In the Seven of Pentacles we see a young man who has succeeded in his "field." This is a visual pun since the Victory of Netzach this card represents is the culmination of working towards a level of success and recognition in the world and in the profession one has taken on. However, the figure in the card seems somewhat pensive. It is as though he has worked to be able to harvest these fruits, but is not really interested in them.
I can certainly identify with this situation: setting a goal, and upon reaching it, feeling a vague dissatisfaction. Sometimes this is because the goal I set wasn't really what I wanted. Or I was looking for a deeper satisfaction from either the experience or the attainment that did not come.
A clue in this card is that the fruits being harvested in this card are pentacles — the suit that is most connected to the material world. And when one seeks satisfaction in only the material, one is bound to be disappointed. For that matter, when one succeeds in material attainment, to do so without the humble recognition that it is not only our doing alone that got us there, well that leads to an inflated sense of self, and thus ultimately defeats our attempts at intimate relationship.
In this card combination, Netzach card is mediated by Hod, which here is the Eight of Wands, a card of sudden awakening. While the man in his field is only looking down, he does not realize that the universe is about to send him a very intense experience that gets him to look up and out, beyond himself, and to realize that his attainment is not just his alone. And he will experience Humility in Victory, which is the energy of Hod of Netzach. It is an awakening to the fact that the endurance and determination that led to our success comes from a place where endurance is limitless. And that any success we have in this world is not only a gift for us to enjoy, but it is a bounty to be shared with humility.
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