What does the Five of Wands card mean in Tarot?

Five of Wands, Minor Arcana, Wands V

We can easily call the Five of Wands the “first world problems” card! A monkey mind, always concentrating on all the little problems, jumping from this negativity to that, and whatever else might be going wrong. Frustrations and complaints take over, and trivial inconveniences become the sole focus of life – at least for a considerable while.

If you have Five of Wands in your reading, you might be such a perfectionist these days that you’re constantly looking for existing little wrongs and even potential minor hiccups – troubles that haven’t even happened yet.

It’s not that you are unaware of the blessings in your life or feeling ungrateful. It’s either just that you really want to prove yourself to those around you or maybe even to the world, or you genuinely believe your life is difficult. Sure, there are difficult lives in the first world too – not everything is rosy for everyone. But Five of Wands doesn’t imply real, palpable, heavy problems. Rather, it implies a negative, critical “outlook” on things.

If your reading is about your career and finances, the Five of Wands might mean getting caught up in office politics, playing blame games, and gossiping. Or worrying too much about your own performance, so much so that you almost end up sabotaging it.

If your reading is about your social circle and friends, the Five of Wands means people around you care more about how they look and where they go than connecting and forming deep, meaningful bonds. Sharing fancy pictures on social media has taken precedence, and how one looks in a picture might just be the most important thing.

If the reading is about your wellbeing, the Five of Wands might mean you’re tiring your soul out with hollow pursuits. It’s neither your job nor your possessions that will bring you the “real thing.” Take some time to live like they did in the old days – disconnect from your work email, take a walk in the park, connect with an animal or a deep, emotional person, or read a thick novel.

What does the Five of Wands Tarot card mean for love?

For singles, having Five of Wands in your reading might mean you have raised the bar too high and that’s why it has become difficult to find a good relationship. You want this, that, and more in your potential partner, and anyone who isn’t “perfect” doesn’t catch your attention. It doesn’t mean you should lower your standards, but it might help to identify what matters the most, and then those other things that you can be more lenient about or even let go.

When it comes to finding love, Five of Wands represents having your priorities wrong. Sure, it matters where you go and what you do out on dates, but what matters more is the quality of the bond between you. Is it there? Can you feel it? And which direction is it taking? Is it getting stronger and deeper? Five of Wands suggests that you might not even have paid that much attention to this. Learn to pay attention to such matters at the very beginning of a relationship.

For couples, the Five of Wands might mean having petty fights. It’s all about who’s right and who’s wrong, and it seems like you two have forgotten that you’re on the SAME team. In your relationship, there are two sides, and sometimes you argue for the sake of arguing. You might even subconsciously like it, believing that it spices up the relationship. If things get too quiet, it almost disturbs you! If those arguments end without insulting one another, and even sometimes lead to makeup sex, maybe there isn’t really a reason to stop.

What does Five of Wands reversed in Tarot mean?

Five of Wands reversed points at real, important problems you might be turning a blind eye to. It’s like if you throw the bills away, the amount you owe will magically disappear. If you don’t check your bank account, your loans don’t exist. And if you don’t read your manager’s performance report of you, things will get better at work on their own. But when you avoid problems like this, things actually get worse over time. Denial isn’t a friend; it’s a sinister foe.

What are you avoiding? What is it you don’t want to face? Whatever it is, it has happened to other people, and you can find resources to help yourself. You can talk to friends and family, get a mentor, read about the issue, or talk to an online psychic or spiritual advisor.

Astrological association

All wand cards in the Minor Arcana are associated with the fire element, which is associated with the signs of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. Because the Five of Wands is about projects that have started but can’t really move forward due to your indefatigable perfectionism, it indicates “cardinal” energy – therefore, the card is most associated with Aries – the cardinal fire energy that starts things but can’t always bring them to completion fast and easily.

While the card might represent you experiencing this type of Aries energy in you these days, it could likely also indicate an Aries in your life, depending on where the card is in your reading. Your psychic reader would know this by looking at your spread, the card’s position in the spread, and the other cards next to it. This is how they know what the card represents exactly.

If it’s about an Aries in your life, see if the card is upright or reversed. If it’s upright, this Aries likes to criticize things and imagine obstacles where there are none! They seem to like drama. If the card is reversed, this Aries person has been through some difficulty, and might be speaking from a place of experience. But the past doesn’t have to affect the future.

Either way, the Five of Wands suggests developing or redeveloping your own ability to see the bright side of things, to appreciate the big picture, and not to lose the forest for the trees.