The Five of Wands stands for law on the spiritual level of human expression (wands). Five of Wands upright: observance (of laws). Five of Wands reversed: disregardance (of laws).
The Three of Wands resides above the Five of Wands on the pillar of severity. While the Three of Wands signifies context, and the Five of Wands represents the laws, rules, and structures of contexts, like spiritual, mental, biological, physical laws, and human rules.
As a faculty, the Five of Wands signifies the ability to navigate contexts and make use of laws. You know this ability also as expertise or competence.
Those who lack competence may attempt to cut corners, bend and break rules, or try a head-through-the-wall approach. Take bureaucracy as an example. We don’t like bureaucracy because it seems to put spokes in our wheels. But we need bureaucracy. Bureaucracy stabilizes society, prevents abuse, and maintains a basic level of safety. Now, what is the best way of dealing with bureaucracy? Navigating it with competence.
On the Tree of Life, the 5’s stand for Geburah. Geburah is the sphere of necessity and strictness. Strictness pertains to the rigidity of laws. Laws are merciless indeed. If you miss by an inch, you miss. If you don’t watch where you’re going, someone might run you over. Ignore the laws of social behavior, and you will end up lonely.
Mind that we don’t only get karma from what we do, but also from what we fail to do. Neglect your marriage or business and you may lose them.
Five of Wands Symbolism
The five wands in the picture form a pentagram, which is an ancient symbol of white magic.
The upper tip of the pentagram stands for spirit, cosmic intention, and the higher self. The other tips represent the four faculties: fire (wands/intention), water (cups/imagination), air (swords/intelligence), and earth (pents/action).
As long as we let the higher self rule — keeping cosmic intention on top of the pentagram — our inner magician will remain in control of our four mental faculties. If the pentagram turns, for example, by an emotionally taxing experience, the element that ends up on top may usurp the rulership of the higher self.
If the pentagram turns so that personal intention ends up on top, our inner magician loses guidance and purpose. That may produce a power-hungry and tyrannical disposition. If imagination ends up on top, we are at the mercy of our imagination. Strong emotional reactions may trigger visual catastrophizing rampages. A sword in charge – unguided by wisdom – will tempt us to manipulate, bend the rules, and take advantage of people. If the pentagram comes to rest on top, it may introduce greed and materialism.
The Five Psychological Core Meanings of the Five of Wands
We derive the psychological meanings of Tarot cards from their position on the Tree of Life.
According to the Enlightenment Tarot framework, the Five of Wands represents Geburah of Tiphareth, i.e., necessity and strictness on the intentional-spiritual level of human expression.
Every Tarot card represents a faculty or power of consciousness. We can use faculties of consciousness constructively and destructively, which produce either a fortunate or an adverse state of mind. Hence, every Tarot card has five core meanings. Here are the five core meanings of the Five of Wands:
- Faculty of consciousness: Law
- Positive use: Observance (of laws), Technologicality
- Negative use: Disregardance
- Favorable internal experience: Resolve
- Adverse internal experience: Incertitude
Reflective Questions
If the Five of Wands appears in your spread, you may want to ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I keep the higher self on top of my pentagram?
- Do I resent laws, rules, and regulations instead of using them?
- Do I deal with necessities patiently?
- Do I trace back karma to past actions, or do I blamestorm instead?
- Am I managing my life or am I manipulating situations?
Summary
The Five of Wands signifies the workings of laws. The scientific research of natural laws and their proper application led to the technological advances we enjoy today. Mankind just needs to put the higher self back on top of the pentagram so that it can guide us to the brotherhood and sisterhood of mankind.
Where Do Tarot Card Meanings actually Come From?
The meanings of Tarot cards come from various sources. The most common are:
- The position of the Tarot cards on the Tree of Life
- Astrological correspondences (signs, planets, & houses)
- The symbolism of Tarot cards
- Intuition
- Meanings that pertain to fortune-telling
Most of the Tarot card meanings you can google are astrological correspondences and go back to the Golden Dawn and Arthur Edward Waite. Astrological meanings dominate at present because Astrology is a divination tool and favors fortune-telling. But these meanings are unsuitable for (psychological) Tarot readings.
If you are interested in an overview of the astrological correspondences, you can download a high-resolution chart by subscribing to the Enlightenment Tarot.
Tarot card meanings are a bit of a mess since the meanings that pertain to their position on the Tree of Life are mixed up with astrological correspondences, symbolic interpretations, and fortune-telling connotations. That’s tedious to memorize. Further, tarotists’ opinions, knowledge, and linguistic backgrounds shaped some of these interpretations. Last but not least, many meanings are fuzzy, contradictory, and overlap. If you want to understand why they overlap, read the article How to Deal With the Overlapping Meanings of Tarot cards.
The meanings of the Enlightenment Tarot are based on an objective, holistic framework: the Tree of Life and the four levels of human expression. The resulting meanings are transparent and logical, and hence, easier to memorize.
What do Various Tarotists Say about the Meaning of the Five of Wands?
Before we examine the Enlightenment Tarot framework, let’s explore what different tarotists said about the Five of Wands.
Usually, tarotists consider the astrological significances of Tarot cards. The Five of Wands represents the first decanate of Leo, ruled by the Sun. Mind Geburah emanates the 22nd path, illustrated by the Justice/Karma card and the 23rd path, illustrated by the Hanged Man/Sacrifice card.
What Paul Foster Case Said About the Meanings of the Five of Wands
For the Five of Wands, Paul Foster Case offers the keywords strife and competition.
Strife is the consequence of swimming against the currents (laws). Conflicts are consequences of trespassing.
Paul offers the auspicious meanings of boldness, command, and generosity, and the inauspicious meanings of cruelty, violence, lust, and prodigality.
He derived at these meanings by considering Leo characteristics. Leo natives are born rulers. Good rulers are bold, commanding (in a positive way), and generous. Bad rulers are tyrants, meaning cruel, violent, and prodigal.
What Arthur Edward Waite Said About the Meanings of the Five of Wands
According to Waite, the Five of Wands signifies success in financial speculation. That’s a valid meaning because people like Warren Buffet use the laws of investment to their advantage. But the meaning is also strangely specific.
Arthur also suggests that the Five of Wands may indicate that the querent’s challenge may be turned to her advantage. This marks the karmic turning point when the querent ceases violating laws and instead makes proper use of them.
Arthur adds that this card represents imitation, such as a sham fight, but also encompasses strenuous competition and the struggle for riches and fortune, trickery, and contradiction, connecting to the broader battle of life. We can lead two lifestyles: a creative lifestyle and a competitive lifestyle. The picture shows the competitive lifestyle, which an inauspicious Five of Wands may indicate.
Since adhering to laws is a key to success, this card can serve as a promise of gold, gain, and opulence. However, it also suggests litigation and disputes. Litigation and disputes are matters of the seventh house of transactional relationships, ruled by Libra.
What Etteilla Said About the Meaning of the Five of Wands
Etteilla, a French occultist and the first known professional tarotist, agrees with Arthur’s meanings of opulence and court cases.
What Papus Said About the Meaning of the Five of Wands
Papus, another French occultist and the founder of the Martinist Order, offers the meaning of obstacles surmounted.
This marks the mentioned karmic turning point, which occurs when we cease violating laws and using laws to our advantage instead.
What Gregor Mather Said About the Meaning of the Five of Wands
MacGregor Mather, the founder of the Golden Dawn, claims that this card signifies gold, opulence, gain, heritage, riches, fortune, and money.
These meanings refer to good karma, but are also astrological significances. As mentioned, Leo stands for our ability to rule – our lives, our circumstances, relationships, jobs, businesses, and societies. Becoming a ruler-ruler leads to a power position, which brings wealth as well.
Gregor also connects the Five of Wands to legal proceedings, judgment, law, lawyers, and tribunals.
What Mme. Le Marchand Said About the Meaning of the Five of Wands
Mme. Le Marchand, a 19th century, celebrated Parisian fortune teller, said that the Five of Wands signifying a person high in office who is well disposed toward the querent.
This goes back to the Leo attribution — ruling — but pertains to fortune telling, i.e. the interaction with a person in power. Mind that whether the person in power is well disposed toward the querent or not depends on whether the card is auspicious or inauspicious.
The Psychological Framework of the Enlightenment Tarot
Every Tarot card represents a faculty of consciousness. We can use a faculty of consciousness constructively and destructively. This produces favorable and adverse experiences.
We can express faculties of consciousness on four levels:
- The spiritual level (wands/fire/intention)
- The creative-feely level (cups/water/imagination)
- The intellectual level (swords/air/intelligence)
- The bodily level (pentacles/earth/bodily action)
The four tools on the magician’s table symbolize these four levels:
- The wand (spiritual)
- The cup (creative-feely)
- The sword (intellectual)
- The pentagram (bodily)
These tools correspond to the four so-called elements: fire, water, air, and earth.
For this reason, the Enlightenment Tarot wands are made of fire, the cups consist of water, and the pents are composed of earth. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to illustrate something made of air, since air is invisible. For that reason, all swords are made of crystal to show at least transparency.
The Enlightenment Tarot derives its meaning from the Tree of Life and the four levels of human expression. This is an objective, holistic framework that reveals the psychological imports of Tarot cards and their faculties of consciousness. Read more about this framework in the article The Psychological Framework of the Enlightenment Tarot.
The Enlightenment Tarot project attempts to rediscover the original meanings of the Tarot cards that pertain to their position on the Tree of Life. These meanings are simple, clear, and easy to memorize.
Do you want to Learn more About The Enlightenment Tarot?
If you want to delve deep into the psychological meanings of Tarot cards, read the book Tarot of Life.
If you are curious about how the Enlightenment Tarot came about, read this article.
If you are interested in learning how to perform psychological Tarot readings, subscribe to receive a free copy of a guide on how to perform psychological Tarot readings.
If you are looking for a psychological Tarot deck, you came to the right place. The Enlightenment Tarot derives the cards’ meanings from a holistic and transparent framework that is easy to learn and memorize. All major and minor arcana carry psychological titles, and the court cards display psychological profiles. Have a look at the Enlightenment Tarot deck here.
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