Four of Pentacles Tarot: Meaning, Symbolism, Reversed Card

In brief: name, number and keywords

The Four of Pentacles is the card of security and control. A man sits holding his coins tightly: he protects what he has. The image can inspire the wisdom of caution, or the tightness of avarice. It depends on what you feel when you look at it.

It carries the number 4. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, it is the Four of Pentacles.

Keywords: security, control, conservation, greed, grounding, fear of loss.

The image in the Marseille tarot

In the Marseille tarot, the Four of Coins is a pip card: four gold discs arranged at the corners or around a central motif, surrounded by leafy stems. There is no figure. The square arrangement evokes the solidity of a closed structure.

The man with the treasure belongs to the Rider-Waite-Smith deck alone.

The scene in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck

A man sits on a block of stone in front of a town. He wears a crown and a robe, and clutches a pentacle to his chest with both arms. Another pentacle rests on his head, beneath the crown, and each of his feet rests on another pentacle.

Behind him, the walls and towers of a city, which his gaze ignores. He looks neither at the town nor at us: he is guarding his coins.

Symbolism of the elements in the scene

A few details from the image, among the most commented. These are paths for interpretation.

• The arms clamped on the coin: fear of loss, caution, the need for reassurance.
• The coin on the head: thinking entirely occupied by possession.
• The coins under the feet: the need to stay grounded, but also the inability to move.
• The town behind: the community one turns away from; the exchange that would be possible.
• The crown: a certain authority, a position earned.

Upright meaning

Upright, the Four of Pentacles traditionally suggests security, conservation and control. It can describe a need for financial or material stability, careful savings, a protective framework. It can also mark an excess: closing up, holding back, finding it hard to give or let go.

In a spread, it invites you to ask whether you are protecting what matters, or clutching out of fear of lacking. The card does not say that you are miserly: it describes a tension between security and openness.

Reversed: schools that disagree

School 1: letting go. Reversed, the Four of Pentacles would speak of opening your hand, spending, sharing, or losing control.

School 2: greater tightness. Others read greed, an obsession with possession, isolation. Many tarot readers do not read the reversed position at all.

Traditional correspondences and numerology

According to the Golden Dawn, which assigns a decan to each card from 2 to 10, here are the most frequently cited reference points (dates accurate to within a day).

Numerology of 4. Four is the number of structure: four sides, four seasons, four elements. It evokes stability and sometimes immobility. Within the coins, it becomes the material foundation. In the Golden Dawn's Kabbalistic reading, the Four corresponds to Chesed, Mercy.

The Golden Dawn title, 'Lord of Earthly Power', is a nineteenth-century occult convention.

Common areas of reading

The tarot does not say what will happen: it offers images for reflection. Here is what this card can evoke, in symbolic terms.

• Personal reflection: seeing what you hold on to out of fear. A possible question: what am I protecting, and from what?
• Relationships: a relationship where one holds back, or a safe place to share.
• Work: a stable position, savings, a framework; or the fear of letting go of control.
• Money: savings, assets, prudence; the card promises nothing and does not replace a financial adviser.

Combinations with other cards

A card is rarely read alone: its neighbours qualify it. A few simple pairings, to be taken as starting points.

• The Three of Pentacles: completed work that you want to secure.
• The Five of Pentacles: the fear of lacking, or what is felt when security slips away.
• The Emperor: a solid framework, with the rigidity that may follow from it.
• The Wheel of Fortune: accepting movement.

To practise linking cards, try the three-card spread. To see the whole suit, read the page on the suit of pentacles.

Common beginner mistakes

• Judging the figure: the card describes a posture, not a flaw of character.
• Forgetting that caution can be legitimate: protecting yourself is not being miserly.
• Reading savings or investment advice into it: a reading does not replace a financial adviser.

Reflection questions and keyword of the day

Keyword of the day: Anchor. Take one small, reasonable step to secure something (a backup, a tidy-up), then one small step of openness (a gift, a sharing).

Questions to ask yourself:

• What am I gripping with all my strength?
• How much security is really enough for me?
• What might happen if I loosened my arms a little?

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Guide to the Minor Arcana.