The Six of Pentacles card is about both giving and receiving money. It can mean you’ve achieved financial success and are sharing your abundance with others. Maybe you’re making donations or offering financial help to someone close to you.
Even if you don’t have a lot of money, you’re showing your generosity by offering your time and services to help those in need. On the flip side, the Six of Pentacles can also stand as a reminder to be open to help when it’s offered and accept the gifts given to you.
When you see the Six of Pentacles card reversed, it can serve as a reminder to take care of yourself, too. You’ve been giving a lot to others, so maybe it’s time to do something that makes you happy. It’s okay to splurge on some self-care or even just thank yourself for all you do.
Along the same lines, this reversed card can mean others aren’t appreciating your generosity. Maybe that family member didn’t repay your loan, or maybe people just aren’t showing their gratitude when you help out.
Being generous is a wonderful thing, but don’t give so much that you fall on hard times or get worn out. And give for the joy of it, not to fill a bottomless need for love, approval, or appreciation.
The reversed Six of Pentacles can also come as a warning that you’re being careless with your funds and getting into debt. Or maybe you’re being selfish in your generosity. You might offer your money or time to others hoping you’ll get something even better in return.
Remember that generosity should always come from a place of kindness and joy, not obligation or expectation.
Reading this reversed card using the “blocked/restricted” meaning
Okay, so now let’s talk about the different ways you can read your reversed Six of Pentacles card. First, you can use the “blocked/restricted” reversed card meaning. When you read your cards this way, you look for an obstacle standing in front of the card’s upright meaning. For the Six of Pentacles, this could mean something is blocking your ability to give or receive help.
Say you pull the reversed Six of Pentacles after falling on hard times. Your mother was recently diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, and she needed you to come home to take care of her. So you packed up all your stuff, left your job, and moved back home.
Your mom can’t work right now, and with all the time you spend caring for her as she goes through treatment, you can’t either. Your extended family has offered to set up a GoFundMe to help pay for expenses and keep the two of you comfortable. But you’re proud and don’t want to be a burden to others, so you’ve been holding off.
Here, the reversed Six of Pentacles warns that your pride can stand in the way of help you need right now. If people can’t donate, they won’t, and if they can, they will, so don’t worry about being a burden. There are people out there who just want to help, and every little bit will make a difference.
You can do something nice for the people who donate too, like writing them a message or making them a small gift. Everyone experiences hard times, and there’s no shame in taking help when it’s offered.
Reading this reversed card using the “opposite” meaning
Another way to read your reversed Six of Pentacles card is using the “opposite” reversed card meaning. When you read your cards like this, you look for the opposite of the card’s upright meaning.
With the Six of Pentacles, instead of generosity and gratitude, you have selfishness and a lack of appreciation. You might be giving a lot to someone, but they don’t appreciate it the way they should.
For example, say you pull the reversed Six of Pentacles thinking about a friend. You met a girl a few years ago and the two of you bonded right away over a love of punk music and hookah bars. She’s supportive in a lot of ways; she always cheers you on when you’re working hard and tells you encouraging things. But your friendship is very one-sided when it comes to money.
She doesn’t work, and you have a high-paying job as an administrator. When you first became friends, you were happy to pay for your nights out and offer her money when she needed it. But over time, it seems like she’s come to expect that you will just take care of her and loan her money even though she never pays it back.
She also shows no interest in finding work or improving her skills. Even though she’s a good friend, she’s taking advantage, so the reversed Six of Pentacles warns you to be careful. You can keep being friends but offer to support her in ways that will help her move forward. You might suggest going to a job fair together or send some job postings her way.
Continuing to bail her out all the time isn’t helpful for either of you, and your friendship will be stronger and more real when money isn’t involved.
Reading this reversed card using the “worse” meaning
You can also read your reversed Six of Pentacles card using the “worse” reversed card meaning. When you read your cards this way, you put the card’s upright meaning in a negative light. For the Six of Pentacles, this means someone is being generous, but maybe there are strings attached.
Say you pull the reversed Six of Pentacles thinking about a man you’ve been dating. You started seeing someone four months ago, and you’ve had mixed feelings about him.
He’s a prosecutor, so you admire his line of work, and he always has interesting stories. He’s also handsome and is very devoted to you. But he’s coming on strong, and while you like the attention, it’s a bit much.
He also buys you stuff all the time. He’s thoughtful in his gift-giving—expensive headphones and speakers because you love music, a new monitor because you’re on your computer a lot. You appreciate these things, but it seems like he’s trying to control you by buying so many things for your apartment.
He also doesn’t support you in some ways, like when you were thinking of starting a YouTube channel. He’s possessive and doesn’t want you putting yourself out there for everyone to see.
Here, the reversed Six of Pentacles card tells you to be wary of this relationship. Sometimes gift-giving is a way to obligate someone, and his other behaviors make this a very strong possibility. It might be time to put some distance between you before things get too serious too quickly. See how he reacts when you pull back a little. That can be a good indicator of who he really is.
Reading this reversed card using the “no/not” meaning
Finally, you can use the “no/not” reversed card meaning to read your reversed Six of Pentacles card. When you read your cards like this, you put a “no” or a “not” in front of the card’s upright meaning.
So for the Six of Pentacles, this means “no generosity” or “no charity.” You might be a naturally generous person, but now’s the time to take care of yourself and save your money.
For example, you might pull the reversed Six of Pentacles looking over your finances for the year. You typically donate to several charities, and you’re proud to support them. You give to a women’s shelter, a halfway house, and a few other charities. But you retired a few years ago, so you no longer have money coming in.
You want to continue supporting your favorite organizations, but the truth is, you really can’t afford it. If you keep giving your normal amount, you’ll run into trouble down the line.
Here, the reversed Six of Pentacles tells you it’s okay to take care of yourself too. Maybe you want to alternate years between the different charities, only giving to one at a time. Or maybe you just want to give a little less to each one.
Remember that taking care of others starts with taking care of yourself. Make sure you’re all set before giving away so much that you end up in a tough spot yourself.