Four of Pentacles tarot card
What Four of Pentacles means in the Rider-Waite tarot: upright and reversed, in love, at work and as advice. Free online reading.
Minor Arcana · Pentacles · Element: Earth
Keywords: security, control, savings, attachment, conservation
The advice
Protect the essentials and let the rest circulate. What doesn't circulate doesn't yield.
A seated man hugs a coin to his chest, rests his feet on two more and balances another on his head. Nothing comes in and nothing goes out, and the city in the background stays distant.
Four of Pentacles upright
Security won and defended. Saving, economizing, protecting what is yours: all of that is wise, and the card recognizes it. It only asks where prudence ends and fear begins, because the Four of Pentacles is great for preserving and poor for growing.
In love
A stable, somewhat closed relationship. Perhaps it is time to make more room for the other person.
In work and money
A financial reserve, a secured contract, a consolidated position. A good time to save, not to take risks.
In your inner life
A need for control. It often comes from a time when something was lacking, and that deserves understanding.
The shadow
Gripping so tight that nothing gets in. Too much control pushes away people and opportunities alike.
Four of Pentacles reversed
The grip is loosening, or tightening too much. In a positive reading, you are learning to let go: you spend, share, risk a little. In a harder reading, it points to stinginess, material fear, or a loss of control over finances.
In love
Jealousy and possessiveness, or the relief of letting the other person be who they are.
In work and money
Spending out of control, financial insecurity, or the healthy decision to invest in something.
In your inner life
Fear of losing what you have. Name the fear: it is often bigger than the real risk.
The shadow
Confusing possessions with personal worth. What you have is not who you are.
Combinations with Four of Pentacles
Four of Pentacles + The Fool
The leap and the clenched fist. One card wants to set out without baggage, the other won't let go of what it has. The subject is fear of loss, and it deserves to be spoken of without judgment.
Four of Pentacles + Seven of Swords
Cunning and attachment. Someone is keeping something they shouldn't keep, or fearing it will be taken from them.
Frequently asked questions
Is Four of Pentacles a yes or no?
Yes to keeping, no to growing. The Four of Pentacles guards well what already exists; if the question is about expanding, it's the closed hand that is holding back the answer. Reversed: It depends on where the tightness has gone. If you're learning to loosen up a little and let things circulate, the answer improves; if control has slipped away entirely, fix that first.
What does Four of Pentacles mean in love?
A stable, somewhat closed relationship. Perhaps it is time to make more room for the other person.
What does Four of Pentacles reversed mean?
The grip is loosening, or tightening too much. In a positive reading, you are learning to let go: you spend, share, risk a little. In a harder reading, it points to stinginess, material fear, or a loss of control over finances.
What is the advice of Four of Pentacles?
Protect the essentials and let the rest circulate. What doesn't circulate doesn't yield.