According to The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by A.E. Waite, the Five of Pentacles is described as the following:
Two mendicants in a snow-storm pass a lighted casement.
Divinatory Meanings: The card foretells material trouble above all, whether in the form illustrated--that is, destitution--or otherwise. For some cartomancists, it is a card of love and lovers-wife, husband, friend, mistress; also concordance, affinities. These alternatives cannot be harmonized.
Reversed: Disorder, chaos, ruin, discord, profligacy.
The figures we see on the Five of Pentacles suggest suffering. They move through inclement weather while missing shoes; they pass under a lit stained-glass window, but they don’t get access to the no-doubt warmer interior of the building. One of them needs crutches to support his weight, and they dig into the snow underfoot.
We can think of these characters as beggars, or as people who are in “trouble”. This trouble may not be financial. Neither of the figures looks like the picture of health. The leftmost figure is clearly struggling with his medical needs, what with his crutches, wrapped foot, and stricken expression.
But this card is not telling us that we will be stricken with ill health and suffering in the future, or that we will soon have medical needs that must be addressed.
What it may be reminding us of, however, is that hardships are a part of life. We might be experiencing them this very day. We might have undergone them in the past, and we may face them in the future.
We can’t control how hardships will arise in our life, but we can do our best to take our days one by one as they happen, living our healthiest life in each one. Today, as we consider how this card foretells trouble, let’s start thinking about how we can prepare in this very moment for future hardships ahead.
Preparing Today for the Medical Needs of Tomorrow
The grave nature of the question of medical needs is that there is only so much we can do to stay healthy. No matter how healthy we eat, or how much sunscreen we wear, or how many hours of sleep we get, it is still possible that ill health will befall us.
However, we shouldn’t let this possibility translate into a feeling of helplessness. If we focus on the fact that we may get sick regardless of what we do, this could lead to us losing vigilance over our medical needs. We might think that if we cannot have full control over our health, it is pointless to bother trying to improve it on a daily basis.
On a smaller scale, we might catch ourselves thinking that tiny decisions can’t make a difference in the long run. How much difference would it make, really to take the escalator for one minute, or take the stairs for two?
Well, if we make this kind of decision every day, these small choices can add up.
We cannot say for sure which little healthy choices will make a difference to our medical needs five, ten, or twenty years from now. But if we cannot say for sure either way, then why don’t we do all we can today to take care of our health in the ways that we have the ability to?
The Power We Hold Over Our Health
Today, utilize your agency to take charge of the medical needs you really do have power over. Plan to make at least three healthy decisions today that support you and your body right now—don’t go overboard trying to achieve too much too quickly, but rather take small steps you can feel good about.
This might mean taking the stairs, keeping track of your water intake, planning meals that include all the food groups, or going for a walk around your neighbourhood or workplace. We never know when we, like the figures on the Five of Pentacles card, will be struck by misfortune. But we do know that there are ways for us to take charge of our medical needs today.
◀ Select another zodiac sign
