The Five of Wands as Advice: Step Out of the Scrum

Written by Chaya the Medium.

The Five of Wands as advice asks you to end the noise. Here is how, and what the reversal says about hidden tension.

If you want the short answer, the Five of Wands as advice says: step out of the scrum. The fighting is using up energy that could go into the goal.

What the Five of Wands advises upright

Tina Gong's the Five of Wands guide at Labyrinthos associates the upright card with conflict, competition, disagreement and scattered energy. In an advice position I read those meanings as an instruction: the attitude or action the card is asking of you, rather than a description of what will happen. The Minor Arcana overview at Biddy Tarot is a useful second reference.

Upright, the Five of Wands advises resolving the contest: propose a process, pick your battle, or step back from the argument entirely.

What the Five of Wands is not asking you to do

The Five is not asking you to avoid healthy competition.

The Five of Wands reversed as advice

Reversed, the Five of Wands as advice says the conflict has gone quiet but not away. Name it. A reversed card in an advice position is usually pointing at the habit that is getting in your way, not at a punishment.

The Five of Wands as advice in love

In love, the Five of Wands advises fighting less and talking more.

The Five of Wands as advice for work and money

For work and money, it advises getting the team aligned before pushing on. Advice from a card is reflection. For decisions with legal, medical or financial weight, take it to someone qualified as well.

One step to take this week

Choose one argument you are in and either resolve it or drop it this week.

For comparison, the Seven of Wands as advice and Temperance as advice ask different things of you. The the Five of Wands card meaning page covers the card in full, and the Five of Wands as a yes or no, the Five of Wands as feelings and the Five of Wands as timing cover the other questions people most often ask of it. You can draw a card for yourself with the free daily tarot tool. For a personal interpretation, my guide to an online psychic reading explains how readings work, and the three-card tarot listing and customer reviews are worth reading before deciding whether to order.