Patience and Prudence

From the Daniloff Tarot, the Ten of Coins; from the 100 Poems of Kuan Yin, Verse 83:

It’s not your salary that makes you rich, it’s your spending habits.

—Charles A. Jaffe

People who live a life of prosperity and abundance and are able to sustain it understand prudence when it comes to spending habits. This fellow holds coins but also has a few tucked under and behind him in various places. He knows that savings are important because the unexpected should be expected. This year (2026), the credit card debt of American citizens is $1.26 trillion. Having money doesn't mean we need to spend it on every whim or whatever catches our eye. The 83rd Verse reads:

Like the moon on the month's third, fourth, and fifth days—

Half hidden, half revealed, not yet complete.

But wait for the fifteenth's lovely night:

Light in every quarter, fullness everywhere.

This verse cautions us to hold steady and be patient rather than forcing an early result. Working hard and saving for things tend to make us appreciate them more than just buying them on credit. As Holly Black points out, "Desire is an odd thing. As soon as it's sated, it transmutes. If we receive golden thread, we desire the golden needle."