particular. But if she came up in a reading for someone for whom fertility and motherhood was an issue, it's not hard to see her relevance.

In this way, I very much like the move from Coins to Pentacles, if only because it de-emphasizes money and literal wealth and moves the suit into the realm of practicality/tangibility/earthiness.

[TheLoracular]

This is an older thread and I hope it doesn't bother anyone that I'm activating it just because now I feel committed to myself to working on one RWS card a day and today it turned out to be this one.

When I returned to esoteric tarot study after a hiatus a couple weeks ago, I was shocked to discover how much more affinity I felt for the Queens than I used to. Especially the Queen of Pentacles. This is a card of fertility but not pregnancy for me in most circumstances. I see the natural beauty and bounty of this card and feel like there's no animosity in the RWS deck between the King & Queen of Pentacles. They strike me as life partners who can both be strong and successful and supportive of one another when they come up in a reading side by side.

The pentacle in her lap is not a baby to me. She would be holding Its differently if it was. The way she is looking down is full of fondness but I get the sense that pentacle is like compass or looking glass that helps her ascertain that her kingdom is well beyond the garden where she is sitting, waiting for her subjects to visit.

Her undergarments are the white of purity of purpose overlaid by the red of passionate intention. That bunny feels safe to just lope about, not at risk of either being hunted or caged and that seems important.

[Parzival]

The facial close-up of the RWS queen of pentacles is the epitome of serenity. No stress, no worries. That the lady is immersed in Nature contributes to her state of well being; in an urban setting away from Nature, she would be downcast and despondent. Here, she is full of reverential wonder, which leads me to the pentacle and the rabbit. The pentacle may be seen as a metaphor pointing to a wonder or miracle of Nature, a tree, a flower, a bird, a river, a sunrise, a sunset, a stone, a pine cone. She is totally focused (mindful) into whatever that one thing may be. The rabbit may be seen as fertility, or (one's choice of interpretation) the mysterious silent Being of Nature. There have been rabbits running around in my front yard this summer, peacefully, patiently nibbling, nibbling, nibbling. Watching them brings some peace into this crazy, chaotic world.

[Griot]

I tend to read the Queen of Pentacles as processing one's emotions regarding progress, results, and tangible earnings.

For instance, I have a friend who has built up a lot of wealth and finds it safe to vent to me about it (tax time is a nightmare, and she engages in it seasonally; people deciding not to move forward in their lives because she can cover their expenses, etc.) because I don't roll my eyes and claim that she can't have money problems because she's rich. Similarly, I had to work to get to a point where I was willing to semi-regularly check my bank balance because the very idea of it would send me into a mild panic.

(I read a book that had a lot of different methods to reading court cards, and associating each court position with an element, and then cross-matching the position's element with the suit's element really clicked for me. Sometimes it gets a little wacky, but at least I feel better about reading court cards now.)