Bohemian Gothic Tarot

ACE OF PENTACLES

Lighter or more conventional meanings

An excellent business opportunity * A burst of creativity in a craft or manual skill-based art such as sculpture or jewellery making * The promise of prosperity in the future * Starting a project or enterprise that will bring you material rewards.

Darker, shadow or more hidden meanings

Putting money and material possessions above spirituality, emotions, or relationships * Beware! What looks like a great business opportunity is in fact a scam.

A stark image, in this card we see a church steeple surmounted by a skull and crossbones. Like all the Aces, the Ace of Pentacles indicates new beginnings and opportunities, but in this case, we may well wonder if the opportunity at hand is a welcome one. In fact, none of the Tarot Aces are negative cards, they all carry a great deal of energy and, by convention, optimism. However, in our Bohemian Gothic variant the message is one of caution and the need to "look a gift horse in the mouth" to invert the old saying.

Here the card speaks of opportunities - most probably in business, finance or work - that look great but could carry some hidden snags or drawbacks. It also implies an imbalance in what's being offered; it might be too focused on money and materialism at the expense of creativity, or it may demand that you put your emotions and, even, your ethics to one side. The message is that this new possibility may hold great promise, but proceed with some scepticism and awareness.

Some further ways to consider this card

It may be interesting to look at some of the other cards that show steeples and towers, such as The Tower, the Eight of Swords and the Nine of Swords. In these, the towers are symbols of threat, their sharp outline against the sky implies something dangerous and possibly violent. How might this apply in an interpretation of the Ace of Pentacles?