Three of Coins: Roots and Branches
Above: Three of Pentacles from the Waite-Smith Tarot.
The number three: a creative burst of action after the roots have been working hard underneath the surface.
Coins/Pentacles: the element of earth, of solidity.
Together = the roots and branches of the Earth.
It’s interesting that, in the Waite-Smith Tarot, this card is one of the few with no clear nature symbols featured. Showing off inside some kind of religious building, a worker seems to display his work for two observers. They have the air of employers, of ownership.
Roots and branches were all that I ever thought about when I saw this card. This worker has put the graft in, showing off their hard work, but it’s nothing too major at this stage. It feels like the first stepping out after their training.
In the Marseille, we see glorious roots growing beneath two coins in the bottom, earthly part of the card. Their stems reach above to surround one coin in a gorgeous, a heart-shaped vine arrangement. It’s not hard to visualise roots underground and flowers overground when we stare at these beautiful symbols; the hard work going on underground (beneath the bottom two coins) and then breaking out above ground to experience the open air.
Above: Three of Coins from the Anima Tarot de Marseille.
These Marseille and the Waite-Smith Pip/Minor Arcana cards diverge from each other so greatly that to begin with, it doesn’t seem possible to compare them. But I don’t think that’s the case. We see the growth of a plant in one, and the growth of a human in another. Both show the outer results of hard-working roots. The Waite-Smith is the human-centric metaphorical counterpart to the Marseille’s earthly, biological reality.
We borrow so much metaphor from nature’s processes: my head was in the clouds; it’s plain sailing from now on; she’s like mutton dressed as lamb. But you have got the picture of what this blog is all about by now, haven’t you? We are going to drill this card down to nature, to the Earth. The planet gave us the roots and branches to make metaphors from, so now we will dig right back down into the soil of this experience.
You can do this little body-sense visualisation right now, wherever you read this blog. Later, if you like, you can go and sit by a tree and do it, too. (Unless of course, you are lucky enough to be sat by a tree already!) If you have a good memory, you can read the script in one go, and then close your eyes to go through it. If you are like me, you will need to open your eyes and peep at the text as you go. That’s okay.
Roots and Branches Meditation
- Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths where you are. Imagine your breath travelling down your body into your legs, into your feet. Feel your toes becoming heavy, connecting with the floor. (Simply imagine that your feet are touching the floor if they are arranged in another way.)
- Imagine your breath expanding out through your toes and digging into the earth, like the roots of an amazing, healthy tree.
- Feel your feet falling deeper and deeper into the earth, your roots travelling further into the soil, a sense of total stillness and peace taking over your body.
- On the in-breath, feel the energy of the earth coming up through your roots and into your body, revitalising and tingling you all over.
- On the out-breath, feel a wave of peace going down through your trunk, calming everything and pushing your roots further down into the soil.
- Your head, arms and hands are the heavy branches of a great old tree. Feel that delicious, heavy weight as you breathe.
- When you have had enough, slowly become aware of the room you are in: your human skin and muscle.
- Let your life as a tree fade as you connect with the human form. You can sway a little, noticing your breath, noticing the colours of the room, the shapes and sounds of reality around you.
Our earthly roots can be found and expressed by connecting with the wisdom of the trees. In this respect, the Marseille’s Three of Coins might have something quite profound to remind us in this simple, flowing image.
Above: Three of Pentacles from Orenda Tarot
Bonus exercise: When was the last time that you planted some seeds yourself and watched them grow? See if there are any seeds in your kitchen that you can work with. Allow yourself to be amazed by the process that unfolds in the coming weeks.
That’s all for now, friends. Thank you for being here – and please check out my Therapeutic Tarot Sessions and my courses embracing Tarot and Nature if you’d like us to work together. You can also sign up for the Tarot Blog newsletter (different to my main newsletter) below to receive occasional email updates (roughly monthly) with the latest posts.
Smiles from Scotland,
Stephen
