4 of Pentacles Tarot Card Meaning

4 of pentacles tarot card

The 4 of Pentacles card talks primarily about unequal money. There’s an imbalance happening, where money or power is unevenly distributed. This post is a comparison of tarot decks, looking at different interpretations.

I suggest, while looking at this card description, you have your tarot deck in front of you and decide for yourself if you agree with the feelings on this page or if the card represents something entirely different to you.

*The image at the top of the page does not depict all of the feelings represented by a specific tarot deck! You can find other tarot card meanings here!

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4 of Pentacles Tarot card - a comparison between decks and different meanings

A few words to describe the card:

Unequal power, lack of funds/resources, feeling as though the weight of the world is on your shoulders

4 of Pentacles

The 4 of Pentacles has a few different meanings, especially with card comparisons described below. Overall, it seems to be an imbalance, of money or other earthly possessions. Whether that’s having a lack of money, or hoarding it, or feeling as though the weight of the world is on your shoulders alone.

When you see this card in a tarot spread, it’s likely to be that you’re stressed about money or other wealth. You may be struggling with finances, trying to keep as much as you can, or earn more if necessary. It’s a huge burden to carry.

This tends to be a stress card. When this card is pulled, it’s stressing over money or other physical wealth forms. There may be a lack, or you are worried about it for the future. You’re trying to hold on to too much. By sharing the burden with someone else, you might lighten the load. Or look for someone that’s willing to help. You might be surprised at what you find.

4 of Pentacles Tarot Card - comparing different meanings between tarot decks

Comparison

I’ve decided to do a highlight of specific tarot cards, if the decks have significantly different meanings. You can find more cards and descriptions here.

I’ve learned a lot about tarot cards through reading books, websites, and the booklets that come with the books. These posts I’m hoping will be slightly different, because they highlight maybe different aspects. Tarot cards are meant to have different meanings to everyone, so take what agrees with you and think on the rest. I’ll be comparing the images of my current tarot decks, and how the feelings differ for me based on which deck I use: Healing Light Tarot, Rider Tarot Deck, and Triple Goddess Tarot. Typically, I consider the Healing Light to have a more masculine energy and Triple Goddess to have a feminine energy associated with it.

Differences and Similarities between Decks

These all have extremely different meanings, depending on which card you look at.

The Healing Light Tarot Deck isn’t depicting money as much as a weight on your shoulder. Like Atlas, this person is holding the weight of the world. It’s a strain, and difficult to carry it all. The base this person is standing on depicts the pentacles. This is a physical burden, about a material possession likely. This will be exhausting after a while; as you cannot hold that much weight on your shoulders forever. Sometimes it’s helpful to spread out the weight.

The traditional Rider Tarot Deck depicts a person with a crown, hoarding money. They are a sign of wealth, but are unwilling to release any of the money – it must be theirs. This is a reminder that sometimes what’s best is to release the money. It is best to give it away. Sometimes we hold on too close, not able to see what’s around us or other forms of wealth surrounding us.

In the Triple Goddess Tarot Deck, there’s a woman sitting on the ground, holding out one of the coins surrounding her. This can be viewed in 2 ways – either she’s asking for money from others and receiving it, or she’s offering the money to someone else. There is no one else in the photo, so it’s up to the reader to determine which makes sense for the question asked. It’s seeming as though it is a helping hand in either direction. This can be a calling for help or to help. It’s okay to ask for help sometimes.

my rune journal

All of these represent unequal power, and almost a strife with money, about how it is distributed.

Still Confused?

Still confused about the meanings of the cards? A few tools that have been really helpful for me have been: practice, taking the time to look at each card, read books like Tarot: Learn How to Read and Interpret the Cards by Kim Arnold. Or try out tarot spreads! Try doing a simple reading every day. The Labyrinthos app is really helpful too. Or try some that I’ve created by looking here: Tarot Spreads.