The Five of Pentacles is a card of financial and physical loss. It forewarns the querent of an impending monetary loss or period of ill health. It is one of the least positive cards to have appear in a reading.
In the Rider Waite deck two characters are depicted cast out into the cold. One appears to be injured as he is using crutches. Both seem to be homeless, without aid of any kind. The stained glass window, depicting the Five of Pentacles, indicates that they have resorted to turning to a church for assistance.
In love readings, the Five of Pentacles was historically seen as an incredibly positive card. It was said to represent a couple who are intensely loyal to one another, who love one another through thick and thin and who are prepared to stay together no matter what. It was also said to represent emotional vulnerability and honesty. More literally, however, it can reveal that you and your partner have had your share of financial struggles, but that you are working together to overcome them.
It can also indicate that your person of interest is very focused on their financial situation and they are not quite ready to date you. At the beginning of a relationship, this card can reflect that your love interest has been through many emotional trials. They have been emotionally bereft for some time and are trying to open their vulnerable heart to love again.
More negatively, this card can indicate that you have been quite literally left out in the cold by your person of interest and that you feel emotionally abandoned. In this context, the Five of Pentacles is a card of emotional want and shows that no one is tending to your emotional ills.
In a financial and work reading, the Five of Pentacles is a most dire omen. It predicts the loss of a job, a home, financial ruin, and bankruptcy. It can also signal that a period of ill health may accompany this financial downturn. If it shows in a positive aspect, it may indicate that past failures have made you wiser about future plans or that you have nothing to lose.
Positive Aspects: emotional vulnerability, loyalty, love, strong companionship, devotion
Negative Aspects: financial ruin, sickness, poverty, homelessness, business disaster, safeguarding resources, emotional abandonment, profound loneliness
