Five of Pentacles
The Five of Pentacles is the fifth numeral card of the Pentacles suit. It is associated with material hardship, financial loss, and a sense of exclusion.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-18
Historical fact
In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (1909), the Five of Pentacles shows two ragged figures — one on crutches — walking through the snow past a lit stained-glass window belonging to a church, with five pentacles depicted in the glass. In decks predating the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, the card showed only five pentacles arranged decoratively, without any figure or setting. The contrast between the figures' hardship and the light of the nearby church is a narrative device introduced by Pamela Colman Smith in 1909.
Interpretation — Rider-Waite-Smith / Golden Dawn
In the Rider-Waite-Smith / Golden Dawn tradition, the Five of Pentacles represents material hardship, financial loss, health worries, and the feeling of being excluded or unsupported — but also the nearness of help not yet noticed, suggested by the church in the background. Reversed, it commonly indicates the end of a difficult period or the arrival of support.
Interpretation — Thoth (Aleister Crowley)
In the Thoth deck, the card carries the title 'Worry,' associated with Mercury in Taurus. The reading emphasizes mental anxiety around material matters — a state of worry and restlessness — in a somewhat more psychological register than the concrete deprivation depicted in the Rider-Waite-Smith scene.
This section presents one tradition's interpretation, not a verifiable fact.
Frequently asked questions
- What does the Five of Pentacles mean in Tarot?
- It represents material hardship — financial loss, insecurity, or a feeling of exclusion — but also suggests that help is available nearby, even if it has not yet been sought or noticed.
- Does the Five of Pentacles always indicate literal poverty?
- Not necessarily. While the image depicts concrete material deprivation, the card is also read more broadly as insecurity, social exclusion, or emotional difficulty tied to practical life matters.
Sources
- Michael Dummett. The Game of Tarot: From Ferrara to Salt Lake City (1980).
- Arthur Edward Waite. The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910).
- Aleister Crowley. The Book of Thoth (1944).
- Stuart R. Kaplan. The Encyclopedia of Tarot (1978).