Four of Pentacles

A stable and predictable situation is a blessing, though this card warns against the potential for “penny pinching.” In some cases it feels so good to “sit on a pile of gold” that you forget currency must flow to grow. This is the card that appears when you’re shopping for winter boots and get the cheapest pair available, missing the point entirely. The Four of Pentacles is a sign that investing your spare money is a good next step for you. It’s also a card that appears for people looking to grow their business with work from contractors, as a reminder that “you get what you pay for.” If this is your situation, you’re not spending on contractors as much as you are investing in your own business. While the Four of Pentacles isn’t permission to spend on frivolous luxuries, a request from a family member or significant other may come up soon and it’ll seem like a frivolous luxury but will actually represent a necessity. For example, if your partner asks for flowers, it means they’re asking for a specific sign you care about them, listen to them, and value them, not necessarily for the flowers themselves.

Four of Pentacles Reversed

As a reversed card, the Four of Pentacles represents a stinginess at the expense of peace and harmony. This is a card that appears when, for example, a parent refuses to drive their children to after-school activities for fear of wasting money on gas. In this specific story, penny pinching seems like an obvious solution to the fear, the resentment that parent is building between themselves and their child will actually cause more stress than overtime at work. This card reads similarly when it’s about a career situation, the general gist being: give value to what you care about. If at work you care about say, quantifiable metrics or ergonomics, be sure to invest in those. Even if you can spend less money on cheap options, those won’t pay off in a significant way and it’ll have the same effect as essentially putting money in the garbage. In literal readings, this card’s imagery is important. Represented by goods in a tightly-sealed jar, the reversed position implies you should let something out of a container. Because this is a Pentacles card, it could be money but it could also be a craft you’ve been keeping to yourself—it’s potentially an income opportunity.