four of wands // the number four

hello, friends! a reminder that order in the court begins tomorrow. if you're looking to tap into the power of the court cards, if you want practical insights into how to embrace the energy of each of these figures, or if you want to feel consistently confident and excited when these cards pop up in your readings, you can sign up right here:

at the top of the month we explored the four of wands and how this energy can manifest in real life. today, we're going to dig more specifically into the number four, and consider how this digit provides the structure and foundational focus that we find in our card for this month.

the number four is one of discipline, order, intentionality, and restriction. four can help us engage with concepts of control and organization, words that might feel inspiring and powerful to some and frustrating or restrictive to others. control is not always a comfortable idea.

yet as i wrote about earlier this month, understanding control can help us give shape, protection, and focus to our efforts, our dreams, and our ambitions. restriction itself is not necessarily something to fear, but instead something to explore and embrace, to allow ourselves to personalize. and the kinds of organization that help each of us often looks very, very different.

with four, we find ourselves no longer joyfully trying out anything that catches our fancy as we may have done with three, expressing whatever feels authentic and engaging in that particular moment. instead, four encourages us to buckle down, get focused, and begin to organize our dreams, ideas, and resources. four wants to think more long-term, to start imagining legacy.

with four we figure out what we have, what we need, and what we want.

our core major arcana archetype for the number four is the emperor, that energy of discipline and intentionality. working with the emperor can really help us to dig into what we want to protect, what we're willing to invest it, what we want to see grow.

the emperor, like four, is not about smothering. it's not about being so restrictive that something gets cut off from what its meant to be. instead it's about recognizing what something needs to thrive, and building the necessary foundations and limits to make sure that those needs are protected. the emperor wants to protect those free-spirited, authentic outpourings, and to ensure that joyful expression can continue. the emperor knows that there is wisdom in safe spaces to play, in creating boundaries that allow for experimentation, vulnerability, and discovery, both in the present and in the future.

when it comes to the four of wands, we're not just looking at what we can use to protect our fire in the here and now — we're also thinking about what our fire might need down the line to continue growing. this is an energy of pride in where we are, with an eye to where we want to go.

the four of wands asks: what structures and resources are already at our disposal, that we can activate and utilize to expand and sustain our passions? where do we need to fill in the gaps, that we could gather or create or even request from other people? and what are we working towards, the twinkle in our eye that gives us momentum and purpose?

order in the court begins tomorrow and you can sign up right here:

and of course, if you love these numerology lessons and want to learn more about how to do this for yourself, my tarot numerology devils & digits is available now through the 3am.tarot conservatory! sign up now to get immediate access — the conservatory doors will be closing at the end of the month.