PENTACLES · MINOR ARCANA
Six of Pentacles
The fair scales
Upright keywords
Affirmation
“I give freely and receive gracefully, and the scales stay level.”
Upright
The card stands tall
A wealthy figure holds golden scales in one hand and drops coins into the open palms of those who knelt before them. The Six of Pentacles is generosity weighed honestly — what is given, what is owed, what circulates.
Reversed
The card turns
The scales tilt: the giving has strings, the gift is leverage, the kneeling is permanent. Reversed asks who holds the purse, who keeps the books, and whether the exchange is exchange at all.
Symbolism & imagery
A robed merchant stands in a market square, scales held aloft in one hand, the other dropping coins into two kneeling figures' open palms — each pentacle a chiselled star pointing UP. The scales are perfectly level; the merchant's gaze is on the weighing, not the receivers. Sun catches every coin in flight.
A bond where giving and receiving flow both ways; gratitude on both sides, not just from one. Notice who has been doing the carrying and even the load.
Reversed
Giving with conditions, or receiving with shame. One of you is keeping a ledger the other cannot see.
A mentor, a bonus, a generous client, a fair raise. Or — your turn to teach, sponsor, or pay it forward; the role you grew up needing.
Reversed
A boss who gives with one hand and tightens the leash with the other. Or a promotion priced too high for what it really offers.
Money
Money flows in both directions — income arrives, and a thoughtful share goes out. The card honours tithing, mentoring, and paying a fair price; what circulates returns multiplied.
Health
Receive care without flinching; ask for what you need from those qualified to give it. A treatment, a coach, a therapy, freely accepted.
Spirit
The spiritual practice is the open hand — both giving and receiving. A closed palm cannot bless or be blessed.
Yes — the exchange is fair, the help is real, the answer is generous.
The card’s advice
Give what you can spare, accept what is freely offered, and check the scales before either.
The archetype
The Six of Pentacles is a card about the mechanics of dignity. The scales are level not because giver and receiver are equal in fortune, but because the exchange is honoured on both sides — the gift given without leverage, the help received without shame. The card warns gently against both miserliness and martyrdom: the closed hand and the empty hand are both untenable in the long run. Stand at the centre of the market with weighed coins and open palms.
Which tarot card are you?
Twelve quick questions map the way you move through the world onto one of the 22 Major Arcana. Find the archetype that mirrors you — it might just be Six of Pentacles.
Take the quiz →Frequently asked
What does Six of Pentacles mean in tarot?
Six of Pentacles represents the fair scales. Upright, it speaks to generosity, fair exchange, charity. A wealthy figure holds golden scales in one hand and drops coins into the open palms of those who knelt before them. The Six of Pentacles is generosity weighed honestly — what is given, what is owed, what circulates.
What does Six of Pentacles mean reversed?
Reversed, Six of Pentacles points to debt, strings attached, imbalance. The scales tilt: the giving has strings, the gift is leverage, the kneeling is permanent. Reversed asks who holds the purse, who keeps the books, and whether the exchange is exchange at all.
Is Six of Pentacles a yes or no card?
Yes. Yes — the exchange is fair, the help is real, the answer is generous.
What does Six of Pentacles symbolize?
A robed merchant stands in a market square, scales held aloft in one hand, the other dropping coins into two kneeling figures' open palms — each pentacle a chiselled star pointing UP. The scales are perfectly level; the merchant's gaze is on the weighing, not the receivers. Sun catches every coin in flight.
What does Six of Pentacles mean in love?
A bond where giving and receiving flow both ways; gratitude on both sides, not just from one. Notice who has been doing the carrying and even the load.
What does Six of Pentacles reversed mean in love?
Giving with conditions, or receiving with shame. One of you is keeping a ledger the other cannot see.
What does Six of Pentacles mean for career and money?
A mentor, a bonus, a generous client, a fair raise. Or — your turn to teach, sponsor, or pay it forward; the role you grew up needing. Money flows in both directions — income arrives, and a thoughtful share goes out. The card honours tithing, mentoring, and paying a fair price; what circulates returns multiplied.
What is Six of Pentacles's element and zodiac association?
Six of Pentacles is associated with the element of Earth and Moon in Taurus in astrology. Give what you can spare, accept what is freely offered, and check the scales before either.