Tarot Five of Pentacles: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning

Where does the 5 of Pentacles sit in the Minor Arcana?

In the Tarot system, the Minor Arcana consists of 56 cards, divided into four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles. The suit of Pentacles is tied to the element of Earth, symbolising the material world: money, work, health, the home and tangible values. The 5 of Pentacles sits within the group of cards numbered 1 to 10 in the suit of Pentacles.

The Rider-Waite-Smith deck was printed in 1909, with artwork by Pamela Colman Smith, while the divinatory meanings for each card were set out by A. E. Waite in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, published in 1911, and these often differ from how Tarot is read today.

The number 5 is tied to the planet Saturn, representing imbalance, conflict and challenge. Within the cycle of the suit of Pentacles, after the stability of the 4 (the home, the foundation), the number 5 marks a fracture, a loss, forcing us to face stark reality.

What did Waite's original 1911 text say about the Five of Pentacles?

Waite writes in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), describing the card as follows: "Two mendicants in a snow-storm pass a lighted casement". He adds no further detail about clothing, bare feet or the landscape.

On the divinatory meaning, Waite writes: "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." That is: 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. Waite states plainly: these meanings cannot be harmonised with one another.

On the reversed meaning, Waite writes: "Disorder, chaos, ruin, discord, profligacy".

What is the modern reading of the 5 of Pentacles?

In the way Tarot is read today, the 5 of Pentacles upright is usually understood as financial difficulty or a feeling of being abandoned, of being alone. Reversed, this card is usually understood as beginning to recover after a hard period, finding support.

Common keywords today for this card are: hardship, lack, loneliness. This is the meaning used by the site's card-draw utility, not the divinatory meaning Waite set out in his 1911 book.

In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, what does the 5 of Pentacles say?

In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, the 5 of Pentacles is the image of a harsh period, when material needs and the need for support are threatened at the same time. Two mendicants in a snowstorm passing a lighted window evoke the distance between the hardship being endured and the source of support that exists, though the card itself does not say whether they step inside or not.

What is worth noting is that Waite himself records that this card was once regarded by some cartomancists as a card of love and of bonds, and he also states clearly that those meanings cannot be harmonised with the meaning of material trouble. Nhật Nguyệt's approach is to keep both possibilities open, not to force the card onto a single side.

Iconography on the Rider-Waite card

Who are the two figures on the 5 of Pentacles?

According to Waite's description in the 1911 book, on the card are two mendicants in a snowstorm, passing a lighted window. That description does not say they lean on crutches, wear torn clothes, go barefoot or bow their heads; those details are not in Waite's text and should not be added as though they were original content.

The image of two mendicants evokes lack and a feeling of being abandoned, but that is an added interpretation by readers today, not Waite's wording.

What does the window on the card mean?

Waite writes only "a lighted casement", that is, a window that is lit. He does not describe in detail what is inside the window. The common understanding today treats the lighted window as a symbol of shelter, of community or of faith, but this is a modern interpretation, not what Waite wrote in 1911.

What do the snow and the setting on the card say?

Waite writes "in a snow-storm", that is, in a snowstorm. This detail shows the harsh setting of the scene. Interpretations about a stone bridge or a boundary between hardship and a better state are additions by later readers, not present in Waite's description.

What is the upright meaning of the 5 of Pentacles?

In the way Tarot is read today, the 5 of Pentacles upright is usually understood as financial difficulty or a feeling of being abandoned, of being alone. This is the meaning used by the site's card-draw utility, not the divinatory meaning Waite set out in his 1911 book.

Waite writes that the card "foretells material trouble above all", that is, foretells material trouble above all, whether in the illustrated form of destitution or in another form. He also records that some cartomancists regard this as a card of love and lovers, wife, husband, friend, mistress, concordance and affinities, but Waite himself states plainly that those meanings cannot be harmonised with one another.

What does the 5 of Pentacles mean in finance and career?

In the way Tarot is read today, the 5 of Pentacles upright usually appears when the reader is facing financial difficulty or a feeling of being abandoned at work. This is a harsh period in the common understanding, not a statement about the future.

Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: if you find yourself in this period, you might review your spending, seek help from your community, or revisit your work strategy. Accepting help is an option, not an obligation.

What does the 5 of Pentacles mean in love and relationships?

In the way Tarot is read today, the 5 of Pentacles in love is usually tied to a feeling of emotional lack, of distance, or to outside pressure such as finances or family. For a single person, this card can reflect a feeling of loneliness, of difficulty opening up.

Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: if you have a partner, you might ask yourself whether you are putting up an invisible wall and not sharing the burden with the other person. This is a question for self-reflection, not a conclusion about the relationship.

What does the 5 of Pentacles mean for health?

In the way Tarot is read today, the 5 of Pentacles in health is usually associated with exhaustion, weakness, or neglecting oneself. This is not a medical diagnosis and does not replace the opinion of a qualified professional.

Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: if your body is showing unusual signs, you should listen to your body and seek a check-up when needed, rather than enduring it alone.

What is the reversed meaning of the 5 of Pentacles?

Waite writes that the reversed meaning of this card is "Disorder, chaos, ruin, discord, profligacy". This is the divinatory meaning in Waite's 1911 book.

In the way Tarot is read today, the 5 of Pentacles reversed is usually understood as beginning to recover after a hard period, finding support. This is the meaning used by the site's card-draw utility, different from the reversed meaning Waite records in his 1911 book.

How does the 5 of Pentacles combine with other cards?

The combinations below are reference understandings in the way Tarot is read today, not content Waite wrote in his 1911 book and not a certain forecast.

• With The Star: usually read as a suggestion of hope arriving after a trial.
• With The Devil: usually read as a suggestion that financial difficulty may be tied to dependency.
• With Ten of Cups: usually read as a suggestion that even with material lack, family affection can still be a support.
• With Four of Pentacles: usually read as a suggestion that gripping money too tightly can lead to isolation.

What are the psychological message and lesson of the 5 of Pentacles?

Tarot does not predict absolutely but reflects the inner world. The 5 of Pentacles evokes a question about compassion for oneself during a difficult period.

In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, the card does not say that help will certainly come or that the reader must cross any particular bridge. What the card poses is the question of whether fear is obscuring the ability to see the resources that exist, whether friends, family, or inner resources.

Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: when you see this card, you might spend a little time looking again at where you are isolating yourself, and whether there is any choice to open up more.

Quick reference table: Five of Pentacles upright and reversed

Overview article on the topic: Tarot Basics: The 78 Cards and the Meanings of the Major/Minor Arcana Groups