Seven Coins
From Tarotpedia
[edit] History and Iconography
[edit] Waite-Smith: The Man with the Hoe
The image on this card is very reminiscent of a poem called "The Man with the Hoe" (by Edwin Markham) that was written and quite popular around 1900. It was based on a painting from the middle of the 19th century (by Jean-François Millet) that looks very much like the Waite-Smith Seven of Pentacles. It is quite likely that Pamela Colman Smith knew of the painting and poem when she created the deck.
"The Man with the Hoe" was a sort of indictment of feudalism in Europe, which was still extant at the turn of the century, and it decried a system where some people did all the work but without owning the results of their work. This puts an interesting spin on this card's meaning -- i.e., are you doing all the work without reaping the benefits of it? -- which brings the Waite-Smith version of the card a little closer to Crowley's (the Crowley-Harris Thoth Tarot) with its name there of "Failure."
There is a website devoted to this poem, its source, and its political ramifications.
[edit] Suggested Divinatory Meanings
- Disillusionment or Reassessment -- Seeing the results from past endeavors, but now not being sure it's what you want... Reassessing your course in life.
- Pondering alternatives and considering a change of direction
- Waiting for the fruits of your labor
- Realizing the results and rewards from past endeavors
- Being exhausted, bowed or oppressed by your work
