Artist: Luigi Scapini
Author: Emanuele Coltro Guidi

Conscious of my changing shape and lifestyle, I said

“Tell me something about my body,”

and drew this card, reversed.

I love this version of the Four of Coins. I love this deck.

Interpretation: “The power of the four elements is represented by the four towers of King Chango’s castle. We can see the four attributes of Chango on the coins. This card means power and economic and social steadiness, it is the power of a just leader.”

A small mythology: Chango, the god of thunder and lightning, was second to spring from the body of Yemaja and is the second-most powerful god of the Yorubas. He dwells in the clouds in an immense brazen palace, with a huge court and a great number of horses. Besides being thunder-god, he is also the god of the chase and of pillage. Veneration of Chango enables a great deal of power and self-control.

Coins are about money and material goods. Like many cards, the Four of Coins has both positive and negative aspects no matter which way it falls. I asked about my body— commonly seen as a material possession— tho the objective of many religions is to transcend such a limited viewpoint. Nonetheless, one’s body is a form of wealth— or poverty.

Thus, in this instance, the Four of Coins signifies accomplishment of goals and attainment of great physical ability. It indicates bodily conservatism and of a strong sense of self-preservation, as the body is often equated with the self. It indicates material attachment to the body and the physical realm. It warns of the risk of greed: of coming to value only the physicality of being. I must continually work hard to maintain the status-quo of my aging self and sustain my ongoing obsession with bodily preservation. I am forever trying to create order amidst the chaos, to bring a state of calm and stability into my life.

Veneration of Chango enables a great deal of power and self-control. Likewise, veneration of one’s body enables a great deal of power and self-control. In order to empower others, it is necessary to humble one’s self, let go of power, and release control. The Four of Coins reversed asks me to loosen my hold on my body as it is— or as it recently was. While difficult at first, this is an important aspect in my personal development, the development of my child, and the development of life unfolding now before me.