Three of Pentacles

Good work, done together. Skill that other people can see.

The picture

Inside a stone church, a young craftsman stands on a low bench, working on the archway. Two people stand below and talk with him, one in a monk's robe and one in a long cloak covered in spots. Between them they hold a sheet of plans. Three pentacles are carved into the stonework above.

Upright

Three is growth and the first result. In Pentacles, it is the first piece of work that shows what you can really do. The learner has become the craftsman, and the people who know what they are looking at have stopped to pay attention.

The picture is three kinds of knowledge meeting in one place. The one with the skill, the ones with the plans, and the building itself, which will outlast all three of them. Nobody here could finish the job alone.

This is a card of teamwork, of being asked for your opinion, of recognition for doing something properly. It often turns up when a project needs the right people in the room. Pride in good work is allowed here.

Reversed

Reversed, I read this as blocked, or turned inward. Blocked is the team that is not working together: plans that do not match the work, skill that goes unnoticed, people talking past each other. Turned inward is the craftsman who will not let anyone see the job until it is perfect, and so works alone for far longer than needed.

To tell which, ask where the friction sits. If it is between people, it is blocked, and a conversation will help. If it is inside you, the fix is letting someone look at the unfinished work.

When it turns up

Who could you bring in to make this better than you could make it alone?

If you would like the cards read against your own chart, my readings are here.

Related pages
The Number 3