Finally, we come to the last entry in my card information items, the reversed King of Pentacles. This King might be greedy or corrupt, but if it represents you or me, it's more likely that our businesses are failing. 

That could not be more true for me. I haven't put enough work into my business this month, and I'm way in the red. I've bought more than I've earned, and even readership of this free blog is down over 50% this month. It's not great.

The other day I was joking around with my youngest son, who hadn't yet committed to a university, and I said if he waited any longer I'd cancel the whole thing, I couldn't afford for him to go, anyway. He asked if that was true, and that's when I had to do the math to figure it out.

To put four of us through college in one year, we're spending more than my spouse's starting salary when we moved here in 2006. We have reversed my husband, the Kind of Pentacles. We've tipped him upside down and dropped every cent out of his pockets, just so we can get an education. Remember, I'm in grad school, we have a daughter who is a junior and applying to grad school this year, one son who is a sophomore in college, and our youngest son who -

-just now put his deposit down on an expensive private school. Dammit, boy! Get a job, instead. College is for suckers, like your parents.

Upright, the King of Pentacles is powerful and successful, but also conservative and miserly. The king is a great dad, and generous when there is a reward in return.

Reversed, this King might be unsuccessful in business, corrupt, broke, possibly a gambler, and a terrible father.
 
Questions answered by the reversed King of Pentacles:
Who? A greedy, materialistic person
What? A corrupt business
Where? A casino or house of ill repute
When? Mid-August to early September; When the business is in the red
Why? “An unsuccessful person feels obliged to praise himself all the time because in order to feel happy, he must compensate for his failure in a virtual way!” ~Mehmet Murat ildan
Yes or No? Maybe


The reversed King of Pentacles as:
…an action?

• Ask yourself whether what you’re doing pleases your soul or your wallet

 
…a place in your house?

• The garbage can

 
…a place in your city?

• A closed up retail shop or restaurant
• A failing business
• A vacant lot

 
…a place in the world? 

• Morocco
• Cyprus

• Greece
• Israel

…something to eat?

• Messy junk food, such as cheese puffs or nachos
• Take-out

 
…something to clean?

• The office
• The TV room

 
…where to find the missing item?

• Near trash

 
…a color? Red, blue, orange
 
…a movie theme? failure; business corruption

• The Wolf of Wall Street
• Ready Player One
• Planet of the Apes

 
…a new career?

• Pharmaceutical industry
• College admissions; college leadership
• Management
• Parent

 
King of Pentacles reversed
Before any card: Be wary of extortion or failure in (card)
After any card: Corruption; haste; greed

Flip that sad King back right side up - read about the upright King in Applied Tarot

My youngest child has to make a decision this week about which University he'll attend in the fall. I am trying really hard not to influence his decision, but it is frustrating me to no end that he's putting it off this long. With three adult kids in Universities across the continent, I need to start making plans for moving their things and getting them settled.

I'm trying very hard not to be a -

I had to pause writing this because I just saw some type of animal scoot past my window. It might have been a rat. I hope it was a bird. I screamed.

I digress. I'm trying very hard not to be a manipulative, overbearing Mom. (I'm also trying hard not to scream at rodents.) My kids are adults now and they can make decisions for themselves, I just wish they'd do it sooner rather than later so I can figure out the rest of our lives. Working this all out also reminds me that I'll miss them and I'll be an empty nester very soon, which makes me very sad.

I am very much the reversed Queen of Pentacles right now. I'm going to eat some cake and call my therapist.

Update: It was a squirrel. Whew, that's fine. Sorry I screamed, squirrel. I am the reversed Queen and I'm freaking out.

Upright, the Queen of Pentacles is a nurturing parent who is down-to-Earth, approachable, practical, and successful in business and at home.

Reversed, the queen is self-centered, smothering, possessive, manipulative, or is an otherwise bad mother.
 
Questions answered by the reversed Queen of Pentacles:
Who? A cruel woman 
What? Troubles in business or relationships
Where? Your physical environment
When? Mid December to early January; When a manipulator arrives
Why? “What you feed will flourish. What you neglect will die.” ~Unknown
Yes or No? No

The Reversed Queen of Pentacles as:
…an action?

• Watch for difficult relationships
• Spend time in nature
• Seek help

 
…a place in your house?

• Mother’s room

 
…a place in your city?

• The ER
• The Boss or Principal’s office
• A creditor
• A wealthy neighborhood

 
…a place in the world?

• China
• Russia
• Poland
• Laos

…something to eat?

• Popsicle
• Egg in the hole
• Leftover cake

…something to clean?

• Mother’s space or room
• A giant mess

 
…where to find the missing item?

• Buried under important items

 
…a color? Orange, black
 
…a movie theme? Smothering, a difficult woman

• The Meddler
• The Guilt Trip
• Florence Foster Jenkins

 
…a new career?

• Web developer
• Realtor

• Preschool teacher
• Grandmother

Queen of Pentacles reversed
Before any card: A gross misunderstanding about (card)
After any card: A difficult woman; a manipulator

Did you know that most of the Tarot Cards have a matching Rune?  The reversed Queen is akin to the reversed Berkano rune. For more on practical Rune divination, read Applied Runes!

This past week I flew my son all over the country for various reasons relating to his entire future. First, we traveled to California to write a math test, in the hopes that one of the universities he has applied to will accept him.
Next, we flew to Pennsylvania and New York to check out two universities he's been accepted to already, in the hopes that maybe he could just settle on one and we can move on.
We left with less information than we started with. Both schools were perfectly fine in their own ways, and my kid could see himself at either.
My son's apathy about which college to choose is a very reversed Knight of Pentacles way to be. Flying him around the country for no reason makes me freak out about money, and I begin to hoard it like another type of reversed Knight of Pentacles. My kid's Dad then gets all impatient because our son hasn't made a decision yet and the due date is fast approaching, so that's yet another type of reversed knight of pentacles. And all of this takes place during mid-April to mid-May, which is the prime knight of pentacles (reversed or upright) time of year. No wonder the knight represents this time, all these kids with their decisions not being made, and their parents freaking out, is the knight of pentacles to a tee.
Time to nosh on some carbs.  

Upright, the Knight of Pentacles is a guard or another type of stationary protector. While ambitious, this knight surveys the land and chooses the best courses of action before making a move, making this card about practicality and dependability.

Reversed, the knight is impatient, irresponsible, or doesn’t finish what he or she starts. This card could also indicate a problem with earning money, or someone who is greedy and materialistic.
 
Questions answered by the reversed Knight of Pentacles:
Who? An unreliable person 
What? Apathy
Where? A large shopping center
When? Mid-April to early May; When you’ve given up
Why? “Many sophisticated, intelligent people lack wisdom and common sense.” ~Joyce Meyer
Yes or No? Not now

The reversed Knight of Pentacles as:
…an action?

• Rest
• Let it go
• Resist laziness
• Stop obsessing

…a place in your house?

• The pet(s) area
• The living room

 
…a place in your city?

• An ice cream shop
• The horse races
• A cemetery

…a place in the world?

• Melbourne
• Louisville, KY
• Thailand
• The South Pacific

…something to eat?

• Bread
• Wine
• Snacks bought from a retail counter

 
…something to clean?

• The fish pond
• The living room floor

 
…where to find the missing item?

• Out back

 
…a color? Blue; green; purple
 
…a movie theme? Complacency; unreliable narrators

• Memento

• The Wrong Missy
• The Girl on the Train

 
A new career?

• Retail
• Cable installer
• Politician

 
Knight of Pentacles reversed
Before any card: Promises are not being kept about (card)
After any card: Disloyalty; lack of common sense

This week we're traveling around the country for various reasons all related to my youngest son, who has to make a choice about University by May 1st.

Our first stop is Cupertino, California, where he'll write the Euclid Math Contest, an optional entry requirement for the University of Waterloo. We need to do all the optional things because he needs all the help he can get for consideration in these applications. His ability to excel at schoolwork during the pandemic was... not great. He's got a high SAT and 5s across the board on AP tests, but those Covid Ds do not look good on his academic record.

The next day we head back to crash at the airport for one night, then we're flying to Pennsylvania, hopping in a car, and touring a couple of the schools he did get into, to see if he likes them enough to attend. 

Here's where this stuff is all Page of Pentacles related - it's expensive! and unrealistic! This trip is costing us a fortune, all because my kids' grades weren't quite good enough to get into some closer schools. Of course he had to apply to the hardest field to get into, as well. If he were going into Humanities, we wouldn't be flying around the country like this. His college advisor said "Computer Science is the bloodsport of college admissions." Every student in CS is having trouble getting accepted this season, not just ours. They're all pages of pentacles, suffering bad news, not getting into some of their safest safety schools, and costing their parents a fortune just trying to figure it all out. I feel bad for all of them. My accountant feels bad for me.  I'm going to go eat a Pizza and download The Hangover for our flight.

Upright, the Page of Pentacles is a young, studious individual. This is a card about going back to school or engaging in activism for a sustainable future.

Reversed, this page is unfocused, disorganized, immature, and unrealistic. The reversed page might be the bearer of bad news, or a warning that you are living a champagne life on a lemonade budget.  
 
Questions answered by the reversed Page of Pentacles:
Who? A careless young person 
What? A lack of money
Where? An amusement park
When? Spring (Northern Hemisphere) or Fall (Southern Hemisphere); When the money runs out; after college
Why? “Never spend your money before you have earned it.” ~Thomas Jefferson
Yes or No? No

The reversed Page of Pentacles as:
…an action?

• Follow through on your commitments
• Make a budget

 
…a place in your house?

• The kitchen counter

 
…a place in your city?

• A juvenile detention center
• A university financial services department

 
…a place in the world?

• Rhode Island
• Reno, NV
• Madison, WI
• the South pacific

…something to eat?

• Pizza
• Unnatural foods

 
…something to clean?

• Check your credit score
• Delete old email contacts

 
…where to find the missing item?

• Where you last partied too hard

 
…a color? Purple, red, green
 
…a movie theme? Bad news; immaturity

• The Hangover
• Idiocracy
• Step Brothers

 
…a new career?

• Bike repair
• Something in the cannabis industry
• Nurse or Legal assistant

 
Page of Pentacles reversed
Before any card: A lack of common sense about (card)
After any card: Bad news; being unfocused

Switching up from Tarot? Try our companion book, Applied Runes. It has more info for your confused and unrealistic young'uns!