Where the divinatory meaning of the threes in a playing card deck are all about plenty, the fours are all about stasis. Numerologically, the fours are very stable – think of the four legs on a table or a stool, preventing it from tipping in any direction. In the context of divination, this stability shows up in how they embody their respective suits. All the fours indicate stability and stasis in their unique domains.
Four of Diamonds: The Stability of Power – “Conservatism”
Where the Two of Diamonds was all about the flow of resources from place to place, the Four is the opposite. It’s about holding tight to the resources we have, and keeping them all in their current locations. It’s a card that recognizes the value of closely guarding the resources you’ve accrued, as well as living within your means. Much like the Four of Pentacles in the tarot, this card can be a little bit austere or miserly. But there are some situations – like when trying to get out of debt – where that is exactly what you need. Now is not the time for grand, ostentatious gestures. The Four of Diamonds reminds us that a penny saved is a penny earned.
The imagery Hutcheson associates with this card is a closed purse, or no news. This makes perfect sense when we think about money and information as two of the most common types of power. A closed purse keeps your money where it is. No news means no information is flowing through a system. In both cases resources remain where they are and the status quo is preserved.
Four of Clubs: The Stability of Labor – “Patience”
The Four of Clubs is a card that counsels patience. There is a time for putting in the work to achieve your goals, but also a time for resting from that work. Some things just can’t be rushed. The Four of Clubs indicates that you have put in the required work, and now you need to pause and wait for the results to ripen. You aren’t done, but you’ve made good progress along your path. Recognize what you have achieved so far.
Hutcheson associates this card with imagery of a horse cart, or a plowed field. I think of this field being a field that is both plowed and planted – now you need to wait for the crop to sprout. Nothing you do at this point will make your crops come up more quickly. A horse cart is a little more obscure, but I think of it in terms of a loaded cart. There was labor involved in producing whatever is being conveyed in the cart, and labor involved in loading it. When you get wherever you are going there will be labor involved in unloading and processing it. For now, however, there is a moment of stasis where the load is packed away. Until the cart gets to its destination, there is a period of forced tranquility. Be patient in this moment. It’s not itself a destination, but it is a respite.
Four of Hearts: The Stability of Intimacy – “Reservation”
The Four of Hearts captures this idea of stability in the arena of relationships. In contrast to some of the other cards in the suit, this is a card that guards the heart closely. There is a reserve and aloofness here, a reluctance to start new relationships or deepen existing ones.
I associate this card with preparing for travel. Not a vacation or a short-term trip, but a long journey for a significant period of time. Moving cities or changing jobs. In the run-up to such a journey, you will begin to naturally pull away. You know you are leaving behind the relationships in your current location, but you are not yet at your destination to start new relationships. The interim is a stasis point, where you invest less into relationships for a time.
The imagery associated with this card is a trunk, travel case, or a lock. I link all of these with the previous journey idea: the steamer trunk and valise – packed, locked, and ready for a voyage to a new place with a new social circle.
Four of Spades: The Stability of Strife – “Prison”
The previous Fours mostly conveyed temporary stability. They were natural breaks that put the energies of their suits on pause. But in each case there was an end in sight. The Four of Spades breaks this pattern. The intersection of stability and strife is unpleasant. This is a card that conveys being bogged down or trapped by your circumstances. It feels like things out of your control are holding you back from achieving your goals, imprisoning you in a web of troubles from which you cannot see your way clear.
The imagery Hutcheson associates with this card is mire, or the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Mire is pretty clear – it literally sucks you down and prevents your movement. To be mired is to be stuck. The Four Horsemen are interesting. The Four Horsemen – disease, famine, war, and death – are not small and personal troubles. All of them are massive ills that sweep through society at large, upending normal structures and plunging the entire community into chaos. These issues epitomize those circumstances that make us feel trapped and out of control of our own lives. Imprisoned by circumstance. That’s what the Four of Spades is about.
Leave a Reply