As we continue journeying through the Tarot with the explicit purpose of queering it, we enter the Pentacles. I didn’t connect with Pentacles for a long time. It felt like this suit was so much about materialism in a way I didn’t believe in. It’s also a lot about family, but in a heteronormative way that I couldn’t relate too. Over time though, this has become the most patient and reassuring set of cards in the Tarot to me. My queerplatonic partner and I have carved out an incredibly unconventional home filled with unicorn masks, witchcraft, and love that no one understands–least of all us. It is still a home that is stable for our partners, for the friends that come for game nights, and most importantly, for ourselves. Once I did have the idea of home resolved in my own queer way, my careers that I am deeply passionate about started taking off. Then I fell into a wonderful group of queer friends where resource building and sharing sit at the core of our connection and love for each other. Somewhere in all of this, the Pentacles started standing above the rest of the deck when I needed comfort, love, and reassurance.
Queering the Pentacles as a whole is as easy as taking stock of what means something in your own queer life. It’s as simple as thinking about what you’re trying to grow and develop. It’s as important as changing the world at large, though this suit primarily relates to self, family (chosen or otherwise) and community. Big change starts within, and let’s not forget that though as queer or otherwise marginalized people, we owe people like us all of the fire we have inside of ourselves, but living our lives joyfully and with firm roots in the ground is also a form of resistance. Living a joyful life for its own purpose is something other LGBTQ+ people can look at and say “Hey, that’s where I want to be; comfortable and happy.” In allowing ourselves the luxury of the Pentacles we are telling other queer people that they deserve luxury. In finding homes and families that we don’t see on TV but do feel deeply in our souls, we promise others that they can find that too. Living a full life in a world that hates you IS resistance, and that’s the type of resistance that the Pentacles push us too. You’ve likely spent so much of your life battling personal trauma, collective trauma, and the daily trauma of living in a queerphobic world. Regardless of who is or isn’t watching, you deserve a safe space to breathe, and that is what the Pentacles promise.
We start then with the Ace of Pentacles. If Aces bring news or are news, the literal quick translation of this card is “News of family, home, or career, likely positive.” This is a happy and straight-shooting card. If you’ve been looking for your dream house, you’re probably going to find it. If you’ve been stuck in a dead end position in a field you love, you’re probably moving ahead pretty soon. Unexpected money shows up, including inheritances because of this suit’s ties to family (though it’s probably not from anyone unexpected or are super close to). As a more spiritual card or energy, the Ace of Pentacles is a call to put down roots, to create a home, or to build or provide a resource. It’s a promise that you’re safe now, and safety means you’re at an exciting time where you can grow or develop anything you want and know that something good will come out of it. This card is a good omen and a great opportunity, and it’s assuring you that NOW is the time to put down roots.
As career or financial news, a queering doesn’t change this card much but it does give it some nuance. In a world where in many states you can get fired for coming out as transgender or having a same sex partner, career advancement is a welcome breath. Given the aforementioned disproportionate levels of poverty queer people face, finding out that you’re moving out of that is amazing news. It’s also healing in a way that I don’t think it would be for someone who isn’t working at the intersections of poverty and another marginalized identity. That means that with a queering of the Ace of Pentacles we see an aspect we haven’t before: healing from past trauma and moving forward confidently, even if the manifestation of that is material and worldly.
This card is pretty straightforward, even when deconstructing it or queering it, but we can use it to dig a little deeper.
The Ace of Pentacles is for sure promising that whatever you’re looking for for your chosen, queer family is right around the corner or it’s perhaps assuring you that what you need is right in front of your face. In this day and age, what so many of our queer families need is actual resources. What people living in poverty need is food security, friends with extra rooms, and knowing we’ll have a way to get to the work or odd jobs we do find. This card could show up to tell you that those resources already exist in your area if you open yourself up to them. It could also mean that you are in a place to start providing those resources for other people. If you’re making a decent amount of money and have been wondering how to give back, think about what your local queer community needs and find a way to do that. If you cook well, find somewhere that will host community meals a few times a week. Find someone who knows who’s homeless in your community and knows how to distribute armfuls of blankets and gloves to those who need them in the cold. You don’t have to do everything, but this card often shows you’re in a place to do something, and that is powerful knowledge that you can and should put into action quickly.
*PSSST! Big news! Queering the Tarot is a series I’ve been running for what seems like forever. Now it’s being compiled, finished, and rewritten as a book by the same title through Red Wheel/Wieser publishing! It’s still way too early even to pre-order, but keep their website on your radar for future purchase options and release date information.