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Above all things, know thyself!
Radiant: Rider-Waite-Smith- Four of Pentacles
The Rider-Waite- Smith-Four of Pentacles Tarot card sticks to the mundane divination meaning of the Four of Pentacles which comes from the position of the Sun in Capricorn. Here light and warmth ensure material success; but nothing beyond the moment.
Smith illustrates this condition of assured material gain and earthly power completed, but nothing beyond. The powerful ruling personage is firmly placed, grasping a pentacle firmly to his chest, feet planted on other pentacles and one above his head, showing his authority on the plane of matter, and a certain amount of possessiveness. He is dressed in the red of passion and wears the royal purple cloak. The Pentacles are the golden color reminiscent of the Sun. Here he is the fortress that protects the city behind, law and order supported by eternal vigilance, but nothing beyond seeking security.
The Animal Totem Tarot- 4 of Pentacles
The Animal Totem Tarot, 4 of Pentacles, depicts a scene of a Squirrel in instinctual survival thinking and the power of illusion. The squirrel spends most of its time gathering food and stashing it in the ground to get through the lean winter months. However, all this industrial hording often leads to naught, as many of the nuts and seed sprout and grown in the warm Springtime days. The squirrel hasn't figured out that food is energy and energy needs to flow.
The caveat here is that saving up your money is a grand idea; However, hording will stop flow. Money is a form of prosperity and prosperity flows from wealth. However, horded wealth does not prosper. People often overdress, and decorate themselves with all kinds of bobbles, to prove how valuable they are, which is merely a camouflage covering their fear of lack. To fear lack is to place your energy-in-motion (emotions) to preforming as lack. Time to examine how you hand money/energy. Energy needs to flow; it forms into stasis and eventually entropy if it doesn't. There has to be give and take, not just take and hide.
I Need More!
Therefore, you might feel you don't have enough when you are more blessed than you realize. This is often the case with media induced word hypnosis, the divide and conquer practice of the Military Industrial Complex whose goal is to create the "crazed consumer" by identifying happiness as the next "new and greatest thing". By dividing the equilibrium and harmony of the Spirit-Mind-Body trinity of Self, one is sent on a false journey of "happiness seeking" through accumulation. This seeking outside of self is an illusion as Happiness is Whole Self, a trinity of harmony and the real ruler over all that is manifest, not some false outside authority.
The traditional placement of the 4 of Disks card is the Sun in Capricorn. In astrology, the placement of celestial bodies in specific houses of the zodiac can influence various aspects of an individual's life. When the Sun is in the house of Capricorn, certain characteristics are associated with this placement. Here are some key traits:
Ambitious and Goal-Oriented: Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, which brings a strong sense of ambition and a drive to achieve long-term goals. Individuals with the Sun in Capricorn are likely to be determined and focused on their aspirations.
Practical and Disciplined: Capricorn is an earth sign, emphasizing practicality and discipline. Those with the Sun in Capricorn tend to approach life in a methodical and organized manner, making them well-suited for tasks that require structure.
Responsible Leadership: Capricorns often display leadership qualities and a sense of responsibility. People born with the Sun in Capricorn may find themselves in leadership roles, taking charge of situations and making decisions with a pragmatic approach.
Concerned with Reputation: Capricorns value their reputation and public image. Individuals with this Sun placement are likely to be cautious about how they are perceived by others and may strive to build a solid and respected image.
Patient and Enduring: Capricorns are known for their patience and endurance. When the Sun is in Capricorn, individuals may possess the resilience to overcome challenges and the ability to persevere through difficulties.
Traditional Values: Capricorn is associated with tradition and conventional values. Those with the Sun in Capricorn may hold traditional beliefs and appreciate stability in various aspects of life.
Career Focus: Career and professional success are often significant priorities for individuals with the Sun in Capricorn. They may be diligent workers, seeking recognition and accomplishment in their chosen fields.
It's important to note that the characteristics mentioned are generalizations, and the complete astrological profile of an individual involves consideration of the entire birth chart, including the positions of other planets, aspects, and the Ascendant. Individual experiences and expressions can vary widely.
The Number 4: The Sacred Door of Manifestation in Numerology and Hermetic Qabalah
When we speak of the number 4, we enter the realm of the square: structure, order, and the sacred geometry of manifestation. But beneath its austere exterior lies a far deeper mystery. In the Hermetic Qabalah, as well as in numerology and gematria, the number 4 is not merely the number of limitation. It is the gateway to incarnation, the holy architecture of the Divine made visible.
In numerology, 4 is the number of the builder. It is stability in action. Think of the four corners of the Earth, the four elements, the four directions. 4 is the number that anchors, that defines. It gives boundary to what would otherwise remain formless. Yet it also carries the weight of karma, discipline, and responsibility. It is the initiator of the tangible—a number that does not dream, but executes.
But let us pass through the veil of the merely mundane, and step into the Temple of the Mysteries.
In Hebrew gematria, 4 is the value of the letter Daleth (\u05d3). Daleth means door. On the Tree of Life, Daleth is the Path connecting Chokmah (Wisdom) to Binah (Understanding). It is the passage through which divine force becomes form. It is the Feminine Gate, the Empress' veil, through which the Word enters the womb of creation. In the Thoth Tarot, Daleth is The Empress. Her power is to gestate spirit into substance. She is not merely a nurturing mother figure; she is the matrix of manifestation, and the architect of reality.
4 is also the Divine Tetrad, the Tetragrammaton: Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh. Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Father, Mother, Son, and Daughter. The formula of all creation is encoded in these four letters. Each letter is a world, a phase of descent from pure Light to embodied matter:
Yod: the archetypal spark (Atziluth, Fire)
Heh: the great feminine container (Briah, Water)
Vav: the child of union, the mediator (Yetzirah, Air)
Heh (final): the Earth, the Daughter fulfilled (Assiah, Earth)
Here, 4 is not restriction, but completion of the Divine Cycle. It is the final word of a cosmic sentence.
In the Tarot, the Four cards embody the moment where elemental force becomes stabilized:
Four of Wands (Completion): Fire completes its ritual in harmonious balance. Venus in Aries.
Four of Cups (Luxury): Water becomes rich and full—perhaps too full. Moon in Cancer.
Four of Swords (Truce): Air finds mental peace and suspended conflict. Jupiter in Libra.
Four of Disks (Power): Earth becomes a fortress—commanding, secure, and sealed. Sun in Capricorn.
In each of these, we witness the sacred geometry of manifestation—the moment where force becomes form and yet carries the risk of stagnation unless renewed.
For the practitioner of the Western Mysteries, the number 4 is the Temple itself. The square altar. The compass rose. The inner sanctum where the four winds meet. It is also the body: the four limbs, the four chambers of the heart. The four-letter Name inscribed in flesh.
In Goddess work, 4 is the Womb-Square: the sacred containment of the mystery. The Mother who holds the chaos within a vessel of order. Binah, Isis, Demeter, Gaia, and Hathor—these are not merely nurturing deities, but guardians of incarnation itself.
To meditate on 4 is to stand at the Door—Daleth—and choose to bring spirit into matter. It is to become an architect of the sacred. The temple must have four walls. The ritual must have structure. Even the spiral must be squared if it is to take root in time.
Thus, the number 4 is a mystical paradox. It is limit and liberation. Form and force. A fortress and a gate.
It is not the end. It is the threshold.
The number 4 in the minor arcana corresponds to Chesed, the Architect, the Sephirah of divine mercy and authority. It is a lower reflection of Chokmah, channeling the pure will of Wisdom into benevolent rulership and stable form. Hence, the 4s in the Tarot express the ordering principle that brings the chaotic brilliance of Chokmah into structured, harmonious expression on the Tree of Life.
When the 4 of Pentacles is thrown in a divination, it implies:
- One Is owning their own personal energy, physical potency, and vitality. The very act of which proceeds change.
- Is experiencing a feeling of holding on tightly to what one has, emotionally or physically.
- Is experiencing the enfoldment of Power. Here the Ability to Do Work (Power) is unfettered, and the engineer is active.
- The querent is taking solid steps towards creating material security in the physical world.
- Is experiencing the axiom of the 4, "nothing ventured nothing gained". Holding too tightly to what you have and not taking risks of change.
If reversed, it implies:
- Is experiencing a blockage of creative thought due to avarice, or excessive devotion to material things.
- Compulsivity.
- Stubbornness.
- Stagnation.
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