Five of Pentacles: tarot card meaning

General meaning

The Five of Pentacles depicts hard times: scarcity, cold, or the feeling of being left outside. But the card holds a lit window the travelers don't see. Help exists and is near: lifting your gaze and asking for it is not surrender.

In love

In love it reflects feeling alone even within a couple, or a relationship strained by hardship. Don't walk through the cold separately: hardship shared bonds you — hardship silenced divides you.

At work

At work it signals financial strain, unemployment, or material insecurity. It is temporary, even if it doesn't feel that way. Activate your network, accept support, and mind your health while the winter passes: after this card, the wheel turns.

Five of Pentacles reversed

Reversed, it announces the worst of the scarcity is passing: help, work, or a change of fortune arrives. Recovery is gradual but real. Don't forget the lesson of asking for support before you freeze.

Sources: Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911); tradición RWS

Frequently asked questions

What does Five of Pentacles mean in tarot?

The Five of Pentacles depicts hard times: scarcity, cold, or the feeling of being left outside. But the card holds a lit window the travelers don't see. Help exists and is near: lifting your gaze and asking for it is not surrender.

What does Five of Pentacles mean in love?

In love it reflects feeling alone even within a couple, or a relationship strained by hardship. Don't walk through the cold separately: hardship shared bonds you — hardship silenced divides you.

What does Five of Pentacles reversed mean?

Reversed, it announces the worst of the scarcity is passing: help, work, or a change of fortune arrives. Recovery is gradual but real. Don't forget the lesson of asking for support before you freeze.