Five of Pentacles tarot card
What Five of Pentacles means in the Rider-Waite tarot: upright and reversed, in love, at work and as advice. Free online reading.
Minor Arcana · Pentacles · Element: Earth
Keywords: lack, exclusion, material hardship, help available, pride
The advice
Ask for help. It exists, and it is closer than pride lets you see.
Two ragged figures trudge through the snow past the lit stained-glass window of a church. Help is a few steps away and neither of them looks at it.
Five of Pentacles upright
A real squeeze: money running short, strength worn down, or the feeling of being outside in the cold while everyone else is indoors. The card doesn't play down the hardship. But notice the glowing window: help is available, and often it is pride that keeps you from knocking on the door.
In love
Feeling left out or not chosen, or a couple going through a tight phase together.
In work and money
Unemployment, a drop in income, a project without support. A network of contacts is worth more than a résumé right now.
In your inner life
Loneliness and a sense of not belonging. This feeling is common and is rarely talked about.
The shadow
Refusing help out of shame. The door was never locked; no one just rang the bell.
Five of Pentacles reversed
Recovery begins. Relief arrives, the tight phase eases, you accept the outstretched hand. The reversed Five can also mark the moment just before, when the difficulty is still settling in and there is time to ask for support.
In love
Reconnection after a hard period, or the decision to share what you are going through.
In work and money
A new source of income, professional help, a way out of a period of scarcity.
In your inner life
Feeling that you belong again. Relief after a long winter.
The shadow
Getting out of the squeeze and never looking back. Whoever helped you deserves to be remembered.
Combinations with Five of Pentacles
Five of Pentacles + Six of Cups
Present lack and memory of abundance. Beware of nostalgia here: comparing the now with an idealized past is what hurts, more than the lack itself.
Five of Pentacles + Eight of Swords
The feeling of being trapped and the feeling of being left out. A hard, honest pair: it speaks of shame, of not asking for help because asking humbles. The door is closer than it seems.
Frequently asked questions
Is Five of Pentacles a yes or no?
Not on your own. The moment is a tight one, but notice the lit stained-glass window: help exists and is closer than pride lets you see. Reversed: Yes, little by little. The hard phase begins to ease when you accept the outstretched hand; don't refuse support out of pride.
What does Five of Pentacles mean in love?
Feeling left out or not chosen, or a couple going through a tight phase together.
What does Five of Pentacles reversed mean?
Recovery begins. Relief arrives, the tight phase eases, you accept the outstretched hand. The reversed Five can also mark the moment just before, when the difficulty is still settling in and there is time to ask for support.
What is the advice of Five of Pentacles?
Ask for help. It exists, and it is closer than pride lets you see.