King of Pentacles - Loyalty and Devotion

The good Earth is the King of Pentacles domain, and he is wants to be the master of all he surveys. He is deeply connected to the land. He puts his hand to the plow, his eyes steadfastly on the goal ahead, and he doesn't look back.

In the Mythic Tarot he embodies King Midas, representing human ambition, success, and being in a position of having material wealth.

In spite of his love for worldly ambition, and all it's trappings, he is a good man who is very,  loyal and devoted to his friends, family, and partner.

He loves to be surrounded by his animal critters, and the friends that will help him accomplish his tasks. We see in the background he has helpers ready to assist him, and his goat is close by his side.

This King needs to balance out his life, as he can easily get caught up in working too much, loosing sight of his what is truly important. We are not human doings, but human beings. The King of Pentacles needs to remember this.

A friend to all living things, it is suggested that he works the land, involved in agriculture, embodying the true lover of all things in the natural world.

I found this great picture on Pinterest I've posted below. Someone thought the image reminded them of the King of Pentacles. I have to agree.

The King " Gimme " Pentacles

When I draw the King of Pentacles, embodied by the mythic King Midas, my mind promptly goes to the materialistic, capitalistic, corporate, money mongering, fat cats. There is more to this card than meets the eye. Oh there are those that are greedy, craving status, power and position, that seemingly have the Midas touch, similar to the King of Pentacles, and these types fit my description well, however there always exists two sides to every coin and card, both positive and negative.

King Midas was wise and pious, so it is said, and everything he touched turned to gold. He was ambitious and more that willing to work hard for what he wanted, in terms of material comfort and wealth. He was certainly never apologetic for his materialistic nature, and generally put this ahead of everything else, in particular his relationship with himself, others and with the gods.

He showed kindness to a drunk, Silenos, who was tutor to the god Dionysos, The Fool, so in my estimation he can't be all bad. However Midas seemed oblivious or in deep denial  about his own dark temptation toward corruption, and living the 'high' life that has preoccupied and consumed his thoughts.

Although he wanted recognition from others, which is what we all want, simply to be accepted by our peers,  loved by those we have relationships with. We all need to have our most basic and strongest human need met, and to have a sense of belonging, but King Midas got his priorities all screwed up, and has lost his perspective.

After showing kindness toward this drunk, Silenos, King Midas was rewarded by Dionysos, who granted him one wish. He wished for everything that he touched would turn to gold. Midas gave no thought, and had no foresight into what he was wishing for. The great King was starving to death because even his food and drink was turning to gold. Finally after some amusement by Dionysos he took pity on Midas and released him from the golden touch. He had learned the lesson about his own greed and reaching out for help, he managed to save himself from himself.

Love those you belong to.