FOURS

Fours are ruled by the Emperor. Like both the Emperor and his throne they signify a kind of stability, a holding pattern if you will. For a moment, everything is still, solid, rooted, established. This can be positive, a solid foundation, or negative, something that refuses to budge or change.

Four of Wands

The ships have come in, and the Querent can sit back and enjoy them. This card, with its four wands holding up garlands, implies the foundation of a house, literally and figuratively. Whatever the Querent has been building, they have established it, strong and solid. They can take a moment to admire what they've done, enjoy the first rewards it has brought them, and bask in their initial success. Sometimes this card suggests marriage; once again, laying the foundation for the future.

Four of Cups

Contrarily, the stillness in the four cups represents stagnation, a status quo in a relationship that brings dissatisfaction and boredom. A man sitting under a tree with three cups is offered a fourth by a hand from a cloud. This is the "grass is greener" card. The relationship, once so fresh and exciting, is no longer moving or changing or growing, and the Querent, depressed and restless, begins to wonder if the grass might not be greener elsewhere.

This card is also about over-indulgence in drink, food, drugs, sex, even internet chat rooms, looking for stimulation. It is all too easy to turn to such things when depressed or bored. In general, this card is a warning. The Querent might be in a stagnant relationship, but day-dreaming of others or over indulging is not the way to solve the problem. Stop looking for ways to escape it, and look, instead, for ways to change it.

Four of Swords

A young man rests on a pallet, three swords above, one under him. Though this card (in the Rider-Waite deck) makes the young man look dead, it is really only about taking a break. This is the "meditation" card. The card advises the Querent that they need to get away, rest, recuperate. Especially after the Three of Swords!

The card indicates that the Querent has been facing mental or emotional stress, arguments, misunderstandings or verbal abuse, or that they're ill or injured. A healing retreat is needed, time to clear the head, heart and soul, or just fix a damaged body. In this case, the stillness of the "4" is healing and positive. A quiet, unchanging scene is needed.

Four of Pentacles

A man holds tight to his four pentacles in this card. And in this case, the refusal to budge may be damaging. This is the miser card. Remember how the Querent got more work, money, luck, health in the last card, the Three of Pentacles? Well, he's holding on tight to what he's got, not sharing it with anyone, not investing it in the future, just holding onto it, trying to keep it still and unchanging. When this card appears it tells the Querent that they're in a position of status, health, money, even comfort. Solid, and unchanging. But the Querent is too afraid of losing all this.

The card reminds them to throw their bread upon the waters. Share the wealth; be generous with good luck and good fortune. A miser lives always in fear, never able to take delight in what they have, or create from it those things worth having like friends, family, a good name. Relax a little, be less worried about loss of what you have - it's not going anywhere. Focus, instead, on how to make the best of what you've got while you're around to enjoy it.

Onto the next Tarot card, the Five...

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