Upright Keywords:
Lack mindset, Poverty, Financial loss, Worry, Isolation, Struggle, Adversity, Abandonment, Hardship, Courage, Patience
Reversed Keywords:
Recovery, Positive changes, Overcoming adversity, Gratitude, Forgiveness, Want, Lessons unlearned, Self-Abandonment
Upright Meaning
Upright, the Five of Pentacles generally means lack, or worrying about lack, and being too focused on this to notice what you do have, or an unwillingness or reticence to ask for help when you need it. It also represents the courage to continue on when it seems you have little resources, and have the patience and faith that times of hardship will pass, and if you are grateful for what you have now, you never can truly lose in life. While this card can reflect external aspects of your life, it also represents the fear that can come up when you don’t think there is enough.
Reversed Meaning
The reversed Five of Pentacles can show that your times of struggle and hardship are coming to an end, that you are in a place of gratitude for what you have even when it seems like resources are tight. On the other hand, it can also show a tendency to be too focused on your wants and desires, and that you need to think about going back and taking in the lessons of the previous card, the Four of Pentacles. It can mean that, as opposed to being abandoned by other people in the upright meaning, you may be abandoning yourself, perhaps in favor of somebody else.
Some people use a method for reading reversals that doesn’t necessarily change the meaning of the card, as each card already comes with a rich meaning, but shows that this energy, in particular, needs to be paid attention to. Where the card is placed in a reading, the situation being read, and any cards accompanying it will make the appropriate meaning obvious.