I cannot believe that I forgot to add the Fives after The Hierophant. I suppose the draw of Valentine’s Day was so strong, I just skipped over the troublesome Fives and went right for the Lovers. Quite understandable, don’t you think?
So, now we consider the fives, representing change and instability and generally thought of as not fun at all.
The Wands are taking quite an active part in creating and sustaining the unstable energy while the Swords are taking a defensive posture. These are both active suits but one is participating in fueling the fire, so to speak…while the other is adjusting to, assessing, and analyzing the new reality.
In these, the passive suits, the characters have a very different feel. The Cups is the opposite of the Swords, by refusing to accept or adjust to a new reality. She clings to the past or holds onto what remains, but the change that occurred lays at her feet and she is unable or unwilling to take any action. The Pentacles is almost in a worst position, as apparently the change created some really amazing opportunity (represented by the window) but she refuses to see it, opting instead for crumbs instead of glory.
When there is change in your life, which stance do you take? It is interesting that the RWS image shows the 5 of Swords as such a negative card, when in reality, I think that is the best response to change…see what happened, what remains, what is new, and adapt to it.
All images from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot by Ciro Marchetti.
Wow, you have, what I view, as an odd take on the Fives. Are you just looking at the particular deck that is illustrated or do you have an interpretive system beyond an iconic examination of a deck’s design? Using a Hermetic Qabalistic perspective the Fives are associated with Mars and they are all assertive. These are paraphrased from my work Llewellyn rejected last year:
“Five of Staves: When the element of fire is in the fifth sphere, the energy shifts from being generously shared in the fourth sphere to being channeled into the selfish purposes of individuals. Competition arises and escalates into a struggle. Those with opposing views do not need to struggle against one another, but here they vie for prominence.
Five of Cups: Positive feelings spontaneously arise out of organic emotional responses. When we pursue the sensation of these feelings with aggression, disappointment is inevitable.
Five of Swords: The element of air fans the aggression of fifth sphere into a swift and harsh force. This is the realm of ideas about how to better one’s position by taking power or position from others. Thoughts and words are aggressive and hurtful here.
Five of Coins: When expressed through the element of earth, the fifth sphere is in the least aggressive of its four modes of expression. Earth slows down the martial energy with practical considerations. Material needs are felt, yet the fulfillment of these needs is stymied. Here people are cut-off from the power and wealth of the fourth sphere. Some do not participate in the cultural and economic systems of their society, due to conscious choice, error in judgment, social oppression, or disability.”