The Three of Pentacles is a tarot card that show up to assure us that step by step methods of gain pay off. It’s a card where collaboration is queen. It’s a card where slow and steady really, really does win the race. After an Ace of sudden news and opportunity and a Two where things look a little less steady, this Three promises that the effort you put in after the Ace pays off. Working with others is also well-aspected, and long time dreams of collaboration often come to fruition. In The Spiral Tarot, one of my oldest and dearest decks, we see a ballerina being applauded and praised for their work. I’ve internalized this card as also meaning then that the right people are paying attention, and that’s what will lead to your day in the spotlight. Ballet is tedious, hard work and it’s easy for dancers to feel disheartened or discouraged. Yet here one is, with every bit of that work paying off because someone saw enough in them to grant them a role where a whole room full of people would stand up and applaud. It’s a beautiful card, and one I’ve cried upon receiving. This work might feel thankless, but your loved ones, your superiors at work, your favorite diety–they’re watching, and you’re going to be so thrilled that you took all the right steps to get here.
As an LGBTQ+ person, this card does lend itself to the activist collective in spite of the microcosmic nature of the Pentacles suit. Brick by brick we are building a better world. Little by little, the people in charge are noticing. Piece by piece we are covering up the scars that our kyriarchy has left on it’s individuals. That’s magical. It’s also logical. Along this line, when we’re talking about resource building and giving back to our community, this card urges us not to get discouraged so easily. Maybe no one hears about your space or opportunity at first, but a Three of Pentacles tells you stick with it. The right people will hear about it, and you will end up giving back and making your mark in your community.
Because this suit is so personal, I have seen mountains be moved in client’s families of origin with this card. There are clients who get a lot of pushback on their identity from their family but who don’t want to give up or disown those people. No one HAS to make that choice, but it is a totally valid (and totally human) one to make. The Three of Pentacles does promise those querents that the work of trying to open those hearts and minds will pay off, and better yet, assures us that you have allies in the situation even if you didn’t know that.
The Three of Pentacles is one that really does almost always show up regarding career. It has definitely had those other manifestations I’ve talked about, but nine times out of ten, this is a career card. Many of us who are LGBTQ+ have our identities built into our career or branding, or are professional policy makers and activists. This card essentially promises that those were worthwhile chances to take. We see the right clients coming to us, the right supervisors paying attention, and we see that other people’s identities or allyship come to our rescue and push us from where we are to the next step. This is a card where I urge people not to hide in their careers. It’s a card of assets, and trusting that the assets we are using will bring about the conclusion we desire. We are our own greatest asset though, and the Three of Pentacles promises we can put our whole queer selves in the spotlight and come out with the stability and career growth we crave.