2 of Pentacles: Keep your Balance

A fun and positive looking Tarot card, despite the wobble our characters in the images seem to have. Are they about to loose their balance and drop everything, feeling overwhelmed? Or are they juggling with great skill, their bodies flowing with movement? Keeping a cool head and not taking things so seriously seem to be the key in keeping your pentacles in the air and living in the moment.

Our first balancing act is portrayed in the Cosmico Tarot by Norbert Lösche. His arms swinging, his legs mid step, with both his bare feet in the sand, his lips are persed, as if he would be singing or whistling along to a tune, maybe one with a good beat to which he dances. His eyes look slightly ahead at where his next step will be, one hand touching his T-shirt lightly, where his two pentacles are carried on his chest. The tide is high and the sand is wet. The weight of his body evenly distributed between his two feet squeezes the water out of the sand, pushing it away to form two perfect circles. And there in that one perfectly balanced moment is his joy, not necessarily in reaching his destination, but in each step he takes on his way. The water is calm in the background, the boat seemingly still with its Ying and Yang emblemed sail, a symbol of perfect harmony and balance. It’s in the foreground, surrounding our dancer that things are getting choppy. The snake in the sand, the sharp shells, rocks and grasses close to his bare feet. All these things could cause him to stumble and fall, to loose his balance. He must concentrate on his steps, to elegantly master his way. And he appears to do this with a feeling of joy, living in the moment.

Another dancer keeping her balance, this one with great strength and skill, she appears to be perfectly still, but how long can she hold this pose for? Lana Zellner, the artist behind the fantastic Eight Coins Tattoo Tarot, has created this beautiful figure, holding her pentacles looped together with such elegance and ease, she doesn’t even touch them. Her strength therefore is not just physical, but her mind has the strength of determination, to keep her balance and look fantastic whilst doing so! The sky is dark like a looming storm, and the waves are high and flowing gracefully, a symbol of the state of flow our lady is in, she knows she’s got this, she’s determined and she can manage, I mean, just look at those muscles and the expression on her face.

Another way to keep the balance is to keep on moving and the image of the seesaw depicts just this in the Wheel of the Year Tarot by Maria Caratti and Antonella Platano. As the name suggests, the wheel doesn’t stop still, the cycles continue and we must learn to flow with them. Sometimes for this team work is required and the characters in this card are doing just that. Equally balancing their weight, they are able to keep the seesaw in motion, each of them holding a pentacle, like an extra weight that they are proud to carry. The children are tiny, no bigger than a walnut and the world around them is huge, but they don’t seem fazed, they are carefree and having fun, riding through the ups and the downs. 

The two of Pentacles is about keeping your balance, even when the sea is rough. You can keep juggling everything if you set your priorities right, don’t take yourself too seriously and have fun. Work hard, but don’t forget to dance. Live in the moment. The process can be just as rewarding as reaching your goals.