Today’s card is the six of pentacles. A pretty card, it shows a wealthy man passing gold into the hands of eager seekers. Are these wages? Are these alms to beggars? In any case, he doesn’t seem unhappy to give out the money. It is a pleasant activity.

Pentacles connect with earth energy. In this card it is particularly connected with  the nurturing side of that energy. The money given here is an investment, not for personal gain, precisely, though he will benefit from the general welfare of society. He is sowing seeds of opportunity, with a genuine wish for each and every hand to prosper and eventually join beside him.

The number six is the number of family and friends. While we might see this act of charity more in line with the number nine, community, these people are personal to the philanthropist. He sees their faces and likely knows their names. These are not monies given to a cause for the greater good of humanity. They are meals, and clothes, and shelter given directly to an individual while looking into their eyes. Is it a wonder that the number six and the number nine transform to one another when we turn them end to end?

Now, where do we fit into this picture? Are we the prosperous figure, bestowing our wealth to others? Are we the hands, reaching up out, hoping for a gift? We are both.

This card is about generosity, about gifts. Gifts are not earned like wages. They are given freely and received with gratitude. We do not get to decide the value of a gift that we receive. It is always a blessing and a treasure. We also must not measure a gift when we give it. We should allow ourselves to be inspired to the gift that feels right and give it freely as though it was the last chance ever. Anything else is not giving and receiving, it is barter.

Again, my day did not permit me to finish this article until after the day was done, but I did try to carry the spirit of the card with me. I had several opportunities to bestow gifts in the form of requests for help, tip jars, even beggars. There was a point where I was hesitant and not as generous as I could have been. (I still struggle with beggars because I encounter a lot of them, spending time in an area of the city where they are plentiful and aggressive. I also rarely feel like the gift is well-received in those cases. An area of growth, perhaps.)

I also use a tip box when I do my Paranormal Entertainment at the Museum of the Weird. Last night people were fairly generous and I walked out with a decent amount of extra cash, for which I am genuinely grateful. Next week I am doing a long, solitary drive to Nebraska to officiate a wedding and have not completely figured out how it’s all going to get paid for. Every extra bit counts.

Overall, I felt the spirit of the Six of Pentacles in my day. It’s a good energy.