Five of Pentacles Tarot Card Meaning

The Five of Pentacles paints a bleak scene: two impoverished, disabled figures, bent against the cold, struggle through a snowstorm. It is night, and their suffering seems unbearable as they trudge toward nowhere. Five coins glow invitingly in a stained-glass window, but comfort passes them by. No one seems to want them. There are no friends or benefactors in sight, no help to count on.

Somewhere, other people are living beautiful, well-fed lives. These two alone have been cast aside, rejected by society, treated as outcasts. The card is like a deep fear made visible—a fear we all carry. Fear of loss, fear of illness, fear of poverty...

The upright Five of Pentacles has a difficult meaning in a reading. It usually promises money problems, hardship, and shattered plans, with life experience gained at the cost of material losses. This is a painful, unpleasant stretch that you must live through to become wiser and stronger, and find the motivation to change your life for the better.

In practical terms, trouble can take many forms: losing your job, including through illness or an inability to work; a demotion and a lower standard of living; bankruptcy; failed investments; the theft of a large sum; property lost to fraud; or failing an exam. Everything seems to be collapsing. The ground slips away beneath your feet, leaving you hurt and powerless...

But the card says it is too soon to give up or declare all hope lost! The answer may be much simpler than you think. Do not shut yourself away with your worries and problems. Look around: surely someone nearby can offer a helping hand when you need it.

Upright Five of Pentacles: Key Meanings

• Unmet goals, unstable affairs, financial losses, failed plans, poverty, loss, and despair.
• Serious illness, weakness, fatigue, lost self-belief, a lack of spiritual support, depression, and powerlessness.
• Having to cut back, debts, and help from others.

The reversed Five of Pentacles takes on a brighter tone, though its central message remains: difficulties, losses, hardship, and setbacks lie along the road.

But you have enough courage, strength, and confidence to come through this difficult situation with your head held high and stand up to fate's blows. Victory is in your hands. Stay strong, and the world will bend your way!

The reversed card may also mean that your troubles and deprivations are behind you. A brighter chapter is beginning, carrying you to a new stage of growth. A promising future lies ahead: money problems gradually resolve, physical and emotional well-being improve, business grows stronger, and relationships with family and friends get better!

Reversed Five of Pentacles: Key Meanings

• A turn for the better, light at the end of the tunnel, and the first flickers of optimism.
• An end to unemployment and poverty; recovery after a long illness.
• Rethinking your values and your place in life; growing self-belief.

In a love reading, the upright Five of Pentacles predicts a breakup and oppressive loneliness. Feeling abandoned and unwanted hurts. Worse still is the inner exhaustion and sense that you cannot change a thing.

Yet the closer people come to despair, the more ready they can be to make a brave leap—and that offers hope. A time is approaching when you can break old patterns and let new desires, hopes, and love into your life. The Five of Pentacles can also indicate a marriage of convenience, held together by financial interests rather than feelings.

Reversed, the card is much more positive, signaling the end of a difficult spell in your love life.

How They Love

Upright, this card says that money troubles often weigh heavily on this person and get in the way of love.

Reversed, it says that even financial difficulties do not damage their relationship with the person they love. They know how to keep work and personal life separate.

In a career reading, the Five of Pentacles predicts a very poor state of affairs at work and in your finances, potentially extending to complete ruin and losing your job.

Yet poverty is relative. What one person sees as poverty may be, for another, a temporary slowdown in cash flow and the need to manage on a little less income. Either way, prepare for hard times and avoid extras. The card also warns against needless, foolish spending—money simply thrown away.

Reversed, it is more positive, pointing to the strength to withstand setbacks and life's blows.

Upright, this card describes a proud person going through difficult financial times. They are reluctant to accept offered help, hoping to solve their problems alone.

Reversed, it describes someone whose serious money troubles are already behind them—or soon will be.

Upright, the card urges you not to give up. Put all your strength into tackling your financial difficulties.

Reversed, it advises you to be more careful and responsible with money. Burying your head in the sand will not help: the problems need to be dealt with.

Upright, this card gives your situation a less than favorable outlook. Losses and other financial troubles could get in your way.

Reversed, the outlook is mixed. You can get what you want, but only if you learn to handle money responsibly and deal with financial matters in good time.

Saturn interacting with Mercury, and Saturn in Taurus: a preoccupation with material comforts and a need for renewal and a fresh look at your priorities.

The Fool — False hopes, a road toward poverty, envy.

The Magician — A business losing money, loss of property, an unhappy marriage.

The High Priestess — Keeping up appearances; hiding poverty; buying time with promises.

The Empress — Going broke, losing your source of income, taking out too many loans.

The Emperor — A money-losing venture, bankruptcy, government subsidies.

The Hierophant — An on-and-off romance or workplace affair, an impoverished fanatic, a bore.

The Lovers — A romance bogged down in everyday problems, holes in the family budget, no prospects.

The Chariot — Financial penalties, an overdue loan, recklessly dangerous overconfidence.

Strength — A political struggle, a government tender or competition, taxes.

The Hermit — Envy of someone else's wealth or property; inequality, including an emotional imbalance; the wrong social circle.

Wheel of Fortune — Being happy together even with very little; choosing spiritual values over material things; true convictions.

Justice — A legal divorce; a search or confiscation of property.

The Hanged Man — A poor reputation; gossip; a run of setbacks or bad luck.

Death — Assets being seized; bankruptcy; karmic setbacks.

Temperance — An investment that won't pay off; losing part of your money; a small, risky bet.

The Devil — Playing on sympathy; extortion or blackmail.

The Tower — Poverty; losing your home or the money to pay for it; a rent increase.

The Star — Wanting something but fearing the risk; envying someone else's savings; a hunger for easy money.

The Moon — Losing support; difficult relationships with parents or a partner; arguments about money.

The Sun — A mortgage; loan repayments; making ends meet; a new mother returning to work.

Judgment — Uncertainty about tomorrow; no savings; an unsuccessful family life.

The World — A panic attack; unjustified fears; fear of change or pessimism.

Ace of Wands — Good intentions with a bad ending; ineffective management; rapid bankruptcy.

Two of Wands — A doomed idea; the onset of a crisis; unmanageable debts; disappointment.

Three of Wands — Betrayal; difficult circumstances; the road to financial ruin; less well-off relatives arriving.

Four of Wands — Being unable to afford a mortgage; losing your home; moving from one relative's place to another.

Five of Wands — Making the rounds of official offices; fighting for subsidies or extra payments; struggling to make ends meet.

Six of Wands — A popular or self-appointed leader; an informal organization; a political movement or fighting for those who have suffered; a human rights advocate.

Seven of Wands — A losing position; a risk of financial ruin; a crisis.

Eight of Wands — Worsening living conditions; an unsuccessful job change or a forced move; an understandable feeling of envy.

Nine of Wands — Solving problems on your own; a difficult situation; an unpleasant lesson from everyday life.

Ten of Wands — Property problems; an unaffordable mortgage; losing possessions.

Page of Wands — Cramped housing; a dorm or an apartment shared by several households; no important news arriving.

Knight of Wands — A situation your actions can't change; helplessness; unfounded optimism.

Queen of Wands — A failed investment; an unpaid loan; overestimating your capabilities.

King of Wands — A lack of self-belief; defeat or a miscalculation; losing savings; being used to a low standard of living.

Ace of Swords — A hasty or foolish idea; a venture headed for ruin; a project that could cost you substantial savings.

Two of Swords — Losses caused by incompetence or ignorance; poor administration; unqualified help.

Three of Swords — Harassment by a bank or debt collectors; higher loan rates; being unable to repay debts.

Four of Swords — A hospital setting; life in an institution or worsening housing conditions; declining health; deep depression and withdrawal.

Five of Swords — Losing a lawsuit; property confiscated; time and energy wasted on a pointless confrontation.

Six of Swords — The wrong course; hardship or self-imposed limits; the risk of losing property.

Seven of Swords — Illegal property schemes; fraudulent real estate agents; a dishonest deal.

Eight of Swords — Losing property over a loan; fraud dressed in legal form; fear of being unequal to important demands.

Nine of Swords — Self-pity over a sorry situation; suffering from a lack of money or a home of your own; mourning lost property.

Ten of Swords — Losing your health; being left with nothing; a desperate situation; losing your means of support.

Page of Swords — Destroying your own financial security; rash behavior leading to dismissal or a heavy loss; dangerous overconfidence.

Knight of Swords — A failing business; the wrong approach; a young man who takes risks; trouble with the law.

Queen of Swords — Poverty; rigid ideals that make a peaceful life impossible; strictness and self-denial.

King of Swords — A bad decision; financial losses; someone's harmful influence or interference; heading in the wrong direction.

Ace of Cups — A request for help; hurt feelings; a good person in straitened circumstances; witnessing injustice.

Two of Cups — An absence of emotion; intimacy for pleasure alone; not thinking about the relationship's future.

Three of Cups — Falling victim to an organized group of fraudsters; investing in a foolish project; poor organization.

Four of Cups — Finding yourself in tight circumstances; underestimating a problem; ignoring what's happening.

Five of Cups — Financial failure; difficulty managing everyday life; sorrow and deprivation.

Six of Cups — An impoverished inner life; a lack of prospects; mistaken or superficial conclusions.

Seven of Cups — Going broke through foolishness; overlooking inevitable problems; immaturity and unreadiness for the real world.

Eight of Cups — Preparing for the worst; extreme pessimism; loneliness.

Nine of Cups — Keeping your spirits up in hard times; unfavorable circumstances; a clever maneuver involving property.

Ten of Cups — Sudden financial ruin; the illusion of a happy outcome; a lack of money.

Page of Cups — Going broke through being too trusting; a bad decision; hasty conclusions.

Knight of Cups — A poor business decision; heading in the wrong direction; losing savings or property.

Queen of Cups — An unsettled period; having to tighten your belt; emotional instability.

King of Cups — The wrong company; people who drag you down; going through hard times.

Ace of Pentacles — Financial assistance; a charitable foundation; a job in social services.

Two of Pentacles — Bankruptcy caused by your own foolishness; overdue loan payments; mounting debts; being unable to meet your financial obligations.

Three of Pentacles — Overworking; becoming disillusioned with your profession; shady dealings at work; delayed wages.

Four of Pentacles — Cutting corners and paying twice; lost opportunities; declining health; limited mobility; destructive stubbornness.

Six of Pentacles — Receiving financial assistance; finding people who care; being in need; envying those who are more successful.

Seven of Pentacles — Waiting for what was promised; living in straitened circumstances; getting by on a pension or benefits.

Eight of Pentacles — Trying to achieve more; working hard to buy a home; renting or paying a mortgage.

Nine of Pentacles — An improvement in your circumstances; finding unexpected support; hope appearing in a seemingly hopeless situation.

Ten of Pentacles — Moving in with wealthy relatives; help from parents; returning to the family home.

Page of Pentacles — Finding a job; receiving your first paycheck in a long time; the first steps toward improvement; the end of a rough patch.

Knight of Pentacles — A job with accommodation; putting down a deposit on property; public housing.

Queen of Pentacles — Profiting from someone else's misfortune; a lack of moral principles; materialism; a cruel woman.

King of Pentacles — A man with a wealth of life experience; a difficult past; pragmatism and a lack of principles.