Tarot Musings: April 7, 2023 -- Five of Pentacles and Five of Swords

Tarot Musings: April 7, 2023

Today I want to consider the Five of Pentacles and Five of Swords.

While Pentacles represent external achievement, wealth, prosperity and possessions, the Five of Pentacles reflects hardship and want. Neither of these people depicted are advantaged.

Swords represent action and accomplishment, but the Five of Swords depicts actions in a time of conflict, with two people walking away from an apparent battle or conflict with swords, and one person making off with their swords.

On their faces, neither of these two Fives are very positive.

So then what should one think when these cards appear in a reading? Of course, consider the placement relative to other cards and the nature of the specific question. Is the person seeking options to make a decision? Or is the person trying to make a choice between already-identified options? Are these cards telling us about something from the past, present or future? \

There are other considerations about the circumstances of the reading, of course. What hardships have you already endured? What do you do to avoid creating a mess for yourself? How do you handle battles?

Do you fight it to the death or give up as soon as conflict surfaces? Often the Five of Pentacles is a card of warning, of caution. If you have done something risky that could harm you, depending on other possible events, can you rescue the situation? If yes, how?

If you are the winner in a recent conflict, or you think you will be the winner in a current fight, is that the best place to be? What if being the winner makes you look like a bully? What do people observing the situation think, since they only know a few things?

These are only some of the questions to consider when you receive a reading, and the Tarot can help you find those answers and make those decisions.