Six of Pentacles Tarot Card Meaning: The Scales, the Gift and Fair Exchange

The Six of Pentacles shows a well-dressed merchant holding a pair of scales in one hand and dropping coins into the open palm of a kneeling man with the other. A second figure kneels beside him, hands raised, waiting. Six pentacles float in the sky above. After the cold of the Five, this card feels like someone opening the door.

It is a card about generosity, but the scales make it more interesting than that. Giving is weighed. The card asks who is giving, who is receiving, whether the exchange is fair and whether it leaves everyone standing on their own feet. Below are the imagery, the upright and reversed meanings, love, work and money, the yes or no answer and ways to work with it.

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What is on the Six of Pentacles card

In the 1909 Rider-Waite-Smith deck, drawn by Pamela Colman Smith, a man in a fine cloak and cap stands in the center. In his left hand he holds a set of scales, evenly balanced. With his right hand he drops coins into the cupped hands of a kneeling figure in ragged clothes. A second kneeling figure on the other side holds out his hands too. Six pentacles hang in the air above them. Waite called him a person in the guise of a merchant who weighs money and gives it to the needy.

• The scales stand for fairness and judgment. The giving is measured, not random.
• The coins falling into an open hand show real, practical help.
• The two kneeling figures are those receiving. Only one is being served right now, which raises questions of who gets what.
• The merchant's fine clothes show he has more than enough to share.
• The six pentacles above suggest resources moving through the whole scene.

In the Golden Dawn system the Six of Pentacles is the Moon in Taurus, the Lord of Material Success. The Moon is exalted in Taurus, a comfortable placement that favors nurture, care and steady supply.

Six of Pentacles upright meaning

Upright, the Six of Pentacles asks you to give and receive with an open hand. You may be the one helping, through a loan, a gift, your time or your skills. Or you may be the one receiving help, a raise, a grant, support from family or a friend who shows up. Both roles are part of the card, and neither is shameful. Kindness comes back to you.

The scales add a note of balance. Give what you can afford to give, and no more. Accept help without feeling smaller for it, and pass it on when you are able. Over time, the exchange should feel fair to everyone.

The card also asks you to notice where you stand in the picture right now. Some seasons we are the merchant, and some seasons we are kneeling with open hands. Neither lasts forever. Being honest about which role you are in makes it easier to play it well.

Keywords: generosity, giving and receiving, charity, support, fairness, sharing.

Six of Pentacles reversed meaning

Reversed, the scales tip. The card points to strings attached or one-sided giving. A gift may come with an expectation, help may be used to control, or one person may be doing all the giving while the other only takes. Debt can also show up here.

The advice is to rebalance the exchange. Say no to gifts with hooks in them, ask for what you are owed, or stop giving where it is never returned.

Look again at the second kneeling figure, the one still waiting. The reversed card can point to unfairness in who gets helped and who is overlooked, at work, in a family or in a group. It asks you to notice who is being missed.

Six of Pentacles in love

In love, the Six of Pentacles shows a relationship where both people give. Care, attention, time and effort move in both directions. For a single reader, it can point to meeting someone generous, or to being ready to share your life with another person.

Reversed, it warns of an uneven relationship: one partner always giving, the other always taking, or affection used as leverage.

Six of Pentacles for career and money

At work, the card can mean a fair raise, a bonus, a mentor willing to share knowledge, or the chance to support a colleague. With money, it often points to money moving between people, like a loan, a gift or a donation. Common sense applies: give within your means and be clear about terms before money changes hands. Reversed, check for hidden conditions.

It can also show the end of a hard stretch, when the help you asked for finally arrives. If the Five of Pentacles is about the cold, the Six is often about the door opening.

Is the Six of Pentacles a yes or no card?

The Six of Pentacles is a yes, especially for questions about help, support or fair exchange. Reversed, yes only if the terms are fair.

In a spread, the cards around the Six often show who the giver and receiver are. A court card next to it may point to the person offering help, or to the one who needs it.

How to work with the Six of Pentacles

This card is about letting good things move in both directions.

• Give something small. Donate to a food bank, help a neighbor, or teach a skill you know well.
• Receive with grace. Next time someone offers help, say thank you and accept it without arguing.
• Work with Mabon energy. Mabon altar ideas center gratitude and sharing the harvest.
• Bake and share. Kitchen witchcraft turns cooking for others into a small ritual.
• Wear a golden reminder. An 18K gold chakra pentacle necklace is a warm token of an open hand.

The tarot page on this site pairs the Six of Pentacles with the abundance and prosperity collection, since abundance shared tends to come back around.

Six of Pentacles next to other cards

• Six of Pentacles and Justice: fair terms and a balanced deal.
• Six of Pentacles and The Empress: nurturing generosity, care given freely.
• Six of Pentacles and The Devil: help with strings attached, or debt that binds.
• Six of Pentacles and Six of Cups: simple kindness, gifts given with no agenda.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Six of Pentacles a good card?

Yes. It shows generosity, support and fair exchange.

What does the Six of Pentacles reversed mean?

Strings attached, one-sided giving or debt. The exchange needs rebalancing.

Is the Six of Pentacles a yes or no?

Yes. Reversed, only if the terms are fair.

What planet and sign rule the Six of Pentacles?

The Golden Dawn assigns it to the Moon in Taurus and calls it the Lord of Material Success.

Related Reads

• Justice Tarot Card Meaning
• Six of Swords Tarot Card Meaning
• The Mystical World of Pentacles: Protection, Power, and Pagan Style
• Seven of Pentacles Tarot Card Meaning

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