“The toad strangles to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.”
This card signifies achieving something through hard work. Minor Arcana Tarot card Four of Pentacles can indicate business, relationships with a partner, health or some kind of project. In this article we will look at the description and meaning in relationships of an upright and inverted card, interpretation and combination with other cards in layouts for love, health, career and work.
The Four of Pentacles is a card that is primarily associated with the material sphere and finances.
General meaning of the Four of Pentacles card
Your goal, to which you have been working hard and for a long time, is actually fragile and not viable. A person directs all his strength to maintaining what he has achieved; he has been achieving this for a very long time. The Four of Pentacles Tarot symbolizes prudence, a planned plan of action.
- A person has stability, but the fear of losing everything forces him to defend his borders and rights, sometimes very aggressively, which alienates others. Blockage and stagnation occur. Selfishness, greed, the desire to save what one has acquired in any way.
- Income growth is possible, but very slowly and difficult. A person dwells in the past, fixated on past achievements. There is no desire to move on, there is no development, stagnation, which can lead to sad consequences and the loss of what you have now.
- The person has achieved his goals and no longer wants to do anything. He is happy with what he has received, with what he has, content with little. He has no desire and energy for new achievements, there is no energy or very little of it. A person needs to overcome his laziness, apathy, and then he will achieve more than he does now. Success achieved is the result of effort. Man has taken his place in this world and is trying to stay and gain a foothold there.
- Four of Pentacles, the meaning of the card indicates stability and order, the person gains control over what bothers him. The card symbolizes security, but the person feels a lot of anxiety, as he is afraid of losing everything he has acquired through hard work. Therefore, a lot of energy is spent on protection and security. A person does not allow accidents. There is no flexibility of thinking and the ability to accept reality. Tight control.
- The Four Denarii gives energy to get out of difficult and confusing situations. Helps to maintain borders, strengthen his position, and protect him from external threats. But a person feels that he is in a vicious circle, no matter what he does, he always stumbles upon some reservations and unexpected little troubles. The card indicates court cases, clashes with the bureaucratic system, and red tape in business.
In ancient interpretations, the Four of Coins symbolizes an expensive gift, the receipt of an inheritance, benefits, rewards, favor from an influential person or life, profitable transactions with property. Order, absence of worries and sorrows. In modern times, it means a meeting with a stingy person from whom you don’t expect anything good.
Direct position of the four of coins
Astrological meaning: the magical attribute symbolizes Saturn, which is located in the second house and signifies concern for future events. The main symbol of this card is prosperity, material wealth, and accumulation of money.
Most often, people who receive this card are fixated on their material condition and dependent on profit. Basic interpretation:
- closedness from people, lack of emotions, possessiveness, a person is jealous of his friends, relatives, loved ones;
- collecting money, banking, the desire to accumulate strength and resources, while at the same time spending practically nothing, receiving funds from a tenant, living on a small pension or salary;
- the card also symbolizes a rather stingy, conservative person with established views on life, who does not consider it right to waste his money, energy, emotions;
- in general, the magical attribute warns that you should save money and not waste it, but you should not skimp when purchasing something important, because the stingy pays twice.
Personal Description
The card indicates obsessiveness, wariness, anxiety and fear. The person is the owner. Fear of life, a person is afraid of losing a source of income, being left alone with life, afraid of losing ground under his feet. This is all expressed in suspiciousness, fear of taking risks, undertaking, doing something new, unusual.
Positive features
The Four of Pentacles personifies a person who stands firmly on his feet, is conservative, does not accept any innovative ideas and does not allow novelty into his life. The card indicates practicality, organizational skills, a person relies only on his own strength, the ability to cope with a difficult situation, maintains composure and control over emotions.
The map shows that a person has a talent that has been present in several generations of the Family. If this is a creative person, then the Four of Coins shows that the person clings to his laurels, shields himself from reality with them and thereby blocks the energy of life. Accustomed to working with old methods and does not recognize new ones. It works along a well-trodden rut and thereby blocks the energy of creativity. Obsession with one idea throughout your life.
Negative traits
The person walks in circles, the energy is fixated. The idea of security and stability has become obsessive. Fear overwhelms thoughts, prevents action, and fetters strength. Selfishness. A person only cares about his own values and ideals and does not take into account the opinions of others. Doesn't value the opinions of loved ones.
It is difficult for a person to give up old ideas. He lives in the past. He drags his “suitcase without a handle” and does not see failure in his actions. He is terrified of losing his acquired treasures. A miser and a tyrant.
A person is afraid of losing his place in life, leaving his comfort zone. He is tormented by nightmares about losing his job or the destruction of his business, and the fear of being alone due to death or the loss of loved ones. Perhaps a person is currently fighting for a place in the sun; he is constantly on guard and waiting for attacks in his direction.
The card shows selfishness, greed, conservatism, stagnation. A person lives within his own framework according to a long-adopted plan and is not going to change anything in his life. An inflexible approach in the struggle for order, stability and structure. Maintaining these standards seems more important than being cheerful and humane.
Greed, distrust of others and the world, victory at any cost, everything translates into money. Man does not know what compassion and nobility are. Constantly looking for excuses for his insignificance and fears. Constant increased caution. Especially if the Seven of Swords is present in the scenario.
Degradation of consciousness if a person is fixated on only one of his ideas or problems. All conversations come down to one thing: he is not interested in anything in life except himself and his ideas. Selfishness. It is difficult to agree on anything with such a person.
On a deeper level
The Four of Pentacles represents firmness, stability, and decency. Indicates a conservative person who does not want to accept anything new. He lives in his illusions. This image suggests that power and prosperity are achieved through the concentration of resources and thrifty attitude towards what has been achieved.
Too much attachment to things and money. A person cannot think about anything except his ideas and money, he lives by it. He idealizes things and attaches himself to them with all his soul. Consumption becomes a cult. A person needs to understand his goals and motivation.
The card asks the question: what is important to you, where is your place in this life? Do you live for money and wealth? What is your purpose?
The Four of Pentacles reveals Cancer, Jupiter and the Moon. Jupiter gives gifts, patronage, help. The moon is a symbol of home, family, reliability, family values. All signs together symbolize attachment to material things. A person goes to church, atones for sins, gives money to those in need, thus trying to justify his wealth.
The Four of Coins indicates the achievement of real material results, hope, firmness in one’s decisions, conviction in one’s rightness and the correctness of one’s path. A person is characterized by practicality, the correct use of his resources and talents, and an objective understanding of the situation. Before the questioner, the card poses the question of how to correctly distribute the material benefits that life gives.
A man rushes between two fires. Either he, out of fear of remaining in poverty, literally saves on everything and saves, or he does not know where to go from this wealth and what to do with it. Wealth weighs on him. A perfectionist by nature, he does not know how to be satisfied with little, he always goes to the end. Able to act and make decisions in extreme situations. A person achieves everything he strives for, but he needs to go further so that there is no stagnation.
General interpretation of the lasso
When interpreting the Waite tarot card, it is important to consider the following characteristics:
- greed;
- stinginess;
- inheritance.
The Four of Coins indicates that the time has come for demarcation of borders. If there is a direct position, the lasso speaks of the need for the questioning property of honesty, practicality and business acumen.
Before taking on a specific task, it is important to think through the step-by-step steps to implement the plan. It is with this approach that the best progress can be achieved.
In a number of specific cases, the lasso may hint at receiving a valuable gift. He also shows a person who is sometimes characterized by excessive insight in financial matters.
When reversed, the meaning of the tarot 4 of Pentacles is disappointing. The card speaks of an illiterate approach to solving financial issues. The root of the problems in this case lies in a person’s inability to competently manage financial resources. Fussiness and lack of financial savvy shakes the foundation.
The meaning of the Four of Pentacles in various layouts
For career and work
The card symbolizes the fence.
A person lives by the principle “my house is on the edge.” The four Denariev indicates the collapse of a company, dismissal from a disgusting job, a person goes out into the world and starts an independent business. It also indicates the team’s hostility towards the questioner due to his superficial and arrogant attitude towards people. To improve the situation, you need to concentrate resources, order and consistency in actions, and protect your interests. Corruption, corruption. State systems in which stagnation and degradation occur. A sea of rules and laws that are outdated, but they don’t want to admit it. Bureaucracy. The Four of Pentacles may indicate the head of a small department in a government structure. He clings to his laurels, which have long since withered.
Profession according to this card: merchants, bank employees, museum workers, financial analyst, government agencies, security companies, insurance companies.
For finances and property
The four Denariev represents inheritance, strengthening the state of affairs. Concentration of money and resources, but at the same time a feeling of their lack. The person has a modest income. Financial stability. Let it be a little, but always.
- The card signifies financial success, material wealth and stability. Accumulation, strengthening positions, successful operations with investing money. But at the same time the person lacks a sense of security. The Four of Pentacles indicates life in the city. Successful real estate transactions, although the questioner will think that he could have bought better, but the house will be good.
- The person rightfully received his money, property and real estate. It is difficult to take anything away from such people or deceive them. The card indicates a person’s greed; due to his stupidity and impatience, he can get into an unpleasant situation or take out a loan at a high interest rate.
- If the Four of Pentacles is inverted, then do not expect good things, it is bad for money matters. High expenses, instability of financial situation. Things end in failure, capital runs out, waste, ruin, bankruptcy. Pettiness, fear of loss. Stupor, lack of flexibility in decision making, strong-willed person, does not know how to give in. Narrow views on life. Selfishness, self-defense, strict control, establishing and protecting boundaries.
For love and relationships
The Four of Pentacles Tarot has a negative meaning in relationships. A person does not want to create a marriage; he finds a million excuses for his bachelor life. He resists change, does not accept a new life, believes that he is right and he does not need anything different or new. Individualist.
A person's dreams and desires are limited. His surroundings tell him to take a new step forward, but he refuses. A person does not know how to share, does not know how to build relationships and does not want to.
Moreover, if such a person falls in love, then his soulmate is his property. He does not want to give her to anyone, he is constantly jealous. Depriving a partner of freedom and personal space. If there are Swords and the Devil in the layout, then this indicates an oppressive tyrant, domestic violence. He keeps his partner under control, controls his every move, and does not allow him to live his own life.
Such a person is suspicious, gullible and constantly suspects his partner of treason. His partner must constantly prove his love, give guarantees that he will not leave him and will love him forever. There is no passion in the relationship. Stingy feelings and only agreements, clarification of relationships. The partner is constantly indebted to such a person.
The Four of Pentacles indicates an arranged marriage. Money plays a major role in such relationships. Loneliness together, boredom, pettiness and greed. There is no place for love here. But at the same time, the partners are faithful to each other. For him, love is a deal, and agreements cannot be broken.
The person does not accept any uncertainties. Even in love, everything must be clearly planned 20 years in advance. Rules, boundaries and boundaries are the true love of the Four of Coins. He does not show his feelings, he suppresses them. He considers this a sign of weakness and does not need them.
Giving is not in the principles of the Four Denarii; such a person wants to have, possess, he has a developed sense of ownership. A person is inherently frigid, there is no desire for sex. Indifference to a partner. This card appears when a relationship is fading, it symbolizes intimate stinginess. All due to excessive control, fears, blocking, selfishness.
The person does not want to do anything to develop the relationship. He needs a partner “for show.” Family life is stable, orderly, lack of novelty, stagnation in relationships. The relationship is strong, but like in prison. Stagnation, stagnation and swamp, movement in a vicious circle.
For health status
A person has spent a lot of energy and health to achieve material wealth. There is still health left, but you have to preserve it and not get scattered about trifles. Many chronic diseases. The norm is on the verge of pathology. The body is “slagged”; a person has blocked all his energy channels and does not want to clean them. Excess weight.
Importance when characterizing personality
Fours are symbols of earthly, closed space. The Direct Four seems to advise devoting even more time to your home. Set up your room or other limited personal space. Give more strength and energy to your home, make it as safe as possible.
The card recommends calming down and slowing down. Stop being distracted, curb depression, resolve all troubles as much as possible, don’t be nervous, concentrate. Engage in rhythmic and relaxing exercises (for example, housework or favorite activities), you can also keep your hands busy and work with earthly things.
An inverted card means a weakening of the qualities of the direct lasso. This position of the card may hint that you are too overburdened with material issues. Perhaps the time has come when worrying about material things takes away time and energy and prevents the development of greater creative activity. It is recommended to feel relaxed, be generous to your loved ones. The inverted card encourages you to reconsider your priorities in life.
Council of the Four of Pentacles
The card advises the questioner to protect what has been achieved, to protect himself and his property. Stand firmly on your feet and maintain equanimity, avoid risks, and clearly think through your actions. Don’t retreat, act, agree with the plan.
The Four of Pentacles indicates excessive consumerism, do not acquire too much. Treat people as equals, not just when you need something from them. Don’t rest on your laurels for too long, this risks stagnation and loss of what you have acquired. Stop being afraid of the future and seeing life as your enemy. Let go of your thoughts and go with the flow for a while. The river of life will take you to the right bank. Through the destruction of the past comes a bright future.
Description of the map and plot
The interpretation of the 4 Coins is very similar in different Tarots. In the orthodox Thoth Tarot deck, the drawing is strictly structured. The lasso is interpreted as achieving well-being, but the rigid, precise form of the fort does not allow a person to develop. Everything is already in its place, why look for new ways. And refusal to change inevitably leads to the need for changes, symbolized by the 5 Disks.
In the Archangel Tarot deck, the picture shows a man sitting on a chair. He rests his feet on two coins, holds one of the disks in his hands, and the other is located above his head. Behind are the figures of an angel and a demon. So, wealth has been acquired and the question arises: how to manage it? Should you listen to the archangel and lead a righteous life or take the side of the demon and spend everything on entertainment? The main interpretation of the card in this deck: the questioner must decide for himself how to manage the acquired material wealth.
The Dwarven Tarot picture shows a magpie above a nest filled with shiny trinkets. She does not understand the value of her “booty”; there is everything here: from gold jewelry to a simple nail. This lasso can be interpreted in different ways. Both as “indiscriminateness” in sources of income (after all, the flight of a bird is not limited to one direction), and as an attempt to accumulate wealth, being content with little things.
It is interesting that in the suit of Pentacles of the Dwarven deck, unlike the minor arcana of other suits, on three cards there is no image of a gnome as the hero of the story, they are replaced by animals (in cups and wands, only one card each does not include a picture of a fairy-tale man).
Figure 4 of Pentacles of the most famous Rider-Waite Tarot deck is, as usual, filled with many symbols. On the one hand, the symbolism of the minor arcana of this deck makes it easier to interpret, on the other hand, it complicates it. Because sometimes the details of the drawing contradict each other.
The card shows a man in rich clothes. The red color of his shirt symbolizes passion, but it is an overwhelming desire to preserve and increase his wealth. This is also evidenced by the position of the coins. He presses two of them to the ground with his feet, holds one firmly in his hands, and the last is located above his head. A crown on the head indicates that the hero of the lasso has achieved a certain position in society.
It makes sense to pay attention to the position of this person. The stone throne, which looks so strong, is too high for him; he can barely reach the ground with his feet. And unlaced shoes can lead to a fall if a man has to run. The city is visible behind the young man, but he turned his back to it, preferring to enjoy his wealth alone. On the one hand, there is a smile on the hero’s face - he is successful and wealthy, on the other hand, all his attention is focused on the coins. He turned his back on society, friends and family.
Therefore, the map can be interpreted in different ways.
The meaning of a reversed card
The Four of Pentacles reversed indicates financial losses and discord in the family. Property disputes, issues. Loss of stable income. Extravagance, useless purchases, waste of money. Inability to organize, laxity, lack of a clear plan in action. Obstacles, delay of money. There is a blockage in life from all sides. Failure in exams. The loan was refused or it was taken at high interest rates.
At the same time, the card indicates new discoveries, a person learns to live again, overcome his fears, barriers, clear blockages and stagnations in life. Manage your fears and panic. A man comes out of his shell. This is a refusal of security and stability. The possibility of successful risk in good deeds. But there is no need to gamble with life and destiny. A person learns to express his feelings, remove blockages and clamps.
Love and relationships
In a love scenario, the Four Coins lasso in an upright position speaks of jealousy, unreasonable fears of losing love and suspicion of a partner. The reluctance to share your chosen one with anyone or anything at the beginning of a relationship seems correct. But if jealousy leads to constant control, the partner will sooner or later resist such pressure, and this will harm the relationship. Curb your possessiveness, find something you like, if you are loved, then you will not lose this person.
In an inverted position, the lasso will indicate a period of quarrels in a relationship. The fortuneteller “went too far” in his care and jealousy; the partner resists such an attitude and tries to defend his right to personal space. It is better to give in to him on this, otherwise the relationship will end.
Four of Pentacles Gothic Tarot by Joseph Vargo
How to work with the dark Vargo Tarot deck.
Combined with other cards
- With the Tower - retribution for clinging and stagnation, an unexpected loss of what you managed to achieve;
- With the Moon - a cowardly life position;
- With the Seven or Nine of Wands - the motive of protection and protection is enhanced;
- With the Two of Swords - a gift from friends;
- With the Four of Swords - advice to attract as little attention to yourself as possible;
- With the Nine of Swords, the effect of the Four of Pentacles intensifies;
- With the Knight of Pentacles - a useful gift;
- After the inverted King of Cups - the need to give a bribe.
Money, career, professional activity
For career and business, the 4 of Disks can also have both positive and negative meanings. The card idolizes professions with a narrow specialization and companies in which all rules and regulations are scrupulously observed. For a person, certain achievements of business status involve great difficulty; as a result, he “convulsively” clings to his position, fearing competition and encroachment on his place.
As a rule, there is no team spirit in such teams, all innovations are rejected, and employees have no career ambitions. For a nobleman, the card may portend the opening of his own business (strictly limited business and financial interests “for himself”). Or working alone.
In a positive sense, the Four of Denarii means bringing order, strengthening the position of the company or more stable work. So, for example, the combination of the lasso with the Seven of Wands for the professional sphere says: “Think slowly, act quickly.” That is, you should evaluate the benefits of your position and “protect” it from the encroachments of competitors or colleagues.
A) Ways to increase income
The Four of Pentacles works on the “Money to Money” principle. Finance works and brings even more profit. It’s not yet possible to buy factories, but it’s enough for a sandwich with caviar. Moreover, this may be not one, but several sources of income.
B) General monetary situation and progress of changes
As a characteristic of the financial situation, 4 Coins indicates a stable, controlled and manageable state of the monetary sphere. The business runs on its own. Everything is clearly planned and debugged.
The lasso portends continued good financial health and a slow but constant increase in income. But this rule is observed only in conditions of a strong economic situation. Any crisis (political, economic, natural) can unsettle a gentleman, since such people are very inert to the need to change anything.
C) Positive and negative impact of the card on income
The realization that there is enough money for everything (and this is precisely the state of affairs that the 4 of Pentacles shows) undoubtedly has a positive meaning. Although the concept of wealth is individual for everyone.
But the company no longer operates for the sake of profit, but for the sake of production itself. There is no development or incentive to expand the business. Maintaining your image becomes more important. Strict control of subordinates, dress code, prestige.
C) Choosing a promising profession
Pentacles themselves are the suit of merchants and financiers. If the Four of Denarii appears in a profession scenario, it is worth paying attention to the activities of insurance agents, bank employees, security guards, and customs officers.
Questions that can be answered by drawing a card
Many questions arise in a person's life. In all areas of life, when the arcana of the Pentacles 4 suit appears, it is worth asking yourself:
- How stable is control over the situation?
- Are resources used correctly?
- In what area has the pinnacle of excellence been achieved?
- What needs to be done to increase stability?
The Four of Disks may portend some boredom, but sometimes life “in the fortress” is quite suitable for the given time.
Health issues
You can interpret the Four Denarii as a stable state of health: if it is in order, then it will remain so, if there are chronic diseases, then they will develop. A situation where a person is in a fully functional state, but there is a risk of blockages: from energetic to physiological.
There is a risk of diseases associated with poor blood flow, congestion and slagging in the body. Fat deposits appear as a “protective shell”, leading to excess weight and related diseases.
In the reverse position, the lasso promises systemic disorders and all kinds of incontinence.
