Six of Pentacles Tarot: Meaning, Symbolism, Reversed Card

In brief: name, number and keywords

The Six of Pentacles is the card of giving and exchange. A well-dressed man pours coins into the hands of two poor people, and holds a pair of scales. The image speaks of generosity, but also of debt, dependence, and the right measure between the one who gives and the one who receives.

It carries the number 6. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, it is the Six of Pentacles.

Keywords: giving, sharing, generosity, balance, debt, gratitude.

The image in the Marseille tarot

In the Marseille tarot, the Six of Coins is a pip card: six gold discs, often in two columns of three or arranged around a motif, surrounded by leafy stems. No merchant, no scales. The six is a number of harmony and symmetry.

The scene of giving belongs to the Rider-Waite-Smith deck alone.

The scene in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck

A well-dressed merchant, standing at the centre, holds a pair of scales in his left hand and pours coins into the hand of one of two beggars kneeling at his feet. The beggars are poorly dressed, and one of them holds out a hand.

Six pentacles float in the sky around him. The scene is calm, the setting reduced to the essentials.

Symbolism of the elements in the scene

A few details from the image, among the most commented. These are paths for interpretation.

• The scales: fairness, the right measure, the weighing of what is given and received.
• The coins poured out: giving, charity, but also conditional help.
• The two kneeling beggars: dependence, gratitude, or humility.
• The standing merchant: a high position, with its duties and its power.
• The six pentacles in the sky: abundance that circulates, or a debt that weighs.

Upright meaning

Upright, the Six of Pentacles traditionally suggests generosity, sharing, and balance between giving and receiving. It can represent help given or received, a loan, a grant, a fair wage, or recognition. The card also speaks of the power dynamics that creep into any exchange.

In a spread, it invites you to ask: are you giving too much or too little? Do you receive with gratitude? The card predicts nothing and does not say who the giver is: the image applies to both roles.

Reversed: schools that disagree

School 1: imbalance. Reversed, the Six of Pentacles would speak of conditional giving, debt, dependence, or unequal sharing.

School 2: refusing to receive or to give. Others read the difficulty of accepting help, or generosity that wears itself out. Many tarot readers do not read the reversed position at all.

Traditional correspondences and numerology

According to the Golden Dawn, which assigns a decan to each card from 2 to 10, here are the most frequently cited reference points (dates accurate to within a day).

Numerology of 6. Six is a number of harmony: two times three, the midpoint between one and ten. After the crisis of the Five, it brings exchange and rebalancing. In the Golden Dawn's Kabbalistic reading, the Six corresponds to Tiphereth, Beauty, the centre of the Tree of Life.

The Golden Dawn title, 'Lord of Material Success', is a nineteenth-century occult convention.

Common areas of reading

The tarot does not say what will happen: it offers images for reflection. Here is what this card can evoke, in symbolic terms.

• Personal reflection: examining what you give and what you receive. A possible question: is there an exchange I would like to rebalance?
• Relationships: gratitude, mutual help, generosity; watch for favours that create a debt.
• Work: pay, a bonus, mentoring, training; hierarchical relationships.
• Money: a loan, a gift, sharing costs; the card predicts nothing and does not replace a financial adviser.

Combinations with other cards

A card is rarely read alone: its neighbours qualify it. A few simple pairings, to be taken as starting points.

• The Five of Pentacles: help arrives after the ordeal.
• The Seven of Pentacles: after sharing, the patience of the harvest.
• Justice: the fair exchange.
• The Empress: shared abundance.

To practise linking cards, try the three-card spread. To see the whole suit, read the page on the suit of pentacles.

Common beginner mistakes

• Assuming you are necessarily the giver: the image applies to the one who receives too.
• Ignoring the scales: the card speaks as much of measure as of generosity.
• Seeing a prediction of gain: the tarot promises nothing.

Reflection questions and keyword of the day

Keyword of the day: Exchange. Make one simple gesture of generosity, then one gesture of gratitude toward someone who has helped you.

Questions to ask yourself:

• Where am I giving more than I receive, or the reverse?
• How do I accept help from others?
• What would a fair exchange look like in this situation?

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Guide to the Minor Arcana.