MINOR ARCANA

Four of Pentacles Tarot Meanings

In the Four of Pentacles, we get not only the stable and grounding energy of Earth but also the safe and solid energy of the fours. There is rigidity with this card, which we can clearly see within the imagery of the Rider Waite-Smith card. The figure sits on his solid stone chair in front of the thriving city, on even and solid ground and clutching all four of his coins tightly to his chest.

Stability is great, we all love to feel safe and secure, but with the Four of Pentacles, it may be that we’re playing it a little too safe. We are holding on so tightly that we’re not giving anything the chance to adapt, change or flow organically.

Four of Pentacles Upright Meanings

In the upright position, the Four of Pentacles is all about finding balance and harmony between the things in daily life that demand our time and attention. Some of the key meanings of the Four of Pentacles are:

Security
Solidity
Stubbornness
Stagnation
Frugality

The Four of Pentacles usually represents us, our own actions towards our material world, and our reactions to events that happen to us. In times when you feel like you really need that stability, it could be a welcome sign. However, if you’ve found that your progress or growth has stopped then it could be this tight grip of the Four of Pentacles at play.

Four of Pentacles Reversed Meanings

In the reversed position, the Four of Pentacles releases that hold we saw in the upright position. Some of the main reversed meanings of the Four of Pentacles are:

Letting go
Generosity
Sharing
Large investments

There’s immense bravery in the Four of Pentacles, a courage that is needed to take risks and really allow yourself to release control over things. It can sometimes mean relinquishing yourself to the unknown, but it will be in your best interest to do so.

Reading Four of Pentacles in a Tarot Spread

Like I said previously, the Four of Pentacles can either be a welcome place of stability and calm, or it can be a gentle sign to release your grasp on the situation and leave things to fate. It can be really helpful to see what energy is leading into this card and which one is showing up as the aftermath. Analysing the before and after cards like this will help you see if this card is something that should be welcomed or something that should be acted upon.

Four of Pentacles as An Invitation

If the Four of Pentacles appears as an invitation, you may be invited to take a look at what areas of your life have hit a plateau or come grinding to a halt, in order to find imbalances that need your attention.

For Four of Pentacles, this invitation could be the following:

An invitation recognise your own stubbornness and start to make small changes to bend and be more flexible to your environment
An invitation to review your financial matters
An invitation to see where you could be more charitable or find more opportunities for volunteering
An invitation to let go a little and allow things to unfold in their own time

Four of Pentacles as Sage Advice

When the Four of Pentacles comes up to offer you some wise advice, it may centre around the themes of control and trusting others to show up and support you.

Some advice Four of Pentacles may offer is:

When you hit a wall, it’s always worth looking closely at the bricks you used to build it and start dismantling them one by one
In order to receive you need to give in equal measure
If we always stay well within our comfort zone, we may never fully experience all that life has to offer us
When it comes to money, we can’t take it with us. Practice good money management, but don’t allow yourself to be so frugal you never experience the benefits of having the money you have earned

Four of Pentacles as a Lesson

If the Four of Pentacles shows up as a lesson, it may be that you need to learn how to be more freewheeling, more fluid and trusting in the universe and what it has in store for you.

Some lessons that Four of Pentacles may offer you are:

A lesson in creating stability for yourself and others
A lesson in knowing how to navigate roadblocks
A lesson in money management
A lesson in knowing the difference between standing up for yourself and stubbornness

Four of Pentacles as a Redirection

When the Four of Pentacles shows up as a redirection, it will either be telling you to rein yourself in or release some of the tension.

As a redirection, Four of Pentacles could symbolise a need to:

Let go of the tight hold you currently have on the situation and allow things to play out naturally
Share some of your achievements with others instead of keeping them all to yourself
Focus on building a more stable external world in order to support your internal one
Invest in yourself more, whether that’s paying to do a course, doing a master degree or investing money into your side business

Pentacles

The Pentacles are the Tarot suit that direct our focus towards our material and physical world. They help us to see which areas of our life need more attention in order for us to feel safe and secure.

I often attribute the Pentacles to the basic human need for safety. A place where you feel completely comfortable in yourself and your environment. That’s the overall goal of the Pentacles. This is especially the case when we come across the Four of Pentacles and a desperate need for stability within the physical.

Earth

The Pentacles are the element of earth within the Tarot deck. The element of earth offers the pentacles its properties of grounding, stability and fertility. It allows the Pentacles to work on expansion in the material world.

For the Four of Pentacles, this element of earth is at play within the need to hold on to what you have. It’s a card about being stuck in a comfort zone or desperately trying to cling to anything that looks remotely stable. This of course can have negative consequences.

Fours

In numerology the number four is seen as one of stability and security. Often we unconsciously associate the number four with these properties because of our experiences in the real world. For example, we know that if a chair or a table has four legs it will be stable enough to support some weight.

In the Pentacles, the four can cause too much of a grounding energy. It can cause a rooting that is so secure that it is practically unmovable, allowing for little flexibility when needed.