January 1, 2010 - The Knight of Coins (Pentacles)

The Knight of Pentacles is an interesting man. When he comes up in a reading, balance seems paramount for when you read his meanings there is the talk of one side and then the other, the positive and the negative. The Knight of Pentacles helps you remember that good qualities, taken to extremes become negatives. Knights bring in energies and it's up to you to determine whether that energy is helpful or hurtful.

In the Jane Austen Tarot, this knight is represented by Edward Ferrars, of Sense and Sensibility, the young man the elder Miss Dashwood has fallen in love with. He is the only knight in this deck who is not mounted on horseback. Instead he is depicted as a sober young man walking a dirt path to a cottage.

The Knight of Coins is someone who keeps his thoughts and feelings to himself. He means what he says and says what he means. He may be a man of few words but he makes those words count. He can be shy and self-effacing, almost too much so. He can doubt his self-worth, often to his detriment.

When the Knights come in a reading the question is if you are demonstrating his energy in a balanced way. Are you too quiet and self-effacing, or are you the opposite, foolhardy and rash? Are you too honorable, sticking to a course even if it is wrong for you because you've committed yourself? Are you too practical, or not practical enough?

When balanced, the Knight of Coins can move quickly when he has decided on a course of action. Once he knows he is free of his engagement to Lucy Steele, Edward rushes to propose to Elinor Dashwood, the woman he loves and a woman far better suited to him than Miss Steele ever was. "Love helps him to overcome his usual self-doubt." Ah, this explains something about me, why love can spur me to make changes, to risk, why I can leap for others when I can't for myself. I need a bit more of that fiery Knight of Wands/Candlesticks to stir my pot, to get me going, to move this immovable object.

What Would Jane Do?

"Fables remain current because they contain eternal truths. The tortoise triumphs over the hare because slow and steady does win the race -- in the long run. This is not a time to rush to judgment, but to move patiently and stealthily. Choose both wisely and well the first time, because instinct does not always serve its master." p. 143