Minor Arcana · numerical family

The four Fours

Book T places this four-card family in Chesed. The shared number describes a stage of force; Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles show how that stage changes when expressed through Fire, Water, Air and Earth.

The Fours settle the suit into order and stability. Its force has found a form that can be established and held.

Book T classifies the Fours under Chesed. Completion here means a settled condition, not necessarily the final end of the whole process.

Choose a card

One number, spoken four ways: through the fire of Wands, water of Cups, air of Swords and earth of Pentacles.

Wands Four of Wands Four of Wands: stability expressed as celebration, refuge and shared completion. The card joins the fire nature of Wands to its place in the numbered sequence. Cups Four of Cups Four of Cups: discontent that prevents a new possibility from being recognised. The card joins the water nature of Cups to its place in the numbered sequence. Swords Four of Swords Four of Swords: withdrawal and stillness used to recover from conflict. The card joins the air nature of Swords to its place in the numbered sequence. Disks Four of Disks Four of Pentacles: security gained by holding tightly to what has been accumulated. The card joins the earth nature of Pentacles to its place in the numbered sequence.