The Fives in Tarot are hard times. Depicting a range of dark emotions, from insecurity to loss to hubris, the fives can be seen as tumultuousness. But is pulling a 5 card necessarily always bad news?
Get to know the Fives.
A quick overview of the Five cards in tarot:
- The Hierophant: tradition, conformity.
- The Devil: addiction, entrapment.
- The Five of Pentacles: poverty, scarcity
- The Five of Wands: competition
- The Five of Cups: loss, crying over spilt milk
- The Five of Swords: hubris, pride, defeat
From here it can look pretty dark.
In order to further understand the Fives, we have to understand…
…what comes before & what comes after.
Before 5 comes 4 and after comes 6, both positive numbers. So why’s 5 got an edge?
I’ve heard it described as this: when a child crawls, they are on all fours and stable. When they begin to walk, then they are 5 points—and wobbly at that. Therein lies the key for understanding the Fives.
Five is the number of the human being. Being that, fives signify change, freedom, moving, exploration, adventure. Why do the five cards tend to be sad? Because it’s a wobbly time… but a Five card is a good sign you are expanding and taking on The World just as you should. It just may not work out perfectly the first time you try. Life is full of ups & downs as we tarot readers know well.
6 by the way is the restoration of peace & harmony. Something that must come after a rocky time.
What Fives really mean.
With The Hierophant and The Devil looking down at you, the Fives can seem menacing. However they are also a number for curiosity, imagination, playfulness, and breaking out of your shell & slumber. Keep exploring and gaining confidence.
EN 
ES