Question: Advice for summer love, please!
The Card: Three of Pentacles, Minor Arcana
Rulerships: Taurus, Venus. Season: Winter. Element: Earth. Colours: Brown, Green. Direction: North.
The Deck: The Rider-Waite Coleman-Smith, first published in 1910. Card illustration here by Aimée.
Lunar Position: I cast the reading during the Waxing Crescent in Gemini, with white sage, cedar and compassion. May it harm none.
Description:
In the Three of Pentacles, in the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, we see three figures inside a place of worship. One person has been building and ornamenting the sacred place. The other figures are a monk and a wealthy patron who together present the worker with a reward for their skill and artistry.
Advice:
We could talk about the number three (3) and sets of threes, for a very long time. Humans clearly have a special connection with the number three, and in the Tarot we see potent messages in all the threes in the deck.
Our summer love advice is to keep relationships (especially multiple relationships) honest. Three of Pentacles reminds us to keep honesty and integrity—not just in our work and trades, but in love, too.
Love triangles and affairs can be indicated by the Three of Pentacles. Fledgling Tarot readers, please note this is not always the case! Please don’t immediately assume you are in a love triangle or that your partner is having an affair, each time you see the Three of Pentacles. Consider the other cards in the reading to understand the full message.
For example, sometimes Three of Pentacles indicates love interests in the workplace or in activities related to your work. This Tarot card can also reveal a need to be recognized, valued and seen in your love relationships. Or to value, see and recognize others! What we treasure will blossom.
Polyamory can be revealed or suggested by this card. Generally, polyamory is defined as the practice of, or desire for, intimate relationships with more than one partner, with the informed consent of all partners involved. The important link here, with Three of Pentacles, is the part about keeping things honest and, to a degree, public. No one depicted in this Tarot card is hiding! If you are interested in having simultaneous relationships, with more than one person, communication is key. You can only be called polyamorous if all your lovers know about one another, otherwise it is simply called dating; or, in some cases, cheating.
Keeping relationships healthy and supportive is suggested by this card. Avoid detracting from the success of others! Recognize when you need to play a supportive role. Understand you need to show up and pitch in to help a relationship thrive.
The Three of Pentacles is a stealth card—at first it seems easy to absorb the entire message, but there are multiple pathways of meaning to explore. Consider: art, craft, patronage, the value of doing good work and rewarding others for their good works, the politics of advancement, What do we value? and What do we reward people for? And, of course, what threes (3s) can mean for love. Note also that the place of worship, here, is the site of good works. What happens when we work with and for divinity or for something larger than ourselves?
