Kitchen Table Tarot

King of Pentacles, 3 of Pentacles, The Hierophant

Hello friend, and welcome to my kitchen table. I am honored that you are spending some of your valuable time with me today, and I hope that if this message speaks to you in some way that you will feel seen and understood. My guidance is general; I encourage questioning everything you read here as well as yourself, and when something doesn’t fit, don’t try to force it. If this isn’t for you, I still welcome you and am glad you’re here! Let’s take a look at these cards.

The King of Pentacles represents someone who stays grounded in their material abundance, despite residing at the top of the Pentacles growth arc, and the energy is such that I interpret this as being about a specific person. (This energy could be any gender, but to simplify I will refer to the King figure as he/him.) He has a lot of power and may be surrounded by luxurious things. Overall there is balance and a sense of gratitude that suggests he keeps it humble—I’m drawn to the jeans and low-key color sweater and how it stands out against the opulent red background. This figure has fancy things but is down-to-earth—mostly. He isn’t wearing a designer suit, but those threads probably aren’t from Target. The wolf by his side indicates that he feels secure in his standing and abundance, especially when looking back at the path of his success. In this sequence of cards, he is looking in the direction of the 3 of Pentacles, a card of teamwork and creativity. He knows he owes much of what he has to humble beginnings and the willingness to work with others and learn new things, but perhaps he’s forgotten how to collaborate, remembering himself at the top of every major accomplishment even if he wasn’t the leading contributor. Though the King of Pentacles has achieved a lot, he risks falling out of balance by only ever looking back at how he gained material success, while sweeping away memories and concerns of a more heart-centered nature. Still, looking back at past connection and collaboration suggests that he hasn’t totally fallen out of touch with the importance of allowing others into his life and work, ready to share the burdens and the glory.

With this in mind, the Hierophant can represent a couple of things—if the King of Pentacles is considering the value in working with others in a positive light, that could indicate a good time to mentor others who are working their way up as he once did. Perhaps he wants to give back, or has come into an understanding of how to arrange his experience and knowledge and is planning to teach or write a book, simplifying the lessons he has learned in life for others. This generosity is admirable, but he should check himself for unthinking adherence to conformity and tradition; inflexibility will limit the scope of how many people he may help, and if it’s “his way or the highway,” the humility could turn into gatekeeping, which is how the energy is framing this Hierophant—not as a welcoming teacher, but a laughing authority figure who can keep others at the bottom step indefinitely if they don’t or can’t conform.

On the other hand, perhaps the King of Pentacles is looking toward growth and learning more to increase his value, and knows teamwork is the path to further success. In this case, he will find that a solid appreciation for proven techniques and a willingness to compromise for a greater good will speed up success and amplify its effects for all. The balance check here is to not lose himself in conformity to the point of never questioning. In a healthy teamwork environment, dissecting tradition is welcome and leads to growth, understanding, and improvement. If it tends toxic, those questions will be shut down and suspicion cast upon the questioner, so care should be taken to cultivate a sense of self that can withstand the pressure to conform without question and be prepared to part ways rather than compromise values. What we have been taught is what we will teach others, so we must hold ourselves accountable to challenge the status quo when it begins to envelop a group and turn it into an entity.

Thank you for being here today, for your energy, for your light, and for your love. I hope that if this is for you that it sheds some light on something or someone you are grappling with, and remember, you are always welcome at my kitchen table. -KTT 🌻💛