If nature has made you a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart. And though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that. -Frances Hodgson Burnett

These pentacles people, God love 'em, they're just so real and genuine. Even in a fantasy-based deck such as the Fey Tarot, the Queen of Pentacles evokes such a sincerity and comfortable-with-herselfness. Here is someone you can tell your secrets to and know for sure she'd never betray your trust. Throughout the Fey deck the pentacles suit shows fey folk in the process of creative work, so there is no doubt the Queen is displaying the work of her own hands here. And the thing is, she's liable to gift this piece to you, if she thinks you need it or like it, just because that's how she is.

If you're in need of a business partner who is both creative and practical, as well as passionate and who will truly care about the endeavor, the Queen of Pentacles is the woman for the job. She can makeover your living room on a very spare budget, while pregnant (again), and cook up a pot of soup to leave with you before she goes. Yeah, she's one of those women, the ones who make it all look so easy. She's earthy and sensual, practical and frugal, yet she delights in the finer things in life. She's liable to come from "old money," and understands quality over quantity and comfort over what's in vogue. She isn't concerned with "making an impression" but more with what nourishes the body and the soul.

Yet no matter her homemaking skills and the envy they may inspire, you really can't hate her because she's so warm and genuine. She's so down-to-earth and is totally comfortable in her own skin. See the Queen of Pentacles on the right here from the Tarot of Durer. Her exposed breasts symbolize her maternal, nurturing nature while she displays a coin with her own image embossed on it. Yes, she's sticking her tongue out as if to say, "Yeah, what of it? I'm not impressed with myself." She's funny. She probably laughs herself silly over fart jokes. Kahlil Gibran wrote, "And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. " She knows this. The earth is her home, physically as well as emotionally.

What gives this queen her special knack for growing, creating, and nurturing is her unique elemental combination. She is "water of earth" the life-giving sustenance that no living thing can do without. She is moist peat moss, rich and dark, full of minerals and nutrients that allow roots to anchor deeply and leaves to flourish abundantly. Her flaws, however, exhibit themselves only when imbalanced, when there's too much water, say, with resultant stagnant emotional bogs and swamps. Too much of either element can smother growth and inhibit it rather than encourage. She can, if too "earthy" focus too much on material things and lose interest in people and relationships. She might be the mother who would rather buy her children things than spend time with them. Conversely, she could be the overattentive, emotionally smothering mother who frets over everything or clings too much, sinking her loved ones feet in mud so thick they cannot move. She can get "messy." A natural caretaker, she may give too much and create co-dependency in her relationships when she's needing to be needed.

However, more often than not, she's one of the more emotionally stable of the Queens, thanks to her earthy moorings. Just like all of the Pentacles people, she is reliable, loyal, and can be counted on to give really good advice. When your head and heart are spinning off into oblivion, she will gently ground you with practical suggestions. Then she'll feed you comfort foods she's made herself, and make up a feather bed with Egyptian cotton sheets (300 count, at least), scented with lavendar. She'll leave you alone just the right time and be available for quiet talk when you need it. She will sit and let you lay your head on her lap and she'll stroke your hair until you fall into a blissful slumber. There will be warm muffins and hot coffee when you awaken. This, from Walt Whitman, is her advice:

Love the earth and sun and animals,
Despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks,
Stand up for the stupid and crazy,
Devote your income and labor to others...
And your very flesh shall be a great poem.



The Fey Tarot Written by Riccardo Minetti, Artwork by Mara Aghem Published by Lo Scarabeo and distributed by Llewellyn Worldwide
Tarot of Durer by Giacinto Gaudenzi Tarot Deck Published by Lo Scarabeo 2002
Crystal Tarot by Elistabetta Trevisan Published by Lo Scarabeo and distributed by Llewellyn Worldwide Copyright 2000