I pulled the 4 of Pentacles for my year ahead reading for 2020. I was happy to see that, as the 4 of Pentacles is connected to and reflective of the fourth Major Arcana, The Emperor, which is the universal tarot card for this year. The 4 of Pentacles isn’t one of the most exciting of the minors. It is often associated with being stingy or egotistical, as the imagery shows a person hanging on to their coins for dear life. But how can we upgrade this archetype without tossing out its oft-useful traditional meanings?

Let’s go to the root. Number 4 in tarot numerology is a digit of stability and structure. In the Pentacles suit, this stable energy is expressed through the material layer of reality, which rules the tangible aspects of our being, including our bodies, our relationship to the financial systems of the world, and even our work product. From that little formula, we can derive a wealth of meaning from the 4 of Pents.

From an evolutionary perspective, this card speaks of not only the fundamental structure of the material world, but of nature’s tendency to conserve and maintain (even though, eventually, decay and destruction will take place). It speaks of the temporary yet important stable moments and conditions that allow for life and consciousness to flourish in this world.

As applied to our personal lives, the 4 of Pentacles may be an invitation to conserve our resources or even our health. It may be a call to tap into our work as a platform for further growth; or to create stable financial conditions for ourselves. It may advise that the future may be unstable as the energies progress from 4 to 5, so be wise and frugal right now.

I hope you enjoyed this message! To learn more about how the numbers can help us tap into the root meanings of the tarot cards, check out my freshly released course, The Numerology of Tarot!