Upright Keywords:
Control, Scarcity, Frugality, Money-saving, Conservatism, Security, Possessiveness, Materialism, Greed, Boundaries, Isolation
Reversed Keywords:
Losing money, Spending too much, Decluttering, Simplifying, Self-protection, Recklessness, Overly generous, Release
Upright Meaning
Generally, when the Four of Pentacles turns up in a reading it means that you are holding on to something. Since Pentacles represent material goods and anything manifested in the physical world, they can refer to possessiveness or greediness with money, resources, and even people. It can reveal that you are holding on to parts of yourself that you are unwilling to let go of.
This often shows up as isolation or crossing boundaries, but in a more positive light, it can mean that you are creating needed boundaries in certain areas of your life. As always, the surrounding cards will clarify the intention.
Reversed Meaning
When the Four of Pentacles shows up in the reversed position, it could be a sign that you are not holding on to what you have tightly enough, or you could be ready to give something up that you have been holding on to.
You could be in the process of simplifying your life and getting rid of material possessions or cutting out toxic people. Since reversed cards are used differently by tarot readers, it could also be that you need to pay special attention to this card and its upright meaning when it comes up in a reading.
How you read reversed cards is personal to you, but if you choose to read them as an opposition of upright meanings, here are some ways they can be read in different spreads.