Five of Swords = Defeat. Geburah in the suit of Air. Venus in Aquarius.
The hilts of the swords form an inverted pentagram and are diverse, the blades broken and crooked, typifying intellect enfeebled by sentiment.
Also:
Five of Swords = Defeat. Venus in Aquarius. Geburah.
The swords form an inverted pentagram. They are crooked and broken and the roses are falling. The condition shown is intellect weakened by sentiment.
Banzhaf reminds us that the inverted pentagram is the symbol of black magic, which is an indicator of the sinister nature of this card. The petals are those of the rose on the four, which has disintegrated. The symbol of love and emotion is shredded by the swords of the intellect, as Snuffin puts it. However, there is light radiating from the centre of the pentagram; the mind can win out and learn from this.
Snuffin points out that the lowest point on the pentagram has the hilt with the crown – which signifies spirit – suggesting that spirit has been broken and overcome by the other elements – the blade of that sword is also broken. The flame, serpent and fish are fire, earth and water, and the 6 is the number of Tiphareth and Vau – Air. The card is attributed to Geburah in Yetzirah – Venus is overcome by Mars (Geburah), hence the red centre.
The background colouration indicates the green of Venus and the colours of Aquarius in the four worlds – violet, sky blue, blue-mauve and white with a hint of purple.
DuQuette sees all the swords as damaged. I can’t see it. He refers to the pentagram as the Pentagram of Defeat, and points out that some of the geometric figures in the background form swastikas. He says that this card was painted at the height of England’s struggle with Nazi Germany, and speculates that Frieda was projection magical defeat on the enemy – consciously or unconsciously.
However he then goes on to say that while the inverted pentagram, is popularly held to be an evil symbol, “it is the pinnacle of superstition to believe that any symbol, in and of itself, can be either good or evil. The averse pentagram can be used to symbolize an infinite number of perfectly innocuous concepts.” This seems slightly disingenuous of him, as it seems to me that at other points in his writing he does exactly this with other symbols. However, as one who knows an inverse pentagram on a church wall, I can buy into it.
He does however say that in this card, that pentagram does “mean trouble”.
Meaning (cribbed from Wasserman)
Defeat. Loss. Malice. Spite. Weakness. Slander. Failure. Anxiety. Poverty. Dishonor. Trouble. Grieving after pain. Ties. Separator of friends. A busybody, cruel yet cowardly, evil speaking.
DuQuette
Defeat, loss. malice, spite, slander. evil-speaking
Contest finished and decided against the person; failure, defeat, anxiety, trouble, poverty, avarice, grieving after gain, laborious, unresting; loss and vileness of nature; malicious, slanderous, lying, spiteful and tale-bearing. A busybody and separator of friends, hating to see peace and love between others. Cruel, yet cowardly, thankless and unreliable. Clever and quick in thought and speech. Feelings of pity easily roused, but unenduring.
Traditional meanings – From Thirteen’s book of meanings:
FIVES
As fours were about stability and maintaining what you have built up, the fives are about instability and the loss of at least some of what you have. Five is the number of severity and fear but also strength. Hence, it's no surprise that the Fives seem to pose both a severe problem, and a way to escape the fear felt at facing that problem.
Dealing with this upset in the development of our passion, emotion, idea or work humbles, teaches and matures us. It isn't a pleasant experience, and our pride, especially, is likely to suffer, but it does strengthen us.
Five of Swords
A smirking young man gathers up swords won in battle from two, humiliated losers. In arguments and battles of ideas there are going to be times when one just loses or has to surrender. The winner seen in this card has clearly been winning fights. Maybe fairly, maybe not, but it is clear that he has some advantage as well as the confidence that no one can beat him.
Pride can make us blind to our own limits and weaknesses. It can lure us into fights we weren't ready for, or weren't equal to winning. Most of the time, we probably knew it was a bad idea, yet we let ourselves be tricked, lured, or goated into fighting. And now we are dishonored.
The Question: "How can I survive this disgrace?"
The Answer: "By learning from it your weaknesses and limits."
Losses like this teach us to know ourselves and be better prepared for the next time. They teach us how and when to walk away from fights, which can often be harder than giving in, and so save ourselves from the greater damage of failure.
Note that this card in the future position can sometime teach this querent this lesson without making them go through it. A reader can say, "Don't let yourself get into a fight with this person, you will lose," and if the querent listens, they will avoid having to learn the hard way how to be strong and walk away from such fights.
(I include Thirteen’s meanings here, but the way, as while someone else was adding them to her Thoth posts, I found them enlightening in context, even though the descriptions are way different !)
My impressions (appearance of the card): The rose petals looked like blood to me – I would have thought that was what they were if I hadn’t read up. The swords also look as though they are arranged sort of like a rose. I still find all these geometric shapes in the background jarring and muddled, myself. I think DuQuette’s swastika thing is rather farfetched. But it certainly comes over as malign. I don’t like the colouration of the background either – but it’s not there for someone to LIKE !
The five swords look almost melted and weedy – as if they are being sucked down a drain…
My take (what I make of it/what I might see in a reading where I drew it)
Threats to the very heart of you. There will be pain; you will lose something that really matters to you. Life will seem chaotic. Be careful.
