Four of Pentacles meaning in the tarot (2024)

While it is relatively easy to find reliable information on the major arcana of the tarot, this is not always the case for non-court minor arcana. If you really want to complete your knowledge, today I'm going to reveal all the secrets of the Four of Pentacles, a card particularly appreciated by cartomancers.

A little reminder of the facts if you are a latecomer. In the world of the Tarot, the suit of Pentacles is always associated with materiality, finances and social success. The Fours testify to a form of balance and comfort, which translates as the beginning of a feeling of relative security for the seeker. The Four of Pentacles is the result of these two great influences.

When talking about the card's visual aspect, first it's important to note the four golden Pentacles, arranged in the shape of a rectangle. This geometric figure of course refers to the principle of balance that I mentioned above. In its center is a coat of arms. It represents a phoenix, the mythical being that rises up from the ashes to make a new start. The symbolism is obvious here: after a long period of trouble, the seeker now has new opportunities and can work towards their financial security. The fruits of their labors are beginning to manifest themselves, as suggested by the beautiful floral motifs spreading around the four Pentacles.

True wealth is discreet.

It's not always easy to clearly understand what the Four of Pentacles is trying to teach, and this card has a particularly ambiguous message. At first glance this card seems very beneficial, it being associated with ideas of financial success, professional stability and social fulfillment. The seeker's rational intelligence has allowed them to gradually accumulate great material wealth, thanks to their unfailing commitment and hard work. Anxious to protect themselves from need and wanting to protect their family, money soon became very important in their life. And today the seeker feels pride when they look back on what they've done. They are proud of the path they have traveled so far.

But this financial success must never make them forget that money isn't everything. The seeker is very conservative when it comes to finances and sometimes tends to accumulate simply for the pleasure of accumulating, a habit that some people will definitely call greedy. Because they are obsessed, the seeker frequently abandons their friends and family to focus again and again on their work. They will need to learn to let go a little and develop the other spheres of their life. Love, sharing and empathy are also active elements of every person's happiness.

While it is difficult to interpret what a card means in detail without taking all the other cards in the draw into account, the inverted Four of Pentacles often refers to two distinct cases.

In the first situation, the card represents a person who is very tightfisted, totally absorbed in the quest for acquisition, investment and financial success. The seeker is haunted by a fear of poverty, which encourages extremely materialistic behavior.

In the second case, the reversed Four of Pentacles translates the difficulty the seeker has in putting their finances on a firm footing. Refusing to shoulder their responsibilities, they then tend to spend more than they possess, in a short-termist approach that will, sooner or later, be harmful to them. So, it is essential that the seeker learns to think more about how they will deal with the future.