Upright Keywords: Building Stability, conserving resources
Symbolism & Meaning
This card symbolises that although you are surrounded by good fortune, at least in a material realm, you now need to revaluate your association of resources with stability.
The card shows a man surrounded by castles and other buildings, sitting on a throne and wearing a crown. He wants for nothing yet feels anxious about how long this good fortune will last. The coin on top of his head indicates that money is always on his mind. Another is held close to his heart symbolising his emotional connection to personal wealth. The two coins under his feet represent stability, showing that this is the most important factor in terms of what his money means to him.
How the Four of Pentacles is Relevant to Me
Financial stability is a universal issue. The majority of us are either chasing stability or trying to maintain what we have established.
In my case, I am worried about our financial stability. At the moment, we are comfortable. Bills are paid, we are virtually debt free and we don’t really have any concerns month to month. Even with me only receiving Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), this hasn’t altered our levels of comfort in any tangible way. My wages cover a few things and leave money for fun stuff. If we didn’t have it though, life would feel pretty tedious.
The Four of Pentacles shows that from a career point of view, financial security motivated my choices rather than passion or creativity. There is a lot of truth in this. In fact, the only reason I took on a full time job was to have more disposable income enabling us to save and make our dream of narrowboat life a reality. Hindsight tells me this was not worth it. Every morning I have a little cry in bed before getting up, pondering on the fact that if I hadn’t taken the job, this never would have happened. Unhealthy I know but I can’t help it.
All of my worries around stability are out of my control at this present time. My SSP runs out mid August and I can only hope that my benefits are approved to cover any shortfall each month, and ensure that we can still have a decent quality of life. If, for any reason they are denied, I will have to think very carefully about what my next steps will be. I know for a fact that full time work is not an option for me, so what is?