The fours in this deck are dissatisfying, as they seem to have no rhyme or reason, nor much connection with the traditional fours or numerological meaning of fours. Their titles are Sorrow, Deception, Conflict, and Security - only the last seems to fit with fours for me.  It is almost as if the authors are uncomfortable with the authoritative and controlling energy of the fours, deriving as they do from the Emperor (who has been banished in this deck and replaced by an African goddess), and sought to replace them.  Many of the images and concepts seem to have been taken from other numbers in the traditional decks, which disrupts the numerological flow and disconnects them from each other.  As a result, some cohesiveness and pattern is lost.

Four of Pentacles – Security.  This is the one four that I like very much, and which seems to follow the traditional meanings more closely.  Pictured in this card are four African women wearing colorful skirts, filling jugs of water from a well.  In the background can be seen round huts grouped together, and naked children are playing in a green field under an orange sky.  There is a strong feeling of community, safety, and a sharing of duties that makes this scene a peaceful and pleasant one.  This must be a prosperous village, judging by the well-thatched dwellings, brightly-colored skirts, and playing children.  One assumes that the men must be out hunting or working, but of course they are not shown in this deck ;-).

Four of Blades – Deception.  On this card is pictured a woman in purple robes, sitting on a stone bench in front of the sea.  Her eyes are blindfolded and she holds two swords in crossed arms, pointing upward.  In the background can be seen mountains, and the moon between the swords… OK, is this starting to sound familiar to anyone???  The only difference between this and the traditional Two of Swords is that there are two crossed swords under her stone bench, arranged near her feet.  Here the feminist bent of the authors clearly shows as they state that “patriarchy” keeps women deceived and powerless, unable to see the truth and hence unable to act, cut off from their source of moon energy.  So in that sense, I guess there is a connection to the Emperor.  If she lays down her swords and takes off her blindfold, she can put “two and two together” and see what has been hidden – the swords under the bench.  These may represent hidden thoughts and attitudes that can now rise to the surface and be used, not to mention swords that can be used to cut the bonds of repression.

Four of Cups – Sorrow.  This is a beautiful rendering of a concept that I normally associate with the Five of Cups.  A woman sits by the sea, crying with her head on her knees on a dark night.  Three green cups spill a blackish liquid into the blue sea, while a fourth cup stands behind her unnoticed.  The full moon weeps with her, and the moon’s tears form a blue veil which falls down on her and on the fourth cup.  This card very much speaks for itself, and its interpretation is nearly identical to that of the traditional Five of Cups.  The only difference is that the authors view it as a natural part of the grieving process, and only if reversed or dramatically tilted is there a sense that the person has stayed too long within it.

Four of Flames – Conflict.  Here is another concept that seems to have been lifted from the Fives, but also has visual elements of Twos.  Two dark brown Amazonian women with flaming (literally) red hair hold large bows and point their arrows directly at one another.  Coiled around their feet is a large purple and orange serpent, who breaths flames up the center of the card.  These two women are locked in an intense conflict, in which each is the mirror image of the other and neither has an advantage – they may in fact be the same woman, fighting with herself.  Again, the roundness of the cards is used in the interpretation, since if the card is tilted the woman on one side becomes higher than the other and gains an unequal level of power or advantage.  The stalemate in this situation is obvious as are the flames of anger, and there is a clear need to back off and see if there is another approach to the situation.

Thrysse