Four of Pentacles in the 5-Card Spread with the Rider Waite Tarot

Four of Pentacles - Rider Waite Smith Tarot

Four of Pentacles 5-cards Cross Draw

Through the different positions in the spread, the Four of Pentacles illustrates a path of material stabilisation and affirmation of your achievements, while warning against the dangers of excessive attachment. It shows your strengths in management, protection and structure, but also signals the importance of not closing yourself off from others or your possessions. It advises you to remain vigilant, flexible, and confident in the natural flow of abundance. As a result, this card promises consolidated security, provided you avoid stagnation and allow material and emotional resources to continue to flow in your life.

Four of Pentacles : Positions in the RWS Tarot 5-Card spread

Four of Pentacles as first card : Current situation
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

The Four of Pentacles, in the current situation, indicates a phase of material or financial stability, but also intense protection of what you have acquired.

You may be in a dynamic where you are primarily seeking to preserve your resources, your achievements or your position, without wanting to take unnecessary risks.

This card shows that you may be driven by a strong need for security, even if it means becoming a little rigid or closed to opportunities for change.

It is also possible that you feel a certain fear of losing what you have, which pushes you to cling to what you consider essential.

This card also indicates a beneficial consolidation of your material foundations, a time when you are reaping the rewards of your past efforts, but when you must remain vigilant not to allow this stability to turn into stagnation.

This is a key time to examine your relationship with money, power and possessions.

Four of Pentacles as second card : Challenge / Obstacle
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

In the opposition position, the Four of Pentacles emphasises that your excessive attachment to security could be holding you back.

Perhaps your fear of loss or change is trapping you in a rigid position, where you are depriving yourself of opportunities for growth.

This card may also indicate emotional closure: you protect yourself so much that you cut off both material and emotional exchanges. The obsession with keeping your possessions, status, or power may, paradoxically, cause what you fear most: isolation or loss.

It is also possible that this card signals financial or material tensions, where you are struggling to maintain a precarious stability without really finding a long-term solution.

The opposition therefore suggests letting go of some control and trusting in the natural flow of life to regain a healthier and more vibrant balance.

Four of Pentacles as third card : Advice
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

The Four of Pentacles advises you to find the right balance between security and openness.

It is essential to protect what you have built with wisdom and vigilance, but without falling into greed, immobility or panic-stricken fear of loss.

You are encouraged to honestly assess what you have: which resources are truly useful for your future, and which ones are holding you back?

This card also advises you to consider sharing and circulating goods or ideas, as flow keeps prosperity alive. Remaining cautious is healthy, but incorporating some flexibility into your resource management will prevent your stability from becoming a prison.

The advice is therefore to strengthen your foundations, but without closing your heart or mind: cultivate confidence in your ability to regenerate what you invest in the world.

Four of Pentacles as fourth card : Outcome
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

As a result, the Four of Pentacles heralds significant material or professional consolidation.

You will succeed in stabilising your situation, securing your assets and maintaining a form of lasting comfort or protection. This success is the result of hard work, wise management of your resources and a responsible attitude.

However, this result also indicates a certain rigidity: stability will be present, but it could be accompanied by a feeling of stagnation or inner limitation if you refuse to change.

On another level, this result may mean that you will be recognised for your seriousness and your ability to structure and protect, but also that you will need to watch out for the temptation to cut yourself off from financial or emotional exchanges.

The Four of Pentacles is therefore very positive in material terms, while warning against the effects of excessive closure.

Four of Pentacles as fifth card : Synthesis / Future
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

In summary, the Four of Pentacles brings together all the energies of the spread around the issues of stability, resource management, and the need to balance protection and circulation.

It shows that you are laying solid foundations for your future, but that it is vital to remain open to change and evolution so that this solidity does not turn into sterile rigidity.

This card teaches that true security comes from inner confidence and the ability to cope with life’s ups and downs, not from simply freezing everything out of fear.

The Four of Pentacles thus summarises a dynamic of consolidation and intelligent protection, but also of necessary questioning to allow prosperity and life to continue to flow.

1 card spread
Four of Pentacles and its various thematic readings

Four of Pentacles - Rider Waite Smith Tarot

Read-only card Four of Pentacles in the Rider-Waite tarot is rich in symbolism and offers a variety of interpretations for different reading thematics. Consult our analysis of the general meaning and implications for love, work, family... of the card Four of Pentacles