Following on from the Eight of Pentacles, we have the Nine, linked
to Venus in Virgo, and to the middle ten days of the sun’s journey through this
sign (3rd-13th September). We’re still looking at Virgoan qualities
here, so it’s Venus that gives the Nine a different ‘flavour’ from the
Eight.
Virgo is the sign
associated with the harvest, while Venus symbolizes harmony – that sense of
well-being that I feel whenever I look at this card. There’s a real feeling of abundance, and the
enjoyment of it - Virgo is the mutable Earth sign, so there's the suggestion of sharing and spreading the wealth of the harvest. I’m also reminded of
the Empress, with all the signs of fertility – the fruit as well as the rabbit!
In the Nine of Pentacles we see it’s taken a lot of hard work, though, for the earth
to have yielded such wealth.
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Nine of Pentacles (trimmed):
© Mystic Spiral Tarot
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Venus is not really that comfortable in Virgo, though – in
astrological terms she’s ‘in fall’ in this sign. This can come out in the Virgoan critical
faculties, when Virgo’s ideals and standards aren’t met – when the
‘perfectionist’ goes overboard. But I
can also see this ‘Venus in Virgo’ in the pleasure that the woman in the image
is taking in what she’s produced. The
fruits of her labours are not necessarily beautiful, but they are useful and
practical – appealing to the down-to-earthiness of the Pentacles family.
Venus in Virgo can
also be cautious, or conventional. The
fruits of her labours have probably been a result of ‘tried and tested’
methods, not something new or revolutionary.
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Nine of Pentacles (trimmed):
© Sharman-Burke/Caselli Tarot
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As I mentioned in earlier posts about Virgo, this sign is
the sixth one encountered in the journey around the zodiac, and as such,
represents the closing of the first half of that journey, that of the
individual. From here on, the focus
shifts to the wider, outer world. I
think this comes across clearly in the Nine of Pentacles (as well as in the Hermit) – there’s a sense of self-sufficiency in this card.
There’s no one else in sight. She’s
alone - but not lonely, and is happy in that state. She doesn’t need more, but she’s
content with what she’s achieved, and with the promise of what’s ahead (in the
Sharman-Burke/Caselli Beginners' Guide to the Tarot deck, the hunting bird symbolizes her far-sightedness and
imagination). The actual harvest is still to come, of course - this is only the
Nine; the culmination, the Ten, is still to come.
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Nine of Disks (trimmed):
© Thoth Tarot
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In other decks the falcon represents a very Virgoan quality:
discipline – the ability to give attention to the job at hand. The discipline here is not imposed from an
outward source; it’s about having the self-discipline required to devote time
and energy to something that you really want to achieve. And when you do
achieve it, you – like this woman - can luxuriate in the fruits of your labour!
The Thoth deck, although the image is very different from
that of the Rider-Waite-based decks, carries a similar message. The more we give, the more we receive – the
harder we work, the more rewards we’re able to reap, the overall idea being
that a number of qualities or skills need to be brought together in order to
achieve results. In this image, we can see six symbols
representing the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, as well as
the Moon – which in astrology is considered to be a planet (as it too ‘wanders
the sky’). So we have the ambition of
Mars, the vision of Jupiter, the communication
of Mercury, the time-management, perhaps, of Saturn, the nurturing of
the Moon, and – last but not least, the abundance of Venus, all brought
together though the effort of Venus in Virgo!
Beginner’s Guide to
the Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated
by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections
Mystic Spiral Tarot, created by
Giuseppe Palumbo & Giovanni Pelosini, published by Lo Scarabeo
Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by
Lady Frieda Harris, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
