9 of Pentacles

I am in charge of my destiny

A beautiful woman stands in an ancient chamber. The interior of some great fossilized fruit, filled with abundant treasures. Intuitively I wanted a bat to be present, striking away from the mythological preconceptions which associate bats with night, darkness and evil.

For thousands of years in China, there has existed a deep love and respect for bats. They are regarded as the masculine principle which feasts on the feminine fruit. The Chinese word for bat sounds identical to their word for good fortune, consequently many of their legends associate bats with good fortune. For example, should one come across a group of five bats, they represent the five causes of happiness: wealth, health, long life, virtue and natural death. Similarly there is a bat mythology of Europe.

European folklores suggest that washing your face with bat blood will enable you to see everything with great clarity. Bat blood could also be used to enhance a man’s virility and fire a woman’s passion when placed under her pillow. And a bat bone in your pocket ensures good luck.

In the Nine of Pentacles, the bat appears to be delivering one of the Golden Pentacles to the woman. This illustrates how good fortune is being gifted to her: she naturally receives what is good. The falcon sits upon her arm, symbolizing vision, freedom, and generosity. Flacons were used at the funerals of Egyptian Pharaohs. They were viewed as intermediaries between the divine, eternal heavens and the mortal earth. In a very real sense we all possess the power to see into other realms through dreams and our imaginations.

For us to manifest anything of substance, we must first imagine or dream it. Everything is born out of the womb of the non-manifest to arrive in your imagination, to be received by it, and coagulate into your thoughts. You are in charge of your destiny and what you think you deserve to experience in this lifetime. Through your inspired belief, focus, and continued earnest effort to nurture and grow your fullest potential with patience, you are now ripe.

You have been designed by nature to naturally flourish and ripen into this delicious fruit. You have earned this badge of mastery and accomplishment fueled by the intrinsic rewards of doing what you love with great talent and skill. Stand and receive the recognition and acknowledgement. Your success inspires others, and like the fruit, the lush vehicle that forms to disperse the seed, the next generation is motivated.

The Nine of Pentacles therefore invites you to think beyond limitations and live outside the borders and restrictions of life. Ask yourself, what would be a truly amazing experience to manifest for yourself right now? Be receptive, connect to the matrix of abundance that is life.