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.

King of Pentacles - We Are All Pilgrims

The King of Pentacles is a good fellow to have in your court. He's a tough self-made man, is excellent at managing business, successful at what he does, and has what is commonly called, the Midas touch, referencing to King Midas, in that, everything he touches turns to gold. Not exactly the Donald Trump type, because Donald likes to fire people, and has really weird hair, but the King of Pentacles can be your best friend, and if you are his partner he'll be devoted to you, and make you his Queen..

The challenge of worldly things and manifesting ambition, is what is represented in the King of Pentacles, however there is a warning. Greed, and material goals cannot be superseded by other aspects of life, especially in relation to higher ideals and spiritual values.

In today's world, we are on a very negative course, using up and spoiling the earth's resources and species, threatening out environment with the never ending climb to the top of the corporate ladder and accumulation of wealth. It is easy for many, to turn away from three quarters of those in the world  who live in dire circumstances and extreme poverty.

 We are all just pilgrims I believe, and we are just passing through. Life is very short, and we have an obligation to our children, and our great grandchildren to leave this world a better place, and there is no room for self-serving greed.

I've always had a deep attraction to the Virginian Appalachia because of how historically, the people are rooted in their land, tradition, beliefs and their deep sense of home.

The King of Pentacles caused me to reflect on a song I listened to, at the library in downtown Toronto, where I lived many years ago. It was a song called, I Am A Poor Pilgrim Of Sorrow, from Classic Mountain Songs, sung in A cappella (Italian for "in the manner of the church" or "in the manner of the chapel"). It deeply touched my soul, and has never left me. There is also a song with a similar melody, A Poor Wayfaring Stranger. I found this version by Eric Bibb who is my favourite Gospel singer and here's his version. It makes me reflect on what is really important in life; not money, success or wealth, but our relationships with ourselves, with others, and the God of our own understanding.

King of Pentacles - Quality Over Quantity

Among all of the Minor Arcana Court Cards, the King of Pentacles is the " General Manager " of the Universe at least this is the individual's intention. The attitude is to take charge and to be in charge.
The individual is very good at being successful,, putting ahead of anything else, the priorities of material gain, via one's organizational skills, the ability to make money, and climbing the ladder of success.

However, the warning is, that a vulnerability exists, in spite of the person's self-confidence, self-image as being powerful, and in control of their life. The higher one climbs the ladder, the further, and harder the fall.

Shortsightedness in seeing what is truly important in life, such as family life, and relationships, will hurt not only those you love, and those who love you, this will leave only loneliness, discontentment, and ultimately unhappiness, if you do not get your priorities straight. Putting material and monetary gain over relationships, will lead to disappointment, disillusion and heartache.

The warning is, we need to be careful what we wish for. Having a quality of life style, as opposed to having quantity is requires using discernment when it comes to ambition, desire for recognition, and need for material security. Power, money and our ego can corrupt. It's the choice we have to make between what is right and wrong, good and bad.

That's the bad news. The good news is, the King is mature man, at the peak of his career, successful and wealthy in a worldly position and achievement. He is a leader, a devoted husband, has the " Midas Touch ", and the gift of actualizing, and manifesting creative ideas in the world, and everything he touches turns to gold! 

King Midas