The element of Earth: abundance over possession

Pentacles connect to the element of Earth. Too often, this translates solely to finances and money, as if our earthly possessions were only about currency. I don’t believe they are.

To me, Earth brings to mind abundance far more than material possessions. And abundance is the opposite of scarcity.

Let’s not forget that money is a social construct — we agreed at some point to give it value. But when we think about earthly possessions, we should consider what actually exists in the world: the earth beneath our feet, the nature surrounding us, the people around us, the richness we can touch, taste, and hug.

A tree is far more tangible and real than 100 bucks.

Physical and emotional boundaries

This brings us to a powerful reinterpretation: the Four of Pentacles as the card of boundaries — specifically, bodily and emotional boundaries.

This interpretation comes from the Soul Tarot school, as taught by my teacher, Lindsay Mack, and it resonates deeply with me, as boundaries aren’t necessarily financial. They’re about protecting our physical and emotional space, our sense of self.

With this framework in mind, I examined 22 different Four of Pentacles cards from various decks to see how different artists represent this card. What emerged was fascinating — similar ideas presented in vastly different visual languages, inviting completely different interpretations.

The traditional view: men worrying about money

The iconic card by Pamela Coleman Smith shows a miserable man hugging a pentacle, with two feet planted on two more pentacles and a fourth hovering above his head. He clings to his coins, radiating worry about losing his money. I bow to Pamela Coleman Smith, but I believe we’re past this interpretation now.

Let’s have a look at how this imagery appears in modern decks (The Solar Kingdom Tarot, The Book of Shadows, The Green Tarot, Tarot Louisville, Midnight City Tarot, Everybody's Tarot, Sabotage Tarot).

What do you think of when you look at the cards above?

Admittedly, the last two are a bit different. Sara Kathleen’s Everybody’s Tarot doesn’t show a man but a friendly cartoon “blob”, and 4 of Pentacles in Sonya Sabotage’s deck is very “pippish” in its imagery — but still conjures the image of closedness, scarcity and fear.

All the others, regardless of the beauty and artistry of the images, show men holding on to their material possessions for dear life. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a king hugging piles of gold, or a fearful figure clutching a tote bag on the New York subway.

Animals hoarding stuff

Let’s face it: they hoard too. But look at these cute faces! I’m partial to non-human animals and to decks that don’t show humans at all, so such illustrations make me think less of greed and more of the need to protect oneself and healthy selfishness.

I particularly like the bull from The Textured Tarot — perhaps because it’s the first deck I ever got and bonded with, or perhaps because Taurus is my Sun sign. Who knows?

Do they resonate with you the same way? I love them, but they’re still not the ones I relate to immediately. They are animals, but anthropomorphised — the real ones don’t have a relationship with money after all.

My most trusted cards you’ll find at the end.

(Below: Forgotten Legends Tarot, Phrög Tarot, The Textured Tarot)

Feminine boundaries: a different energy

They are different, aren’t they? Some of them still have money (especially the woman from Kateryna’s Blue Tarot), but isn’t their energy different? More self-assured, kind, playful?

To me, they radiate a completely different vibe. It’s less about fear and material possessions, and more about being protected by magic, and embodying healthy boundary-setting.

(Below: Purple Dreams Tarot, The Hide Tarot, Self Love Tarot, The Blue Tarot)

There are three more that feel very grounding and enriching to me. One of them depicts a woman, one a person of an undefined gender, and one a symbolic figure, perhaps looking more like a man than a woman, bot oh-so-different from the men shown earlier.

(Below: Tarot of Colors, Tarot of the Holy Spectrum, The Gentle Tarot)

The woman from The Gentle Tarot guards her stones with self-assurance. Is there a bit of possessiveness in her? Perhaps. But the booklet written by the author of the deck summarises it beautifully: “I protect my body, my space and my identity… Our sense of self is sacred.”

The illustration in the middle, coming from the Tarot of the Holy Spectrum, perfectly embodies Lindsay Mack’s Soul Tarot teachings about the 4 of Pentacles: protecting mental and emotional boundaries, caring for body and mental health. If you want to know more about this deck and its premise, listen to the podcast episode where I interviewed its author, Chase Voorhees.

The one on the left, from Carolyn Zing’s Tarot of Colors, is perhaps the most fascinating. Don’t you think that the figure in this card is actually discarding money, rather than keeping it at all costs? What does it say about this card? Perhaps, once we are safe in ourselves, and we know where our boundaries are and how to protect them, we are free to release what wasn’t ours in the first place…

Decks without people: the easiest to relate to for me

These are my favourites: squirrels, tortoises, magpies, geese, flowers, and vast landscapes. Aligned with nature. Radiating calmness and balance. Speaking of enoughness — being happy with what we’ve got.

As Lida Pavlova puts it in the booklet for the Honey & Lavender Tarot: “This humble house is not much, but it gives shelter to its inhabitants. Beautiful flowers and healthy geese show that even the simple things can be a blessing.”

(Below: Earth Steward Tarot, Honey & Lavender Tarot, Winged Blooms Tarot, Bird King Tarot, Tarot Gallimaufry)

Let’s conclude with words written by Lisa McLoughlin about the 4 of Pentacles in the rich guidebook accompanying her Tarot Gallimaufry:

“Together, these symbols craft a narrative about building a solid foundation while remaining flexible enough to adapt and grow, reminding you that proper stability involves balance and openness to life’s changes.”