Five of Pentacles Tarot: Meaning, Symbolism, Reversed Card

In brief: name, number and keywords

The Five of Pentacles is the card of scarcity and of material or emotional hardship. Two figures walk in the cold, beside a warm, bright place they do not look at. The image is harsh, but it holds a precious detail: help is within reach.

It carries the number 5. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, it is the Five of Pentacles.

Keywords: scarcity, precariousness, isolation, exclusion, asking for help, ordeal.

The image in the Marseille tarot

In the Marseille tarot, the Five of Coins is a pip card: five gold discs, four at the corners and one at the centre, surrounded by leafy stems. No snow, no stained glass. The cross arrangement gives an image of tension, as on the Five of Swords.

Five is the number of crisis in the four suits, before the return of balance with the Six.

The scene in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck

In the snow, two figures make their way with difficulty. One, bent under a shawl, walks barefoot; the other leans on crutches. They pass in front of a lit stained-glass window set in a church wall.

The five gold pentacles in the window form a pattern at the top of the image. The sky is dark. The two walkers do not look at the church: their attention is elsewhere, turned toward the ground, toward themselves.

Symbolism of the elements in the scene

A few details that come up often in readings. These are paths for interpretation.

• The snow: the cold, isolation, the difficulty of the period.
• The crutches and the shawl: fragility, the need for support.
• The lit window: a place of welcome, help or warmth, which remains outside the field of vision.
• The two figures together: there are two of them, a reminder that no one has to go through hardship alone.
• The five pentacles in the window: visible resources, yet not seen by those outside.

Upright meaning

Upright, the Five of Pentacles traditionally suggests a material or emotional ordeal: a lack, a financial difficulty, a feeling of exclusion or abandonment. It can describe a moment when one feels deprived, alone with one's worries.

Many readers stress the lit window: the card reminds us that help exists, often closer than we think. In a spread, it may invite you to ask for support. It does not predict any loss. If the hardship is real, reach out to a social service, a charity or your local town hall.

Reversed: schools that disagree

School 1: coming out of the ordeal. Reversed, the Five of Pentacles would indicate that you accept help, that the difficult period is ending, that you find shelter again.

School 2: isolation that lasts. Others read a prolonged ordeal, a shame that prevents asking for help, a withdrawal into oneself. Many tarot readers do not read the reversed position at all.

Traditional correspondences and numerology

According to the Golden Dawn, which assigns a decan to each card from 2 to 10, here are the most frequently cited reference points (dates accurate to within a day).

Numerology of 5. Five is the number of movement and crisis: the midpoint of the series from one to nine, a point of balance that can tip over. Within the coins, the crisis is material. In the Golden Dawn's Kabbalistic reading, the Five corresponds to Geburah, Severity.

The Golden Dawn title, 'Lord of Material Trouble', is a nineteenth-century occult convention.

Common areas of reading

The tarot does not say what will happen: it offers images for reflection. Here is what this card can evoke, in symbolic terms.

• Personal reflection: acknowledging that you are going through a difficult time. A possible question: who could I turn to for help?
• Relationships: a feeling of exclusion or loneliness; the card invites you to reach out or ask.
• Work: a period of precariousness, unemployment or uncertainty; looking for support.
• Money: financial difficulties; the card predicts nothing, and a financial adviser or a social worker can help.

Combinations with other cards

A card is rarely read alone: its neighbours qualify it. A few simple pairings, to be taken as starting points.

• The Four of Pentacles: the security that begins to crumble.
• The Six of Pentacles: help given or received, the return of connection.
• The Star: a hope that is reborn.
• The Hermit: a chosen solitude, more peaceful.

To practise linking cards, try the three-card spread. To see the whole suit, read the page on the suit of pentacles.

Common beginner mistakes

• Reading the card as the announcement of ruin: it describes an ordeal, not a future event.
• Forgetting the stained-glass window: help is part of the image.
• Using it to decide on an investment or a legal step: a reading does not replace a professional adviser.

Reflection questions and keyword of the day

Keyword of the day: Ask. Formulate one precise request for help, however small, and make it to someone today.

Questions to ask yourself:

• What help do I need, and to whom can I ask for it?
• What is stopping me from walking through the church door?
• Who beside me may be going through the same thing?

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Guide to the Minor Arcana.