Are you trying to keep control? Have you been accused of being just a little too possessive? Have you been hoarding things that might not be worth what you think? Did you recently acquire something through deceptive means? Are you trying to take control of a situation even at the expense of ruining your reputation? Look for The Four of Pentacles to appear in your tarot reading. This card is a part of the Minor (or Lesser) Arcana cards in a tarot deck, otherwise known as the suit cards — in this case, the suit of pentacles.
The Four of Pentacles is a card that illustrates how you may be blocking the very energy that would relieve your stress about never having enough of what you want, be it money, possessions, or power. Here are some of the different ways to interpret this card during a tarot reading.
Four of Pentacles Meaning
A man with a crown is seated with his feet on top of two golden pentacles set on solid flat ground. He holds one cradled in his arms. On his crown stands the fourth pentacle. The sky behind him is a monochrome gray, and the vista of an entire city is behind him.
The man is hardly royalty. His seat has no backing or décor, giving no indication that it is a throne. His clothing is far from regal. His crown is functional, not elegant. His hands are unable to do anything as they are locked in an embrace with that central pentacle. His feet may be smothering the energy that the two pentacles on the floor could deliver.
Does he even know the pentacle on his crown is there? It probably weighs heavy on him. Pentacles represent materialism and the pursuit of wealth and possessions. Whereas possessing some pentacles should mean that this is a wealthy man, his treatment of what he has revealed fear and suspicion, deceit, and a lack of trust in the world around him; he is alone with his money. The gray dullness of this card only underscores the plain appearance that many tarot decks render as bordering on ugliness.
The Four of Pentacles Positioning
The meaning of each card can change subtly or drastically depending on where it lands in your tarot session. Your reading is divided into sections: past, present, and future, and upright and reversed. Many cards are stronger or weaker in some positions.
Upright
Seeing The Four of Pentacles in the upright position means you should examine your relationship with money. Are you saving yet spending wisely to enjoy your life, or are you holding on to every cent with the fear that you’ll one day be destitute? At the end of the day, it’s all about finding balance with your finances. While it’s crucial to make goals, plan for the future, and save, you may be sacrificing personal happiness by being overly restrictive. Additionally, you don’t want to become so immersed in your finances that you lose sight of what’s really important in life: family, friends, your S.O., and mental and physical health.
Reversed
The Four of Pentacles reversed typically represents the negative attributes of greed, materialism, and extreme amounts of self-protection. The card can represent the strong presence of these things or the release and freedom from their effects. The interpretation often depends on the other cards that appear alongside it in an online tarot card reading.
The Four of Pentacles reversed may indicate that you are holding onto something far more than you should. This could be referencing money, possessions, people, or past situations. Now is the time to focus on the present and your own choices. You cannot control others’ actions, so it is best to relax and let them go.
Past Position
If The Four of Pentacles is in the past position in your reading, this indicates that you had issues with wanting too much control. The foundation of your current situation rests on the past position, so understand that where you are now is a result of your greed, pettiness, and an overall lack of vision. If your tarot reader feels that this card represents a deeper past, perhaps your childhood, you can look back at a world where fear of losing everything forced you and those around you to hold onto everything. Overlooked, a bigger world with endless bountiful possibilities for the taking.
Present Position
In the present position, this card serves as a mirror of how other people may see you. It is not a flattering portrait that you are sending into the neighborhood. What you see as a righteous cause may be interpreted as needless and petty hostility. You might think friends and colleagues have your back, but your selfish vision dissuades people from standing behind you. You may be more alone than you think. Your refusal to share and your need for control is convincing once-loyal people in your life to create distance. Your incomprehension that pleasant possibilities to be fruitful and multiply exist may be harming your family.
Future Position
The future position is a great place to see this card in a tarot reading. It can be a warning that your current interests may lead you to a place of limitation rather than of being open and receptive to new experiences. Next year, you may have a desire to cling to a romance that you and a lover have both outgrown; this holding-on will pass when you realize the futility. Anticipating this tendency to grab at what you have due to a predictive tarot card reading will help you process what is going on much quicker.
Four of Pentacles Card Combinations
Every time you receive a tarot session, only a few cards are drawn from the deck. They influence each other to create a unique reading for that specific moment. Should one card change, the information itself would be completely different.
Self-Denial
The Four of Pentacles is one of the two cards’ lower echoes in the deck with the number four: The Emperor (card #4) and Temperance (card #14). The Four of Pentacles reflects the stubbornness and selfishness that are the shadow side of The Emperor card. The refusal of things is a central tenet of the Temperance card and is embodied by the Four of Pentacles as missing out by holding on. If either of these cards is in your reading along with the Four of Pentacles, your self-denial may be harsher than you realize. Learn more about the connection that the Four of Pentacles shares with the other cards numbered four in the Tarot deck.
Loneliness and Isolation
When the Four of Pentacles is in a reading with The Hermit card, loneliness and isolation abound. Try to find a confidant or soulmate to stay close to you through your stubborn streak. The Nine of Pentacles is a card of materialism that entraps one; a desire to “keep up with the Joneses” and live beyond your means is pronounced when combined with the Four of Pentacles. The Chariot is the Tarot deck’s card of victory but combined with the Four of Pentacles; it indicates a scandal with accusations of cheating and fraud. Your good name is at stake.
Good Choices
The best thing that one can say about The Four of Pentacles is that it is a predictable card. When combined with The Fool, this consistency helps find an outlet in a wild but calculated business pursuit aimed at getting rich. The chaos represented by the Wheel of Fortune is mitigated by The Four of Pentacles, and you find that a stubborn resoluteness is a right choice to make in response to a life situation. Despite initial unpopularity, this card combination earns you eventual praise for your loyalty to an ideal.
Interested In Exploring More Tarot In The Suit of Pentacles?
The Four of Pentacles in love and life is just one of 14 cards in the entire suit, so there’s so much more than you can learn about yourself from a reading. With that said, book a session with one of our professional tarot readers here at Keen. The Suit of Pentacles is associated with the element of earth, which may mean you’re having a hard time dealing with change and becoming too greedy, possessive, lazy, or materialistic. Nip these bad habits in the bud and speak to a psychic to learn how to overcome these temporary roadblocks.
