Key Meanings

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Financial loss, hardship, poverty, feeling isolated or rejected or left out, illness, insecurity, worry, struggling, lack of support, spiritual emptiness

Reversed

Recovery, turning a corner, finding help, renewed hope, financial improvement, acceptance, end of hardship, charity, spiritual renewal, perseverance paying off, warming up, overcoming adversity

General Interpretation

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In a general context, the Five of Pentacles is not a great card to get in a Tarot reading. As mentioned in the Minor Arcana Pentacles overview, it can indicate that you are going to be left out in the cold but it can also signify charity, hopeful prayers being answered and hope returning. Remember to look for the supporting cards to confirm this. However, this card can indicate a lack mindset. Everything is in short supply. Money, love, energy, hope. The Five of Pentacles can signify a low point in life where you may be feeling abandoned or forgotten. But there is one thing to remember about this card. The hardship it represents is usually only temporary.

Reversed

In a general context, the Five of Pentacles reversed indicates that the worst is over. Recovery is coming. Perhaps someone accepted help that they were too proud to ask for in the past. Or perhaps they found their own way out of the darkness and are beginning to see the light. In a general reversed context, this card can indicate that you have gained perspective. The issues may still exist but you do not feel as isolated in dealing with them. There is newfound optimism. Past issues are resolving. Finances stabilising. The sense of isolation fades.

Love & Partnership

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For those already in a relationship, the Five of Pentacles can signify a rough patch. Things are feeling a bit strained...possibly due to external factors such as financial difficulties or health problems causing stress in the relationship. There is a sense of disconnect between you and your partner. Either you feel neglected, unsupported or like you are going through hardship in isolation despite being in a relationship. The relationship itself isn't broken but it's being challenged.

For single people, it can indicate feeling lonely or rejected in love. You may still be feeling the effects of previous heartbreak. You may feel like love is not meant for you at the moment or that nobody will want you the way you are feeling right now. Dating can feel disheartening. The Five of Pentacles can signify that cold shoulder feeling when a romantic connection feels a world away.

Reversed

In a relationship, the Five of Pentacles reversed indicates that a couple is healing after a stormy period. You are finding your way back to each other. The walls that were erected during the tough times are starting to come down. You may be learning to trust each other again or learning to be there for each other after experiencing a hardship together. The warmth returns.

If you are single, this reversal signifies the end of a period of loneliness. The wounds caused by past relationships are healing. You are becoming more open to the idea of letting someone new into your life. Your sense of self-worth is being restored. Love may have seemed unattainable or beyond your reach, but now it is within reach!

Social Relationships

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In the context of existing friendships and social circles, the Five of Pentacles indicates feeling like an outsider. You may feel excluded from the group or like you don't fit in anymore. Your friends may not be there for you when you need them. It can also signify that you are struggling with a situation but have not confided in anyone. You are in the company of people who would help if they knew.

In a new social context, this card can indicate that you will find it difficult to form new bonds. There is a wall up. Whether this is due to insecurity, past betrayal or simply fatigue, you will find reaching out to new people hard. Social situations may leave you feeling like everyone else has it figured out and you're the only one struggling.

Reversed

For existing relationships, the Five of Pentacles reversed can signify reconnection. Old friends reappear in your life. Someone who felt like they had been shut out of your life is starting to get invited back in. Or maybe it is the person who reached out and admitted they needed support. The community that was lacking previously is starting to make an appearance.

With regards to new social connections, this reversal indicates that you may find yourself becoming more open to allowing new people into your life. Your fear of rejection diminishes slightly. You have more social energy and are more willing to be vulnerable with new people. The people you allow in at this time should prove to be authentic and supportive.

Work & Career

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In a career context, the Five of Pentacles can signify job loss, unemployment or a struggling career. You may find work to be unrewarding or unfulfilling when it appears. It can also signify losing out on a promotion, losing a contract or working in a cold or unfriendly environment. There is a sense of insecurity in career matters with this card. Fear of not being adequate or not having enough can be overwhelming when this Minor Arcana card appears in your Tarot reading. Some people get this card when they are stuck in a job they hate and can't see a way out as they need the money.

Reversed

In a career tarot reading, the Five of Pentacles reversed again indicates that things are starting to turn around in a career context. You may get your first job offer. Or the terms of a current job may improve. If you have been unemployed for a while, you may finally get something. Whatever the circumstances, the drought is over and you finally have some professional confidence.

Money & Finance

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In a general context, this is the most straightforward meaning of the Five of Pentacles. It signifies financial hardship. Debt, unexpected expenses, loss of income, poor investments - money is tight! The stress of money woes and the effect they have on everything else in your life is signified by this Minor Arcana card. There is worry about how you will pay the bills. You fear for the future and wonder if things will ever improve when it appears in your Tarot reading. This card can also indicate that you are experiencing a scarcity mindset, focusing so much on what you don't have that you can't see the resources available to you.

Reversed

In a financial context, the Five of Pentacles reversed indicates an improving financial situation. You may start paying down debts. New sources of income may become available to you. Someone may receive assistance from an unexpected source or find the means to get back on their feet after a financial struggle. The pressure of finances may be easing. It's not a windfall or a sudden change but a gradual improvement. The anxiety around money starts to subside.

Spirituality

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Spiritually, the Five of Pentacles signifies a crisis of faith. You may be going through a dark night of the soul type of experience where you are questioning everything you once believed in. Spiritual activities that used to be a source of comfort seem pointless to you now. You cannot connect to the sense of higher purpose you once felt. Your material woes have spilled over into your spiritual life and you are finding it difficult to find meaning in anything. Some people would say that this Minor Arcana card indicates that you feel abandoned by the universe.

Reversed

In a spiritual context, the Five of Pentacles reversed can simply indicate that after wandering through that spiritual desert, something clicks again. Maybe it's a new practice, a different perspective or just the passage of time that brings you back to feeling connected. The soul thaws out. There is gratitude again and you feel that the suffering you experienced had a purpose, even if you cannot quite understand what that purpose was. Again, spiritual community and spiritual practice can help with this.