In the RWS deck the image on the three of pentacles card shows a man standing on a bench. He holds against the wall in his left hand a chisel or stake of some sort and in his right a mallet. Above him is an ornately designed archway. That archway has carved into it a window design of three pentagrams. It obviously took great craftsmanship to create it. Standing next to him are two people. They appear to be a monk and a woman. Perhaps a Nun but it is hard to tell by the color and design of what she is wearing. It could be a habit but if it is it's an odd one. The monk however is seen, as most monks are, a bald crown with hair surrounding the rest of his head wearing the robes of a monk. In the hands of the one that appears to be a woman is what appears to be the blueprint of the room. We know that the three of pentacles have been carved into the archway as it has because the card is the three of pentacles. But, what are these three people about?
To me this is the craftsman working like Michelangelo on a masterpiece. The other two are the ones that will have to live with that masterpiece so they are trying to guide the skills and knowledge of the craftsman with their own will and desire. This can obviously mean making money doing something you have a gift for. But, can it mean anything else? The Robin Wood Tarot would suggest not.
In the Robin Wood tarot, the image is of a sole man working on a sculpture or wall decoration of some sort that involves gold, colors, Celtic knots and feathers. The man works without interference on his own design in his own fashion and time frame. That to me would suggest more of the before mentioned meaning than the RWS deck.
In the RWS deck, one would have to wonder if perhaps this card might mean interference of creative endeavors that can be used to earn a living for the seeker. The other two are obviously interrupting the work. To me the RWS deck questions the artistic license of the works creator to do as he sees fit Construction is one of the few fields that requires artistic efforts that then are interfered with by others. It after all isn't your home, church, or business. You are working for someone else. It is their vision that is important. What is important for interpretation is to figure out whom in this card the seeker represents. We often assume that if there is more than one person the seeker can only be represented by the one performing the action. But, in this card that isn't the case at all. We have three people the seeker could be representing.
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