King of Pentacles: tarot card meaning

King of Pentacles is a court card in the suit of Pentacles, associated with the element of Earth. Drawn upright it speaks of command, mature authority, leadership; reversed, of rigid authority, abused power.

Upright meaning

command, mature authority, leadership

Material abundance and mastery -- a stable, successful and generous command of the tangible world.

Reversed meaning

rigid authority, abused power

Materialism or a tight grip on wealth -- the abundance is real; make sure it is shared freely.

The suit of Pentacles belongs to Earth and to work, money and the body.

In a three-card reading

In the past position King of Pentacles describes the current that carried you to where you are; in the present position, what is most alive in the situation now; in the future position, the direction things tend toward if nothing changes. A reading weighs it against the other two cards rather than on its own.