Deirdre of the Sorrows - Four of Coins

shadowdancer

This card is traditionally associated with being a miser, but I have also read this as just being careful and not frivolous with money in certain cases. Sometimes though, the line between being a penny pincher, and being sensible can become blurred.

We have moved away from the traditional portrayal of a rich merchant or nobleman, hunched over a chest, coins being held tightly to his body. In this case, we have a woman associated with the card, albeit there is a hint of male figures in the background, these to be discussed shortly.

THE WOMAN
She is dressed in a tight red dress, a parchment held close to her chest. She is striding purposefully away from the rest of the card and appears to be headed towards us. How do you feel when you see her approaching? What emotions come to the fore, and why?
She gives the appearance of being a woman of substance or position. Her dress is cut well, her shoes showing she may not be in a role which requires standing on her feet for long periods of time. Due to the fact her dress is cut tightly, she cannot swing her legs freely, thus the cross over style of walking. Does she appear approachable to you? If she were about to speak what would she be saying to you right now? Does her whole demeanour give the impression of control and power, and if so is it in a negative or positive way?
What could the parchment signify?

THE HOUSE AND TOWER
She seems to be heading along a path away from a substantial house. If this is indeed hers, it may be a clear indication she has done well for herself. However, her demeanour does not show that she has gained particular enjoyment through her status or financial situation. Can you think of anyone who appears to have all the trappings of fine living, yet does not give the impression of enjoying themselves or their possessions?
The house does have a picket fence running round as well as an abundance of climbing ivy. Is this to send out an invisible message to others of “keep out?” Or is it symbolic of what she has put up around herself, to perhaps protect herself from outsiders or freeloaders? Which of these two possible aspects do you associate with and why? Certainly with the latter it should not necessarily be seen as negative. You may be quite within reason to take such action if there is a risk somebody is looking to take advantage of what you have. If you have worked hard to get where you are, you should not feel guilty if you decide to keep it for yourself - as long as the line is not crossed whereby you become miserly as opposed to careful.

The tower is a stark contrast to the house. It looks in ruin and neglected. Could this show what she is afraid of? A subconscious fear of losing what she has achieved to date, or could it show this is where she came from before she attained her current status? One of the shadowed figures is pointing towards the path. His resultant shadow appears to be pointing towards the house. Is he perhaps saying she is forging down the wrong path or going in the wrong direction for now? If this is the case, I really do not think the woman would actually take any notice of this. She is focussed and determined to go where she wants to go and will not necessarily take on any guidance or suggestions otherwise. If you associate with this gentleman, what would you want to say to the woman right now?

OBJECTS IN THE SKY
Deirdre has pointed out the objects are: an hourglass, a wheel, a mortarboard and book and a zig-zag arrow.
Once again these are symbolic. At the time of writing I did not know the reason behind their inclusion but my thoughts are this:
At some stage the hourglass sand will run through, with the hourglass to be turned over again. When this happens, what will happen to the coins balanced on top of the hourglass? Does it show that she has to make the most of her current situation, as fate could show a hand and turn it all around for her? This I believe is backed up the presence of the wheel. At the moment she may be doing well for herself, but it would be crazy to take this for granted. The wheel could turn as time goes by, thus putting her in an entirely different situation with regards to finances etc. We only have to look at the economy as it stands at the moment to understand this. Those home-owners who have struggled to get a mortgage in recent months now may find their homes drop in value, leaving them in a vulnerable position. Yet only a year ago, the story was a very different one indeed.
The zig-zag line is similar to a line we often see in boardrooms indicating projected figures, sales to date etc. the line shows there has been some ups and downs, but currently the arrow is pointing upwards. This can be seen as positive. However we are reminded there is a possibility of a down turn at some stage. Therefore, can we blame her for holding on tightly to what has been achieved to date?

An interesting card, with some interesting energies all at play at the same time.