Six of Pentacles

What Six of Pentacles means

Before it was a virtue, giving was compulsory. Tithes were owed whether or not anybody felt charitable, parishes assessed their own households, and relief was handed out by officers working from a ledger — so the disposition of the giver did not enter into it, and the recipient held a settled claim on a particular parish rather than a hope of somebody’s good opinion. The Six is old enough to carry that arrangement and has outlived it. Moving relief into private hands moved the discretion along with it, and discretion is exercised in person, by one party looking at another. The parish decided where a person belonged, and that was the test.

Upright

Giving and receiving both carry responsibility. Notice whether help respects the other person’s agency, and make expectations explicit enough for an honest exchange.

Reversed

An exchange may be uneven or carrying an unspoken obligation. Clarify what is freely offered and what needs a more balanced agreement.

A question to sit with

What would make this exchange fair and freely chosen?

Traditional attribution

Moon in Taurus. Attributions follow the Golden Dawn with Waite's numbering.