The 4 of Pentacles (Sun in Capricorn) is traditionally considered a card of miserliness. However looking at the Thoth take on this card (Title: Power), we get an entirely different picture. Personally, I like to combine the two meanings for added depth and versatility in readings. I also see the 4 of Coins (look at the shield in the card image above!) in the Marseille Tarot as a card of protection so that is another meaning to throw into the mix.
You can’t build a great building on a weak foundation. You must have a solid foundation if you’re going to have a strong superstructure.
― Gordon B. Hinckley
On the plus side, this card provides a firm base and sound boundaries. On the minus side, it can sometimes make us rigid and cling too tightly to what we have. This is due to the combination of Earth (Capricorn) and the number four, a number representing stability.
In essence, the 4 of Pentacles teaches us a positive lesson about the need for a strong foundation. Capricorn is associated with the skeleton in the body and vitamin D – sunlight – is what strengthens the bones.
The trick is to learn to trust our own foundations enough to not fear opening up to change and giving of ourselves. Once those bones are strong enough, use them to give your neighbour a hand!
You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.
― John Bunyan
Affirmation: “It is in giving I receive.”
4 of Pentacles Prayer
Dear Mother-Father God, thank you for a solid foundation and sound boundaries. Help me stay open to change and the needs of the world around me, firm in the knowledge that I have the power to flow with whatever life throws at me. Amen and so it is!
Correspondences for the 4 of Pentacles
Planet: Sun
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Archangel: Uriel, ruler of the Element of Earth
Gemstones: Black tourmaline, imperial topaz and sunstone
Essential oils: Cardamom, juniper and vetivert
The 4 of Pentacles in Love and Relationships
In a love and relationship reading, this card could symbolise a relationship that is primarily focused on financial stability. One or both parties could have sacrificed their heart’s desire in order to achieve a sense of security.
A reversal of this card could indicate that you are not working together financially but that one or both of you are wasting common resources rather than looking to the future.
Power dynamics
There could be a struggle for power and control in a relationship that falls under the dominion of this card. You are examining who stands to gain the most from every decision and this is creating a sense of oppression in the relationship. One or both of you could be withholding.
You need to learn to be more generous and forgiving with each other. If you can’t get a sense of a win-win relationship, then it may be time to move on. The presence of Death or the 10 of Swords with the 4 of Pentacles is a sign that the relationship is over due to withholding and power dynamics.
Single and looking
To a single person, this card could indicate a need to strengthen personal boundaries and learn to say no, especially when reversed. Upright, it could simply mean a need to loosen up and let someone in. Needing to be in control at all times is sure-fire way of staying single.
Intimacy
On an intimate level, this card could indicate a need to learn to let go of control and surrender to the beloved. There is a deep-rooted need to feel safe first and this need should be honoured. Then gradually introduce fun ways of learning to relinquish control.
The Marseille Tarot image in this post is from the CBD Tarot by Yoav Ben-Dov.
Take me back to the Tarot Card Meanings page
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