78 Cards: Four of Pentacles

Next up in our 78 cards series we are exploring the Four of Pentacles. Each look at the cards covers basic meaning, upright and reversed keywords - even advice from the card archetype itself. Keep reading to explore the Four of Pentacles.

In most depictions of this card, they depict a man who is sitting on a stool, who is holding onto two pentacles in a very defensive and tight posture. It’s almost as if he is hoarding them out of fear of loss. One pentacle is balanced precariously on his head, while another one is tightly clutched between his own hands, and there are two of them which are securely placed underneath his feet. He is making sure that there is absolutely no one touching his coins. At the same time, he is also unable to move because he is holding the coins so tightly. In other words, he is restrained from acting because he is holding too tight to his possessions. If you have ever heard the story of King Midas, then you know the dangers of allowing one’s desire for the material world to take over. The Four of Pentacles brings a similar message, one that highlights the dark issues we as humans have with materialism and control. Although sometimes, this card can signify the need for financial security, it often accompanies a sense of ungratefulness and a need to possess much more than what is needed.

The Four of Pentacles card is capable of generating both negative and positive perceptions. On one hand, the card signifies that you have successfully managed to accomplish much of your goals and you have managed to attain a significant material wealth in the process. However, on the other hand, there is a significant chance that you will start valuing things only for their material worth. You have worked hard to get to the point where you are now, and it is absolutely natural for your to desire to make sure that you remain stable. But this also has a chance to turn you into an overly possessive or greedy person who wants to ensure that no one is capable of taking away your own wealth.

Four of Pentacles Upright

The Four of Pentacles is also a card which shows that you are currently in a position in which you have solid investments and that you are financially stable. Because of your new-found wealth, you are being particularly conservative about money, and you are most definitely not inclined to gamble when it comes to any kind of financial matters. You are protective of what you have managed to accumulate throughout time, and you desire to steadily increase your overall net worth.
Be aware that without risk, there is no reward - if you spend too much of your time attempting to conserve, you may become a prisoner to your own material possessions. Wealth is a kind of energy as well, and we create what we express.

When reversed, the Four of Pentacles veers sharply into the negative meanings of the card. Instead of being protective you become greedy, and you succumb to stinginess. You are haunted by certain fears of poverty which compels you to be nothing but materialistic. You are incredibly self-protective and defensive in terms of materialistic things, and you are not opening up to trust other people out of fear that they may be taking them away. 

On the other side, you might actually be spending too much money, and you need to start getting a proper hold of your actual financial resources. In any case, the card is capable of inducing both positive and negative associations, and you need to be very accountable and considerate if you get the Four of Pentacles in a reading.

Advice:

Four of Pentacles is advising you to hold on to your money. Save and don’t spend at all. Think of creative ways to pinch pennies right now. If you are working, stay focused on your work and get it done in an efficient manner in order to maximize your output. If the advice does not have to do with money, it could indicate that you should keep to yourself. In love, you should stay reserved and listen to the other person talk. Do not share too much. Guarding your heart will provide stability and reveal more at a later time.

Give this a try:

Sit down and make a list of the ten things that you think are most important in your life. Once you have these ten items, go through and put them in order of most important down through the least important. How many of these things are material items? How many relate to people or relationships? Now think about how your list stacks up against your values - do they fit? 

Journaling Questions:

* What are you really holding on to?
​* How do you reward yourself when you achieve your goals?