Four of Pentacles tarot card meaning: upright, reversed and symbols

The Four of Pentacles shows a crowned man sitting outside a city, holding a pentacle tight against his chest, with another on his head and two under his feet. He is not letting go of any of them.

It is a card of security, saving and holding on. Here is what the Four of Pentacles means upright and reversed, the symbols in the 1909 card and a spread about what you protect.

Here is the Four of Pentacles at a glance.

The Golden Dawn named the Four of Pentacles the Lord of Earthly Power and gave it the Sun in Capricorn, the last decan of the sign, on Chesed. The Sun in the sign of structure and ambition suits a man holding firmly to what he has built, and Chesed, the sephira of order, adds stability.

Later tradition The Golden Dawn also gave each decan two of the 72 Goetic spirits, one for the day and one for the night. For the third decan of Capricorn, and so for the Four of Pentacles, they are Forneus (spirit 30, day) and Cimejes (spirit 66, night). Their pages read the old entries as history; see the spirit directory for all 72.

The card: what Pamela Colman Smith drew

Waite wrote: “A crowned figure, having a pentacle over his crown, clasps another with hands and arms; two pentacles are under his feet. He holds to that which he has.”

Clutching the pentacle. He holds a pentacle against his heart with both arms. Security is close to his heart, and also blocks it.

Pentacles under his feet. His feet rest on two coins. He cannot walk without letting go.

The city behind. He sits outside the town, alone. Holding on tightly can keep people out.

Upright meaning

Upright, the Four of Pentacles is holding tight. A crowned man sits outside a city, a pentacle clutched against his chest, another on his crown and two under his feet. He is not letting go of anything. The card speaks of security, saving, control and the wish to protect what you have.

There is real value in this card. Saving money, protecting boundaries and keeping what you have worked for are wise. The man has built something, and he is right to look after it.

But the card also asks whether your grip has become too tight. Security that cannot be shared or enjoyed can turn into fear. Notice whether you are holding on out of wisdom or out of anxiety.

Reversed meaning

Reversed, the Four of Pentacles can show greed, possessiveness or fear of loss. It can also show letting go, perhaps generously or perhaps by overspending.

Ask whether you need to loosen your grip or tighten it. A reversed Four often shows the moment you notice that control no longer makes you feel safe.

In a love reading, the reversed Four can show someone who holds back affection to keep control. In a money reading, it can show the relief of finally paying off a debt. Read it in the context of the question, because here the same card can be either a warning or a release.

In love, work and spirituality

In love. Upright: Security and commitment, or possessiveness. Reversed: Jealousy or control, or learning to let go.

At work. Upright: Stable job, protecting your position. Reversed: Fear of change, or loss of control.

With money. Upright: Saving, budgeting and financial security. Reversed: Greed, or overspending.

In spiritual practice. Upright: Protecting your practice and energy. Reversed: Holding on to rigid beliefs.

As feelings. Protective and committed, perhaps possessive.

As a person. Someone careful with money and protective of what is theirs.

As advice. Protect what you have, but do not let fear rule you.

Reading the Four of Pentacles: positions and yes or no

In the past position: Holding on helped you feel safe. In the present position: Look at what you protect and why.

In the future position: A time to save or protect is ahead. As advice: Hold steady, not too tight.

In modern yes or no readings, the Four of Pentacles is a maybe.

It depends on whether you can loosen your grip.

What the Four means, and the history behind the card

Four brings stability, and in Pentacles stability means security. The Golden Dawn named it Earthly Power, reminding you that holding power is a responsibility.

Here is how the Four looks across the four suits:

• Four of Wands: celebration, harmony, homecoming
• Four of Cups: contemplation, apathy, reevaluation
• Four of Swords: rest, recovery, contemplation
• Four of Pentacles (this card): security, stability, materialism

Look at the city behind him. Smith often put a town or a castle in the background of the Pentacles, and here it sits far behind the man. He has his wealth, but he is outside the community where it could be used.

In older Italian and Marseille decks the Four of Coins was only four coins in a pattern, so this whole story of a man guarding his money is Smith’s own picture of the card’s meaning. It is one of her most human images, because almost everyone has held on to something like this at some point.

When A. E. Waite published The Pictorial Key to the Tarot in 1910, he listed these divinatory meanings for the Four of Pentacles: “The surety of possessions, cleaving to that which one has, gift, legacy, inheritance.” Reversed, he gave: “Suspense, delay, opposition.”

Common questions

Is the Four of Pentacles a yes or no card? It is a maybe. It depends on whether you can loosen your grip.

What does the Four of Pentacles mean for money? Saving and security, or fear of spending.

What does the Four of Pentacles mean in love? Needing security, or possessiveness.

Try this

Try this small spread for the Four of Pentacles. Use it when you feel the need to hold on.

Affirmation: I protect what sustains me and allow room for connection.

Reversed affirmation: I loosen my grip where change is safe and useful.

If you keep a tarot journal, take one of these questions to it: What am I holding tightly? What am I afraid to lose? What would I share if I felt safe?

What next

Cards that sit close to this one are The Emperor (the Major Arcana card of structure and control), Six of Pentacles (sharing resources) and Ten of Wands (holding on to too much).

The Four of Pentacles is part of the lesson Pentacles in my free Tarot for Beginners course. To see the whole suit on one page, go to the suit of Pentacles. To keep walking the suit, read the card before it, Three of Pentacles or the card after it, Five of Pentacles, or go back to all the card meanings.

For the suits and numbers in one place, see The Minor Arcana: suits and numbers made simple. For every card with keywords, affirmations and examples, see my book The Novice’s Guide to Tarot. If you would like a printable cheat sheet for all 78 cards, my 45-page Tarot Workbook is on Etsy.

Sources

• A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (London: Rider, 1910), Part III, sections 1 and 2.
• Pamela Colman Smith and A. E. Waite, the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot (London: Rider, 1909).
• Nicolas Conver, Tarot de Marseille (Marseille, 1760).
• Lauri Mukkala, The Novice’s Guide to Tarot, entry for the Four of Pentacles.
• Aleister Crowley, 777 (London: Walter Scott, 1909), columns of the decans, the Minor Arcana and the court cards.
• Israel Regardie, ed., The Golden Dawn (Chicago: Aries Press, 1937 to 1940), “Book T”, titles and attributions of the small cards and the court.