Symbology, Meaning and Interpretation
ALTERNATIVE CARD
Upright
Conflict, Competition, Disagreement.
When this card appears on a spread it means strong competition in your field of activity.
Instead of a cooperative work or a partnership to make the project grow, you can find obstacles related to a clash of ambitions or fights for promotions. You may feel that some of your colleagues try to step over you to get what they want.
This conflict inside your workspace affects in different ways the team productivity, revealing a toxic work environment.
The characters on the card, representing with physical exaggeration what it may be happening in a silent, yet upsetting way. The aggression may take a polite form, but it could use the most harmful side of the fire.
Alternatively, the men in the card have obvious differences between them, revealing their backgrounds, belief systems or values. Those characteristics impede them to find harmony because their goals are far from being the same.
This perspective has a new softer meaning, focusing mainly on the disagreement, suggesting that you and your business partners are not in the same line.
The first version of the card shows us five children playing with sticks. The tone here is completely different from the other one.
They seem to play instead of fighting, suggesting that the conflict is not as aggressive as it looks, and we should not have let it affect our temper. Here the five boys have their first battles, they play as rivals but they seem to enjoy it. They have fun and also learn how to control the wood stick – as a metaphor for the fire that drives our impulses. Just like these children who learn to play with sticks, so we learn to play with our own fire, to control it and use in its most creative way.
This card encourages you to use this competitive moment as a way to improve yourself and your skills, without bitter feelings.
You must accept that everyone has their own opinion, based on their experience; and even if it is different from ours, maybe none of them are wrong or right, they are just perspectives.
Reversed
End of Hostility, Agreement / Fear of Confrontation, Internal Conflict
In reverse, the Five of Wands implies different things.
It could mean the end of a conflict or argument, finding peace and harmony back into your life. You may have learnt how to deal with other people’s opinions and use them in the most constructive way or maybe you and your partners found an agreement which is beneficial to all.
The card’s most negative side, however, describes battle fatigue, intimidation or even fear of confrontation. A realistic and calm conversation may help to find a solution for your conflicts. Do not refuse to budge and listen to what your partners have to say.
Also, other interpretations suggest that you have an uncontrolled fire inside you and are looking for arguments and fights all the time. It is probably a good moment to take some time to yourself and ponder, because the conflict comes from within you.