The Queens of Tarot: The Queen of Pentacles

Also known as Coins, Stones, and Disks, Pentacles represents our physical or material presence in form. It involves wealth, legacy, and the mundane aspects of living. The Queen of Pentacles, the next Queen in the series, is both ambitious and generous. A quiet influence, this Queen is the quintessential Earth Mother, practical, trustworthy, and intelligent.

Again, I’m using the same spread order as before and as a reminder the author information appears below:

• The Wild Unknown Tarot – Kim Krans, creator/artist
• The Robin Wood Tarot – Robin Wood, creator/artist
• Rider-Waite Tarot – A.E. Waite, creator; Pamela Coleman Smith, artist
• Haindl Tarot ~ Hermann Haindl, creator/artist
• Morgan-Greer Tarot – Bill Greer, creator/artist; Lloyd Morgan
• The Wildwood Tarot – Mark Ryan/creator, John Mathews/co-creator; Will Worthington, artist
• Thoth Tarot – Aleister Crowley, creator; Lady Frieda Harris, artist

A fawn sleeps next to its mother in The Mother of Pentacles, the Wild Unknown’s version of our Queen. An element-influenced deck, the author draws her subjects using black and white with the additional elemental colors appearing in the background. A pentacle appears above the pair. The doe nurtures her fawn, protecting and guiding it until it’s ready for life on its own. While the Wild Unknown author depicts strength in nurturing others, the Wildwood Tarot at the end of the lower spread, we see the Queen’s strength depicted as the Queen of Stones, a large brown bear standing tall at the opening of a cave. She stands on the precipice, a favorite theme in Tarot, looking out on a red-orange sky. Here, the deck’s authors create a picture of the Queen as assertive in her protection of others. But then, the doe can be just as fierce when her offspring are threatened.

Although the Robin Wood, Rider-Waite, and Morgan-Greer decks depict the Queen in a natural setting, the Robin Wood and the Rider-Waite contain similar elements and placement. We see greenery surrounding each Queen while both hold a large pentacle resting on their laps, as they both appear lost in thought. It’s the Morgan-Greer deck that takes a bit of a departure from the others. Here we see the Queen standing, with her left hand appearing to rest on the golden pentacle while her right seems to be keeping it in place. The season appears different in this rendition as well, with both the Robin Wood and Rider-Waite cards suggesting Spring or Summer, while the Morgan-Green deck suggests Autumn with the presence of brown oak leaves surrounding the Queen. She looks determined toward the future, another departure from the other two Queens, perhaps concerned for her family’s legacy.

A labyrinth covers the face of Spider Woman, the Mother of Stones in the West. Haindl’s rendition of this Queen represents the Grandmother or wisdom keeper from Native American history. The Hopi say that she conceived the world through the labyrinth of her thoughts. Her presence resonates nature. She is revered as a great teacher among the tribes of the Southwest. This Queen is steady and confident, intelligent and wise. Of course, Crowley had a unique view of the Queen of Pentacles, retitling her to the Queen of Disks. Here we see her face turned away from the observer, her horned crown reminiscent of Maleficient as she holds a globe in her left arm and a long, crystal-tipped staff in her right hand. Below her, an inquisitive ram looks at the observer as if to ask, what on earth do you want? In Crowley’s version of the Queen of Pentacles, her throne rises up around her, looking almost pineapple-like, the only greenery in an otherwise barren land. In the Thoth Tarot, the Queen of Disks’ quiet presence provides water and sustenance to those in need.

The Earthy nature of the Queen of Pentacles, regardless of decks, illustrates a woman who will do what it takes to care for her family, her own and the greater family around her. Of all the Queens, the Queen of Pentacles is the one that meets us at the door when we arrive home with all the love, hugs, and kisses we’ve been missing. She’s our mother, our grandmother, the one who gave birth to us and the one to whom we return.

The next post will take a look at the Queen of Wands, the last Queen in our Queen series. Dynamic and catalytic, this Queen should be fun to look at!

Queenly Blessings to all!