The Four of Ribbons

The woman stands next to a garden tub. She has a towel wrapped loosely around her waist. A ribbon is tied around each wrist; another ribbon is tied around her breasts, and a fourth is tied over her eyes like a blindfold. She reaches out as though looking for something.

This card appears in a reading to indicate a time of pause in the pursuit of a dream. The ribbon around the woman's eyes prevent her from finding her way; similarly, some part of the Querant's dream has blocked his or her view, preventing the Querant from being able to see the road ahead. If our dreams are the only thing we can see, this can prevent us from finding the path to reach them.

The Four of Chains

Two women are mired in quicksand, and have sunk to their knees. Each is nude save for an iron belt locked around her waist and an iron coller locked to their necks. The women are bound together by four long chains, connecting their belts, their wrists, and their collars. The women are facing away from each other; each clings to branches and vines outside the quicksand and tries to pull herself up, seemingly unaware that she is dragging the other into the quicksand.

This card, in a reading, indicates a situation in which the Querant is so focused on some goal or on escaping from some situation with such determination that he or she may be unaware of working in opposition to someone close to him or her. Together, the women in the Four of Chains could easily escape, but each of them is so determined to try to save herself that she is unaware that she is making her partner's situation and her own worse. This opposition cannot last, else both will surely perish.

The Four of Books

The girl is carrying three books in her arms, with a fourth open book on top of the pile. He glasses are slipping off her nose, and the fourth book is just beginning to tumble to the ground.

The Four of Books is a card symbolic of failure to prioritize. The girl is so intent on carrying all four books that she can not read any of them. A structured approach, in which she set clear priorities and read each book one at a time, would probably suit her better; but as it is, she is spending so much effort trying to juggle all four at once that she can't read any of them.

In a reading, this card may indicate a situation where the Querant has created an impasse, unable to progress toward a goal, because he or she is spending so much time trying to make everything happen at once that he or she is not able to get anything accomplished at all.

The Four of Tentacles

The schoolgirl, now stripped completely nude, is held upside down and spreadeagle by four tentacles, two wrapped around her wrists and two around her ankles. She appears to be unhappy about her situation, especially about being turned upside down, and struggles in vain to right herself.

The Four of Tentacles is a card that signifies a point of commitment. The Querant has reached a tipping point. Now, the Querant is committed to that decision, and can't turn back. What happens next is beyond the Querant's control. The course is set.