5 of wands reversed, any thoughts?

judylea1

I have been trying to find interpretations of this and oddly some interpretations are very upbeat, implying a release from hassles, while some are kind of a downer, words like defeat, hurt, litigation and legal wrangles, spiteful conversation, competitiveness. Which one is correct? Just wondered if anyone can offer any experience.
 

Little Baron

I sometimes think of the upright position as a sparring partner or healthy competition. In it's reversed position, maybe it is taking advantage of such a situation, maybe playing rough or unhealthy competition. Maybe someone is taking things a little more seriously than you intended them to, which has resulted in a small falling out or quarrel. I think this card could be telling you to relax and enjoy a situation, rather than getting caught up in either trying to win or beat your personal best. It's about the process as much as the outcome.

Best,
LB
 

mythos

Because I read primarily for myself, and because my background is in psych and it is where I 'live' so to speak, I see the upright 5 of wands as aspects of myself, or competing needs at 'war' with one another. It is nothing major ... they are 'kid' things in the range of stress events internal or external ... it is just "daily hassles" stuff that I need to take control of, prioritise, deal with, whatever.

When reversed, I see this as an indication that the wands, which can't (maybe?) defy gravity, and have fallen 'up, up and away'. So, either I have let go of the niggling stuff, worked it through, or I am like a paper tiger fighting myself for no reason at all except that it has become a habit pattern. Time to 'play nice' or go home for tea.

Now for the real answer ... there are probably as many possible variations of meaning on this (or any) card upright or reversed as their are readers... they will have much commonality and some difference depending on the individual, but they will differ. So, given that, what do you do? Well, look at the context. What are the other cards around it ... are they peaceful, struggling, what?

If there is no context, i.e. a single card draw (or even if there is one, - the context here being other cards), look as well, at the context of the question being asked, or the position's meaning ... or ... or ... or ;) Then, go with your gut feeling about it. Try to stop thinking, and let it's message just bubble up into your mind. It really isn't an 'either/or', but more about what it is in this time and place, here and now.

That doesn't mean, of course, that you just throw every book you've read out the window ... just remember that they are only a part of your learning. Just because something is written down, doesn't give it ultimate authority ... as you have already found out. Sometimes one of those possibilities will apply, sometimes the other, sometimes neither. Trust your intuition. That doesn't mean that you will always get it right, but the more you listen to it, and then apply your mind to what has come up, the more you will learn and trust this process, and the more accurate it will be.

I'm still way too untrusting of my own process ... still too dependent on book learning ... still having difficulty determining when a message I receive is for me, or for the person for whom I am reading. But hey, that's part of the process too!

Enjoy
mythos :)
 

Cave Bear

this is a tricky one but for what it's worth here's what I've come across.

Upright.. yes as has already been stated I find there is a feeling of healthy competition, learning to play the game but reversed...

When 5 wands has appeared reversed, the context it was in suggested discomfort on the part of the sitter because they weren't being engaged and in fact were relying on such engagement (or energy) to drive them. So self motivation emerged as the issue and so on.

This enabled the sitter to examine why they relied on other people and situations to drive them instead of taking the initiative.


Cave Bear
 

Thirteen

Blocked Energy

judylea1 said:
I have been trying to find interpretations of this and oddly some interpretations are very upbeat, implying a release from hassles, while some are kind of a downer, words like defeat, hurt, litigation and legal wrangles, spiteful conversation, competitiveness. Which one is correct? Just wondered if anyone can offer any experience.
Reversals are sticky things. If you go with Waite, then virtually all Reversals have downer interpeations--Waite was not a very upbeat guy and he, along with others, some times see reversals as cards gone wrong.

One of the best interpetations that I've learned of reversals, here on this fourm, is that the energy of the card is blocked. That is, the card is a river flowing, and you've gone ashore. The flow of this river does, indeed, regard competition, healthy or otherwise. You're fighting to stand out. You almost have to fight.

Block that energy and there is no fight going on; That's where you might get the "defeat" aspect, a feeling of "what's the point?" among all the combatants, perhaps a feeling that things are already decided and battling for the gold ring won't change that. For example, a job offer that's going to go to an inside guy even if the company say's it's an open competition and anyone can apply. Wands are about energy, fire. When blocked, the fire goes out. In this case, the implication to me would be that you're wasting your energy.

Pointless or false competition or the competition shut down (there was going to be a race, now there's not) rather than competition that is essential to moving along toward victory (the 6/wands) would be my interpetation. But as mythos wisely says, context is a big part of that. The card's position in the spread might alter that.
 

judylea1

5 wands reversed

The spread did relate in part to a competative situation, and it is true that this effort was somewhat indirectly played out, a sense of not wanting to really get into the fray, of giving up early on cause things aint gonna work out anyway attitude, so I can see that sort of interpretation of this card position. Thanks all.
 

Sulis

Like Thirteen I like to think of reversals as blocks.

I use a system with reversals that says if a card comes up reversed it's energies are potential or present but they are:
Diminished or diminishing,
Delayed
Underutilized
Internalized or
Blocked

Maybe you're internalizing the conflict of the 5 of Wands and beating yourself up.

Love

Sulis xx
 

judylea1

5 wands R

Well, yes, but not so much beating onself up as self-preservation, though the reversal would indicate this method was not the best road. Thanks for the advice.