The Five of Pentacles comes after the prosperity and planning of the four in the Suit of Pentacles. This card shows two sick and poverty stricken individuals ambling past a stained glass window with five pentacles in it during a blizzard.. This can be seen as a period of a more destitute out look where the querent may be experiencing a lull in business, the possibility of needing to downsize, or complete collapse. Because this follows the firm foundations of the four, it can be doubly shocking to undergo this kind of disruption. Especially since there was an opportunity to save funds and tuck away something for a time when this kind of downturn would occur. The fives of the Minor Arcana suits imply disruption of some sort that comes about through changes made by the querent or an unscrupulous business partner since the Suit of Pentacles is about financial interests. There is definitely upsetting news and unpredictability in fives, and although change is said to be good, it is not necessarily good for all of the involved parties.
When more than one five appears in the same spread, there is more information available to the querent. Pairs of fives surface as outer forces or outside parties setting things in motion to create change that causes turmoil for the querent’s finances or business while three fives warns of loss, tragedy, or accidents that cause tremendous change for the querent and his business’s future. Having four fives in a spread heralds bad luck and goals and guidelines falling apart, which is very appropriate if it occurs here considering the stability of the Four of Pentacles. The Five of Pentacles may show a difference in goals between business partners and investors or bad luck with money when shown in this context.
The Five of Pentacles in an Upright Position
The Five of Pentacles represents a time where one has reached an uphill battle with his business when it appears upright in a spread. The querent has done everything right up to this point and may be right at the summit, but he hasn’t reached it yet, and that may be troubling for someone who is as goal oriented as the querent in this situation. There is a definite rough patch that the querent and his business interests are going through at this moment. The issues of the Five of Pentacles are very upsetting to the querent as he has put everything he has in terms of monetary and emotional resources into this project, and for it to fail would indicate his failure as well. There may be trouble with contracts, legal proceedings, or licenses, and this will cause unnecessary stress for the querent.
The meaning of all Minor Arcana cards can be modified by the cards that surround it. Court cards from the Minor Arcana (Pages, Knights, Queens, and Kings) all represent people. They have corresponding physical characteristics as well as their own astrological correspondences. The Five of Pentacles heralds a time of financial difficulty where there are delays. The court cards surrounding this will help to point to those who have contributed to the losses of funds as well as those who will be there to help the querent dig himself out of this hole. Major Arcana cards will help to hone the meaning of this card as well. The Sun shows that the querent will experience more success soon enough while the positioning of the Five of Pentacles with two additional knights will foretell a civil case against the querent, or perhaps, the querent is the plaintiff.
The Five of Pentacles in a Reversed Position
The reversed position of each card of the Minor Arcana is really as it states: an inversion of the card’s meaning. The reversal of the Five of Pentacles shows the church is turned upside down and the individuals portrayed out in the snow are spilt over. This could indicate that there is no help for the querent in the current situation. He may find himself out on his behind in terms of help with his legal issues and partially failing business plans. In addition, the querent may find that his once healthy support system is uninterested in helping out as well. This could be due to the gambling issues shown in the preceding card. Perhaps this has been totally brought on by the querent himself and he is in need of facing the consequences so that he may learn from the desolation of the Five of Pentacles. Whatever the querent should face, he will be doing it alone and may have also lost his spouse due to the stress of the situation, the lack of finances, or the querent’s irresponsible behaviour that led him to this place.
The querent may also see where he has failed himself in terms of following hunches away holding back on spending money that isn’t there or using it for personal expenses instead of keeping it separate for the business and day-to-day operations. The querent may be unable to dig his way out of this one, and the reversal here could show that the querent is losing a court case or has had a judgement made against him that has the potential to destroy his business and bankrupt him. There is no way to go back, and the future may not look so bright when the Five of Pentacles is shown reversed in a spread. The upright position of the card would augur success happening despite the current trouble, but this may not be true for the reversal. The querent may have burned all of his bridges, and now he is left to do everything on his own. There is regret in this card, and it is important to note that the querent still can learn from this lesson for another day when he can do things differently.
Key Terms
- Financial loss
- Legal problems
- Downsizing
- Slow business
- Poor budgeting
- Delays
- Setbacks in finance