Prince of Pentacles

Were this a modern Tarot and, per Crowley, the princes drove chariots, this one might be found on a John Deere or a D5 Cat. But he might still have a rotary phone on a landline. From one angle, you might see some plumber’s butt crack. This is a pretty conservative fellow, and not some fancy Prince Charming. As discussed elsewhere, the moving around that princes do is more circumscribed for him, and much of his exploration may be a reexamination of the known. As far as exploring and exceeding the boundaries, as the princes are charged to do, the Prince of Pentacles might only be riding out to fix the fence or bring in strays. He might have a reason to go into town, but he’s not so wild that he’d go without a reason. He is a simple, predictable man, who knows his goals well in advance, and a dedicated, reliable man, who can be trusted to finish a job. He is said to be slow to anger, but furious if roused, and he is not forth- coming about his feelings. Commentators also describe him as persistent, patient, consistent, methodical, industrious, sensible, practical, hard working, capable, stead- fast, conventional, cautious, stable, responsible, stubborn, and even bull-headed. He is notable for perseverance and practicality, and a slow-but-steady pace for getting things done, the right way, the way it’s always done. The Prince’s life is fairly well mapped out by the conventions of the world around him. He is rooted in the land and has a good sense of his place, but he may be too wrapped up in his work to see its beauty or sense his good fortune. Local concerns are the boundaries of his world. The Prince isn’t much of a reader, in part due to his time constraints, so he may be prone to adopting simple and ready-made ideas, often in the form of platitudes, propaganda, and quotes from the holy books. He may adopt ideolo- gies that are not in his own best interest. He is not the sharpest hammer in the box, and may come off as simple-minded instead of single-minded. He will tend to believe what he has been told to believe by tradition. He can be convinced of untenable ideas even when evidence to the contrary is right in front of him. His values are traditional and his ethics are probably unexamined. He follows protocols but may not know what the word means. He is set in the ways that things are done. But despite his lack of rebelliousness and self-direction, he nevertheless represents Jefferson’s yeoman farmer ideal of civic virtue and incorruptibility. And he’s the salt of the earth. Even when he is wrong, he is innocently and honestly wrong. And he isn’t just honest because he’s too dull to be crafty. He does what he can to be genuine. He usually shows good, common sense, except with politics and religion. Do not even try to convince him that there is a world outside of his country, or thoughts outside his beliefs, unless you want to hear some mighty strong opinions. He simply cannot see, much less question, his errors. Any good wisdom that he carries around will be of the folk variety. Maybe other wisdoms can be smuggled into his mind through this particular door. The Prince also has his own brand of intelligence, of a concrete operational sort. If a thing was manufactured before he was ten years old, you can be certain this guy can fix it, or even build a new one from scraps. He is a handy man. He knows how things work and how they go together, though he probably holds no patents. He may have good business sense but isn’t very risk prone, so he may avoid new lessons. His math may be limited to striking bargains, inventory, and counting time and seasons, but he has that at least. He can probably design a barn better than any architect, and can certainly build one better. An obedience to natural law takes some smarts and savvy, with enough of a knowledge of nature not to fight it. It may take a while to unlearn a traditional way of doing things wrong. You can trust him to do what he knows, but not to find any error in that. In short, if a task falls within his range of skills, you can rely on this Prince to complete it, and do a solid, workmanlike job. A handshake is almost certainly the only contract you’ll need. He will not abide any dishonesty, frivolity, whining, or shenani- gans. Great achievements can be built here with humble parts and long days. A lot of time might be consumed in the process. Thoroughness and quality mean more than efficient production. The Yijing counterpart is Gua 53, Gradual Progress, symbolized by a tree growing slowly on the mountain, slowly securing a patch of rough ground all its own and eventually becoming a landmark. It’s a long process, wanting a steady and reliable effort. It is also symbolized by the wild geese or swans, who mate for their very long lives and move through routines long-ago established by evolution. This is a long-term commitment, and a slow but still progressive conservatism, which advances by degrees, the gradual school of character development.