The Suit of Pentacles: Earth of Assiah

The Suit of Pentacles: Earth of Assiah

In the Qabalistic Tree of Life, the Suit of Pentacles belongs to Assiah, the World of Action. Here the element of Earth grounds the other worlds: Fire becomes work, Water becomes resources, Air becomes plans, and all descend into form. Pentacles are the suit of the body, material security, wealth, health, and the cultivation of steady growth.

Each numbered card corresponds to one of the Sephiroth, showing how Earth moves through the Tree: from the Ace in Kether (seed of manifestation) to the Ten in Malkuth (the fullness of the material cycle). The Court Cards embody Earth in human form — King, Queen, Knight, and Page/Princess — each rooted in their Sephirah.

Ace of Pentacles

• Rider–Waite imagery: A divine hand extends a coin marked with a pentacle, floating above a garden path leading to mountains.

• Card meaning: Prosperity, grounded beginnings, opportunity, health, manifestation.

• Reversed meaning: Missed chance, instability, hollow start.

• Sephira (Assiah): Kether — the seed of matter.

• Sephira meaning: Pure potential of embodiment — the gift of earth.

• Numerology: 1 — seed, unity, beginning of form.

• Narrative: The seed is planted; the promise of abundance lies ahead.

Two of Pentacles

• Rider–Waite imagery: A figure juggles two pentacles within an infinity loop, ships ride waves behind him.

• Card meaning: Balance, adaptability, flexibility with resources.

• Reversed meaning: Overwhelm, imbalance, lost footing.

• Sephira (Assiah): Chokmah — wisdom, dynamic force.

• Sephira meaning: Earth in motion, the dance of stability and change.

• Numerology: 2 — polarity, balance, duality in play.

• Narrative: The coin spins; harmony comes only by constant movement.

Three of Pentacles

• Rider–Waite imagery: A mason works on a cathedral arch, plans in hand, as two others look on in collaboration.

• Card meaning: Skill, craftsmanship, teamwork, recognition of work.

• Reversed meaning: Lack of cooperation, poor planning, shoddy work.

• Sephira (Assiah): Binah — structure, understanding.

• Sephira meaning: Earth shaped by discipline and craft into form.

• Numerology: 3 — synthesis, building, cooperation.

• Narrative: The stone is set — skill and unity create lasting works.

Four of Pentacles

• Rider–Waite imagery: A figure clutches a coin to his chest, with more beneath his feet and above his crown, seated in a city.

• Card meaning: Security, stability, control, holding fast to resources.

• Reversed meaning: Greed, fear of loss, clinging too tightly.

• Sephira (Assiah): Chesed — stability, mercy.

• Sephira meaning: Earth held firm, security and boundaries established.

• Numerology: 4 — foundation, structure.

• Narrative: The walls are raised — but clinging too tightly may halt growth.

Five of Pentacles

• Rider–Waite imagery: Two destitute figures pass before a lit church window in snow and hardship.

• Card meaning: Poverty, loss, hardship, feeling left out.

• Reversed meaning: Recovery, aid received, hope in dark times.

• Sephira (Assiah): Geburah — severity, trial.

• Sephira meaning: Earth as deprivation and testing of endurance.

• Numerology: 5 — instability, struggle, challenge.

• Narrative: The path is cold; material lack tests the spirit.

Six of Pentacles

• Rider–Waite imagery: A wealthy figure distributes coins to two beggars, scales balanced in his other hand.

• Card meaning: Generosity, fairness, balance of giving and receiving.

• Reversed meaning: Exploitation, debt, charity with strings attached.

• Sephira (Assiah): Tiferet — harmony, beauty.

• Sephira meaning: Earth balanced — justice and compassion in material exchange.

• Numerology: 6 — equilibrium, balance, reciprocity.

• Narrative: The scales of earth weigh equally — giving and receiving keep the flow alive.

Seven of Pentacles

• Rider–Waite imagery: A farmer leans on his staff, gazing at a bush heavy with seven pentacles.

• Card meaning: Patience, assessment, long-term growth, harvest delayed.

• Reversed meaning: Impatience, wasted effort, poor investment.

• Sephira (Assiah): Netzach — persistence, endurance.

• Sephira meaning: Earth as patience, reward only through time and cultivation.

• Numerology: 7 — testing, endurance.

• Narrative: The garden grows slowly — perseverance is the price of fruit.

Eight of Pentacles

• Rider–Waite imagery: A craftsman sits at his bench, carefully engraving pentacles in steady succession.

• Card meaning: Diligence, mastery, skill development, apprenticeship.

• Reversed meaning: Poor quality, lack of focus, perfectionism turned sour.

• Sephira (Assiah): Hod — structure, intellect.

• Sephira meaning: Earth shaped by repetition and discipline — skill forged through labor.

• Numerology: 8 — rhythm, work, balance through effort.

• Narrative: The hand learns its craft — mastery through repetition.

Nine of Pentacles

• Rider–Waite imagery: A refined woman walks among vines heavy with fruit, a falcon perched on her arm.

• Card meaning: Independence, self-sufficiency, luxury, earned success.

• Reversed meaning: Overdependence, financial setbacks, superficial wealth.

• Sephira (Assiah): Yesod — foundation, fruition.

• Sephira meaning: Earth as stability, wealth that supports freedom and pleasure.

• Numerology: 9 — culmination, near completion.

• Narrative: The orchard is ripe — abundance flows to those who tend it.

Ten of Pentacles

• Rider–Waite imagery: A family gathers within an archway, dogs at their feet, ancestral symbols carved in stone.

• Card meaning: Legacy, long-term security, family, tradition, inheritance.

• Reversed meaning: Broken tradition, financial loss, unstable foundations.

• Sephira (Assiah): Malkuth — manifestation, kingdom.

• Sephira meaning: Earth fully embodied, prosperity made real and lasting.

• Numerology: 10 — completion, cycle fulfilled, manifestation in matter.

• Narrative: The seed has become a forest — stability and abundance for generations.

The Courts of Earth show how material energy takes human form. As always, they follow the family structure: King = Chokmah (Father), Queen = Binah (Mother), Knight/Prince = Tiferet (Son), Page/Princess = Malkuth (Daughter).

Page of Pentacles
(Princess of Pentacles)

• Rider–Waite imagery: A youth gazes at a pentacle he holds aloft, standing in fertile fields.

• Card meaning: Curiosity, study, new opportunities, learning about work and resources.

• Reversed meaning: Laziness, lack of focus, missed opportunities.

• Elemental nature: Earth of Earth — groundedness at its purest.

• Sephira: Malkuth — the daughter, anchoring matter into manifestation.

Knight of Pentacles
(Prince of Pentacles)

• Rider–Waite imagery: A knight sits upon a stationary horse, holding a pentacle carefully, gazing at the field before him.

• Card meaning: Steadiness, responsibility, patience, methodical progress.

• Reversed meaning: Stubbornness, inertia, inefficiency.

• Elemental nature: Air of Earth — careful thought shaping practical action.

• Sephira: Tiferet — the son, balance and steady motion.

Queen of Pentacles

• Rider–Waite imagery: A queen sits upon a lush throne, cradling a pentacle, surrounded by greenery and abundance.

• Card meaning: Nurturing, practicality, prosperity, fertility, care for home and body.

• Reversed meaning: Overindulgence, neglect, imbalance between care and self-care.

• Elemental nature: Water of Earth — nourishment, fertility, grounded compassion.

• Sephira: Binah — the mother, form and abundance given shape.

King of Pentacles
(Knight in older decks)

• Rider–Waite imagery: A king sits upon a richly decorated throne, scepter and pentacle in hand, vineyards and castles around him.

• Card meaning: Wealth, mastery of resources, stability, wise stewardship.

• Reversed meaning: Greed, stubbornness, materialism without spirit.

• Elemental nature: Fire of Earth — generative power, mastery of the material.

• Sephira: Chokmah — the father, dynamic force embodied as prosperity.

The Pentacles of Assiah trace the journey of matter — from the Ace’s seed of manifestation to the Ten’s legacy of lasting abundance. The Courts show how Earth lives in us: Page as student of the body, Knight as steady worker, Queen as nurturer of resources, King as master of prosperity.

Together, they remind us that Earth is not just weight — it is fertility, craft, and stability, the ground on which every other element stands.

That completes the four elemental suits: Wands (Atziluth), Cups (Briah), Swords (Yetzirah), and Pentacles (Assiah).

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