The IV of Pentacles Gets a Bad Rep

Greed. Materialism. Miserliness. Controlling. Conservative. These are often the definitions that come up with the IV of Pentacles. It is perceived a somewhat "negative" card, as these are not concepts we value in the spiritual tarot world. The card comes with a warning not to value money over all else, that money can't buy emotional security, that your possessions don't define you. Oh sure, there are definitely times when these definitions do apply, but not as often in my readings as one might think. I draw this card for myself quite a bit, and I'm not bragging when I say that I live quite a simple life, with few possession and even less money in my pocket. I still donate to charities, give generously of my money, time and energy to those in need, and try to live in flow with the Universe. So, why the IV of Pentacles for me so often?

I interpret the IV of Pentacles to be about grounding, about connecting fully with the physical world. The Pentacles represent Earth energy, the world of all that is tangible- this computer, that tree, those people over there. All of these things I can assess with my 5 senses of touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste. The number 4 is numerological representative of stability. It is the square that solidly plants itself in reality. To me, the IV of Pentacles is a reminder to be physically connected to reality. I gotta admit, this is a reminder that I need often. I can get so caught up in my emotional realm or my mental realm, and totally disconnect from the physical realm. I also love to spend time using my 6th sense of intuition, and my time practicing tarot delves deeply into this sense. With the IV of Pentacles, it's a of question of how to bring myself back to reality, how to keep things grounded in the physical world we inhabit. So when I see the dragon in the IV of Pentacles from the Shadowscapes Tarot above, I notice his tail turning to gold. This could be a sign of money taking possession of him, but I like to see it as the golden value of being connected with the Earth. The dragon ages and dies and slowly decays, and that whole cycle adds value to the Earth and to the dragon. The IV of Pentacles from the Wild Unknown Tarot easily depicts the sense of interconnectedness that I'm talking about with the physical world of the senses, and how appreciating that and experiencing it, brings color and value to your life. When you draw the IV of Pentacles in a reading, check your money attitude for sure, but also check your reality-o-meter. Are you living in a cloud? Are you ignoring important physical truths? We are here on Earth, in this reality, for a reason, so don't discount this physical world in search of a higher truth. You will find that truth here.