The Three of Pentacles Tarot Card

Are you getting along with your co-workers as you put together the big project? Has someone turned to you to ensure that a job will get done? Is there a task at hand that you know will be completed on time and as perfect as humanly possible? Have you realized lately that you are the best person for a certain job? When an organized approach is needed, have you been getting the call? Is your partner allowing you room to be yourself because you bring so much to the relationship? The Three of Pentacles is a card that would indicate all of these and more issues associated with competency and hitting your stride.

In the alcove of a cathedral, three people stand beneath an arch. On the left of the card is a mason standing on a bench holding a tool in his hand. The mason has turned to look at two people standing on the ground across from him. One man is a monk, head shaved as an acolyte of the church, wearing only the brown robes that come with his vow of poverty. Next to the monk is assumed to be a nun wearing a somewhat garish habit. These two hold what appears to be a blueprint for the mason to follow in the construction of the church. Above them, in the archway are three pentacles of stone arranged as decorative garnish to the interior architecture.

The church walls are gray, indicating an unfinished quality all around – this card is about the process. The group of people pictured are working together. The bench on which the mason stands indicates that at times some people in the group are higher up than others; the priest and nun represent that others might benefit more than those who are ahead of us now. Working in a group requires such reality checks. The mason holds a tool to make sure all the bricks are level while the monk and the nun hold the drawings of how the building is supposed to look. This is an illustration that competency requires both a theoretical understanding of situations and a mastery of getting things done on a most detailed level.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions

When your Tarot reading is dealt, the cards land in locations with assigned meanings. There is the past, present and future positions in every reading. When the Three of Pentacles is in the Past position of your Tarot reading, the best part of your formative years was in learning and self-discipline, mastering tasks and discovering your place in the world. If the past in your reading is more recent than your distant youth, this card relates to being put into a position where you can contribute. You were given the independence to show your competency within a group situation, be it at the office, in the classroom or among your family or love relationships.

In the present position, this card bodes well for a project in which you are currently enmeshed. This is especially comforting if you are unsure of how you are being received or not comfortable working with certain people. This card appearing in your reading demands that you simply display your expertise and the drama will fade, the unqualified will be dismissed and the goal that is in place for all of you will be accomplished. If there is a downside here it may be in your expectations for getting credit. While everyone involved may be acknowledged, the Three of Pentacles in the present position is a card that privileges the group over individual accomplishments. Unless you are standing out and saving a project because of a great organizational skill or a superior competency, do not go into things looking for reams of credit for your efforts.

When this card appears in the future position of a reading, expect big changes to come about as you gain expertise. Where you are now in your life may one day be looked back on as your “apprentice” period.

Card Combinations

Tarot readings involve more than one card in order for the meanings of each card to never be too rigid. The cards act as a group to subtly alter the meaning of each other. This ensures that every Tarot spread is different and individualized to you and the reality of the moment you receive that reading.

The Three of Pentacles is deeply related to the Major Arcana cards of the deck that carry the number three on them: The Empress (card #3) and Death (Card #13). The Empress is a card of presupposed talent and beauty, echoed in the Three of Pentacles as the talent to get the job done. Death is a card of unavoidable transformation and speaks to the totality of the task that is being executed in the Three of Pentacles.

When the Three of Pentacles appears in a reading with an ace Tarot card – of any suit, be it the Ace of Wands, Ace of Pentacles, Ace of Swords or Ace of Cups, look for the transformative power of the Three of Pentacle to be life-altering. Women who receive this card combination meet a love-at-first-sight soulmate on the job or fall in love quickly during a casual conversation with a new acquaintance.

The Three of Pentacles is at odds with The Fool, a card that celebrates the freedom of an existence without purpose. This card combination usually represents you and another person in your life who do not see eye to eye on anything. If you are studying the occult or subjects that are heavy in mysticism, this card combining with The Star will advance your consciousness. When combined with The Lovers card, look for your relationship to take a long, but fruitful path toward becoming a perfect union. Another great combination during your reading would be to see the Three of Pentacles appear in a reading with any of the king cards, be it the King of Wands, King of Cups, King of Pentacles or King of Swords, as you will soon be partnering up with a well-funded expert in the field for your big project. Learn more about the connection that the Three of Pentacles shares with the other cards numbered three in the Tarot deck.

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