Five of Wands Reversed

I'm in therapy for my mental health. I don't try to hide it, I need it. Just like visiting my endocrinologist to monitor my type 1 diabetes, I visit my therapist to monitor my psychoses. Particularly now, when the world is in catastrophe but the minutiae must continue, that's when I need it most. A global pandemic threatens the lives of my kids - but look at that, the goddamn car payment is due again. How dare you, auto loan? Don't you know people are dying?!?!

It's those kinds of absurd things that I talk out with my therapist - I bitch about how I can't find the car payment money when what I really mean is that I can't manage the end of the world. She knows, she gets it. She lets me talk in circles for a full hour about whether or not I should go back to work so I can pay these stupid bills, but at the very end she'll say something benign like "go ahead and unfriend the anti-vaxxers today, you earned it" and I'll be like holy shit, how'd she know that would make me feel better?

The five of wands reversed is one of these puzzling things - a profound and momentous historical event, a stupid little thing like a monthly bill, or both, or neither. It's a battle you must compromise on, or die defending. Good luck trying to figure out the meaning of this card for yourself. I suggest you ask your therapist.

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The Five of Wands is one of the particularly difficult cards to interpret, both upright and reversed. It depends on the context and the question asked.

When upright, it’s possible a conflict has arisen or may happen soon. Reversed, this card could indicate compromise or finding a solution to that conflict, but it could also imply battle fatigue – where the disagreement is unwinnable and the querant just wants to be done already.
 
Questions answered by the reversed Five of Wands:
Who? A shy person; an athlete who is frequently benched 
What? A cancelled sports game
Where? Home base; An empty sports field
When? July 21-30; When the disagreement stops
Why? “The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.” ~Chinese Proverb
Yes or No? No

The reversed Five of Wands as:
…an action?

• Cancel a sports game
• Sit this one out

   
…a place in your house?

• The sofa
• The den

 
…a place in your city?

• An empty arena
• A hotel

• A cosmetics or perfume shop

…a place in the world?

• Tokyo, Japan

• Berlin, Germany

• The location of cancelled Olympic games

 
…something to eat?

• Saltines
• Avocado toast
  
• Sweet potatoes

 
…something to clean?

• Blood
• Sports equipment
• Shred paperwork from old jobs

 
…where to find your missing item?

• Under the bed
• Near unused sports equipment

 
…a color? Green, orange, crimson
 
…a movie theme? After a fight; desperation

• The Bourne Identity
• The Imitation Game
• Reality competitions (TV)

 
A new career?

• Sales
• Management consultant
• Zoologist; park ranger; other work with animals

 
The reversed Five of Wands
Before any card: Make a compromise about (card)
After any card: Conflict; solutions

For more on the Five of Wands reversed, check out Applied Tarot Reversed: