Five of Wands
Five of Wands
Five people of different colours fight each other.
Competition. You need to experience what competition really means and requires. Respect your opponent, but stand up for your point of view. Refuse to be a victim. Fight the tendency towards frustration, anger, hate and prejudice.You wake up and stub your toe going to the bathroom. You're in the shower and find out there's no soap. At breakfast, you get juice on your shirt. When you get to the car, your battery is dead. It's going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. You're beset by hassles - those petty annoyances that are infuriating because they are so minor. The Five of Wands stands for times when your environment seems to be fighting you. Nothing flows smoothly; everyone is working at cross-purposes.
The figures on this card are all batting at each other. There is no coordinated effort, no agreement. When this card shows up, be prepared for a bumpy ride. You're going to need extra patience and perseverance to get to the point where you can accomplish anything. The Five of Wands does not represent major blockages, just many small, irritating ones.
This card also stands for competition. In the right circumstances, competition is useful. It fosters extra effort, generates excitement and encourages the best. When the Five of Wands appears in a reading, check for competitive elements. You may be involved in a contest, race or game. You may discover you have rivals who are opposing you or challenging your position. You may feel disheartened (or invigorated!) by the dog-eat-dog environment you find yourself in. At its heart, competition is divisive. Make sure it is helping you and other search your true goals. Otherwise, work toward cooperation.
Exiting competition. A need to prove oneself. Sporting interests could be stimulated. A good time to hold on to negotiations re. business. Exciting competition. The children seek not to destroy, but are competing for the sheer joy of action. They are fighting, but not to hurt each other.
The Five of Wands denotes struggle or competition in your quests. All of the things which you want in life will have to be won at this time. You will have the energy and means to obtain your desires. You will have to work a little harder than usual. You will be considering a major change, and something will have to be handled honestly that's going to take a lot of courage, but will be resolved, and you will get what you want. Also, the completion of a project will bring unexpected gain. Your family and friends will support you or help you to see a different point of view, and if they were experiencing problems, they are in the process of clearing up.
This card is representative of a group of people who are committed to an end, but they cannot fully agree on how to effectuate this goal, as each has his/her individual agenda as to how to bring this to fruition. It could mean an office where everyone disagrees on how to get a job done, or it could be a coven of Witches where there is a ritual to do and little agreement on how to make it work. The only conflict is the lack of agreement, with no outright enmity among those involved.
As far as differing colors are concerned, maybe the way to look on these is as representative of the differences among the participants, possibly relating the colors to the elements and thus to the psyches of the individuals and their different perceptions. For example, airy personalities might be colored gold or yellow; earthy ones in green or brown, etc. When the disagreements are resolved, perhaps by a strong leader, then the pentagram will be formed. The pentagram is the first form where a line can be interwoven to complete the figure, and this interweaving is significant in all group and magical dynamics.
The struggle represented in the Five of Wands does not necessarily imply the end of the satisfaction and joy symbolized in the Four of Wands. Rather, this card represents the challenges presented to any vision or creative effort by the world or by one's competitors. The joys of a wedding are often followed by domestic struggle to define the boundaries of the relationship and to begin to understand one another in greater depth. The initial success of a creative venture or business is often followed by challenges from rivals who sense success and want to partake of it themselves, perhaps even at your expense.
The Five of Wands indicates a personal struggle, whether from within or without, and summons you to face the challenges you are experiencing. As in the card of the Devil where the evil represented can be overcome by persistence and moral courage, the struggles symbolized by the Five of Wands can be overcome in the same way. The card does not indicate that it is time to quit but that it is time to put forth your very best effort in attaining the goals you have set for yourself. What challenges do you face? How can you deal with them constructively and overcome them?
This card depicts combat and strife, but the rivalry conveyed is not necessarily based on anger. It can represent heated arguments and even physical violence if next to a card of conflict, such as the Three of Swords, Five of Swords, or Seven of Swords. Usually however, when found next to more neutral cards, the five of wands represents the competition necessary to promote business or an idea. It is the card of "beating the bushes" in order to increase business. When next to cups or the lover's card, it can relate to a suitor's competition for the affection of his sweetheart. Sometimes it relates to a period of struggle to survive in a "dog eat dog" situation in business.
Question the client about feelings of anger and hostility in regards to his situation. If this does not strike a cord in him, advise him that his situation calls for an aggressive approach to promoting his own interests. Caution him that a passive "wait and see" attitude could seriously retard his progress at this time.
This card is like a sigh of relief after conflict and struggle. Now the client can afford to relax his efforts a bit and reap the benefits of his previous promotional efforts. In a more personal sense, he has worked through his anger and hostility and feels more secure in his interpersonal relationships. He doesn't feel he has to constantly prove himself anymore.Harmony in affairs. Love of exercise and games. Generosity. New business opportunity. Victory after obstacles are overcome. Expect to have to overcome trickery and deceit to get what you want.
Under a new moon, cut out a circle of paper the size of your fist. Cut in half. On one half write a list of your points of view in red. On the other half write down your opponents points in blue. Now tape the circle back together and hold it up to the sky saying, "I don't see the moon, though I know its there. I don't see the end of this strife, though I know it is there. Two parts of a whole are equal." Burn it.