Four of Pentacles
Four of Coins (Deniers, Tarot de Marseille) · Lord of Earthly Power (Golden Dawn) · Power (Thoth)
The Four of Pentacles shows a crowned man gripping one coin to his chest with others under his feet and on his crown: a card of security, saving and the urge to hold on.
Upright security · saving · control · possessiveness · stability · conservatism · holding on
Reversed greed · letting go · generosity · financial insecurity · overspending · releasing control
- Astrology
- Sun in Capricorn (third decan)
- Element
- Earth
- Number
- 4
- Golden Dawn title
- Lord of Earthly Power
- Yes or no
- Maybe
Upright
The Four of Pentacles upright is about keeping what one has. In the Waite–Smith tradition it describes stability and the secure possession of resources, but also the risk of clinging too tightly. The figure is safe and solvent, and he is also closed, unable to move without letting something go.
In relationships the card can describe a stable, committed bond, or a possessive one. It may point to someone who guards their feelings or who fears loss so much that they hold a partner too close.
For work and money it favours saving, budgeting, protecting assets and consolidating a position. Readers often warn that excessive caution may block growth or generosity.
The advice is to value security without becoming its prisoner. Hold firmly what deserves holding, and ask honestly what fear lies behind the grip.
Reversed
Reversed, the Four of Pentacles is commonly read in two ways. One is release: a person learns to let go, becomes more generous or relaxes the need for control. The other is loss of security, through overspending, poor management or a sudden expense. Some readers see greed or miserliness becoming more pronounced.
Many readers interpret the cards upright only, and the meaning shifts with the cards nearby. Where reversals are used, this one often raises the question of balance between holding and giving.
The image
Smith's figure sits on a stone block or low seat in front of a city. He is crowned and wrapped in a heavy cloak. A pentacle rests on top of his crown, he hugs a second to his chest with both arms, and his feet rest on two more. The city behind him is spread out across the background, its towers and roofs suggesting a prosperous world beyond his small, closed circle.
History
As with almost all minor arcana before 1909, the Four of Coins in the Tarot de Marseille simply shows four disks, often with a decorative shield or flower in the centre. Smith's crowned figure is a new design. Waite's 1910 Pictorial Key describes him as holding to what he has and gives the meanings the surety of possessions, cleaving to what one has, gift, legacy and inheritance; reversed, suspense, delay and opposition. Later readers emphasised the miserly aspect of the image more strongly than Waite did.
Symbolism
Four is the number of stability, the square and the solid foundation. The figure's pose makes that stability literal: every point of his body is anchored by a coin. The crown shows authority, the coins under his feet a foundation of wealth, the clasped coin the heart closed around possessions. The city behind him has been read either as the world he has secured or as the world he has withdrawn from.
The Golden Dawn gave the card to the third decan of Capricorn, ruled by the Sun, with the title "Lord of Earthly Power", and Crowley called it "Power". The fours belong to Chesed, the sefirah of mercy, abundance and lawful rule, so the card can be read as order and stewardship as well as possessiveness. Capricorn's trump, The Devil, is sometimes brought in when readers discuss the shadow of attachment.
In a reading
Readers often ask whether the querent is protecting something valuable or holding on out of fear. With the Ace of Pentacles it can signal savings or investment; with the Five of Pentacles, fear of loss; with the Six of Pentacles, the question of how to share. In an advice position it may recommend prudence and boundaries; in a position of challenge, generosity and flexibility. The relationship between the fours and stability across the suits is outlined in the minor arcana.
Sources and further reading
- The Pictorial Key to the Tarot — A. E. Waite, 1910
- The Book of Thoth — Aleister Crowley, 1944
- The Golden Dawn — Israel Regardie, 1937
- Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom — Rachel Pollack, 1980