Five of Pentacles
Privation
“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”
A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams
Five of Pentacles at a glance
Finbarre’s interpretation: The Five of Pentacles depicts material hardship, exclusion and support that may be difficult to recognise or access.
| Upright | financial difficulty, illness or physical strain, asking for help, shared hardship, recognising exclusion |
|---|---|
| Reversed | recovery, help becoming available, worsening chaos, shame about need, refusing assistance |
| Linked card | The Star |
| Soundtrack | Livin' On A Prayer by Bon Jovi Open the full Tarot Interviews playlist on Spotify |
Upright meanings
- Financial difficulty
- Illness or physical strain
- Asking for help
- Shared hardship
- Recognising exclusion
- Surviving scarcity
- Mutual support
- Practical compassion
- Noticing available shelter
- Confronting insecurity
Reversed meanings
- Recovery
- Help becoming available
- Worsening chaos
- Shame about need
- Refusing assistance
- Returning stability
- Rebuilding health
- Debt pressure
- Social isolation
- Learning to receive
Five of Pentacles in a reading
| Area | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Love | Practical support: Surviving scarcity. Reversed: Returning stability. |
| Career | Work: Mutual support; practical compassion. Warning: Rebuilding health. |
| Money | Financial theme: Noticing available shelter. Warning: Social isolation. |
| Feelings | Upright: Asking for help. Reversed: Worsening chaos. |
| Advice | Prioritise: Confronting insecurity. Watch for: Learning to receive. |
| Outcome | Potential: Recognising exclusion. Obstacle: Refusing assistance. |
| Yes or no | No for immediate security; yes for seeking support and beginning recovery. |
Symbols in Five of Pentacles
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The snow | Hardship is environmental as well as personal. |
| The injured figures | Material trouble is carried by bodies, not merely accounts. |
| The stained-glass window | Shelter or community may be nearby but inaccessible or unnoticed. |
| The five pentacles | Value exists in the scene even while the figures experience lack. |
A. E. Waite's original description
Two mendicants in a snow-storm pass a lighted casement.
Waite's original divinatory meanings
Upright:
The card foretells material trouble above all, whether in the form illustrated, that is, destitution, or otherwise. For some cartomancists, it is a card of love and lovers, wife, husband, friend, mistress; also concordance, affinities. These alternatives cannot be harmonized.
Reversed:
Disorder, chaos, ruin, discord, profligacy.
Source: A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, first published in 1910, with illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith.
Continue through the deck
- Previous card: Four of Pentacles
- Next card: Six of Pentacles
Written and interpreted by Finbarre Snarey, tarot researcher, founder of the British Tarot Archive and coordinator of the UK living heritage submission for Rider-Waite-Smith tarot reading practice.
These interpretations reflect Finbarre Snarey’s understanding of contemporary Rider-Waite-Smith tarot practice. They are provided for education, reflection and entertainment only and should not be treated as medical, legal, financial, psychological or relationship advice.
