Tarot Diary | the Five of Wands
The Five of Wands, Pagan Otherworlds Tarot
Tarot Diary is a weekly series in which I pull a card and contemplate its meaning in relation to my creative journey. Perhaps some of what I share will be of service. As always, take what resonates and leave the rest.
When I pulled the Five of Wands for this week’s card, I immediately thought of the beautiful messiness of someone whose creative channel is fully open. The image it conjures is one of an artist, covered in paint, art supplies littering the floor as they splash a wild mix of colors onto a canvas. It’s the startling beauty of discordant notes - the willingness to try radical new combinations in order to create something that truly captures the energy we’re bringing forth. It can be so tempting to stay within the organized and stable structure of the Four of Wands, where we feel comfortable. The four is solid - celebratory even. We’ve found something that works and we’ve mastered the process. We may have received positive feedback from others, which encourages us to continue with these methods. The four is like a homecoming, a welcome respite after the work done in the first three cards in the suit. But after a while in this energy, our ideas can become stagnant. In order to feed our creative fire (wands representing the element of fire), we must be willing to stretch outside of this zone of what we know works - and reach for something new.
In the Tarot, wands represent the element of fire, while the fives hold the energy of conflict, struggle, contraction, and uncertainty. In the Smith Rider Waite tarot deck, the Five of Wands depicts five young people sparring with staffs - learning how to work with their fire, passion, and creativity. This idea of sparring brings to mind the contrast between conflict that is productive vs conflict that limits us and keeps us stuck. In my creative practice, conflict often takes on the form of the internal struggle for authenticity versus the perceived need for external validation. I need to ask myself what I’m struggling against as I move toward expansion in my creative practice. Is a fear of self-expression keeping me stuck? What role does others’ perception of my work play in all of this? Am I creating from a place of authenticity or am I seeking validation from others? This card invites me to release the desire for validation and to open my creative channel fully, letting my passion flow through my hands and into my work.
The Five of Wands can also represent a difficulty to keep one’s inner fire lit. When I relate this back to my creative journey, it becomes an invitation to consider the ways that I’m blocking my creative energy - and how my inner flame may be dampened as a result. How do I begin to expand beyond the limits that I’ve imposed upon myself?
The Five of Wands teaches us about disrupting old habits and time-tested methods in order to forge our own path. It can feel a bit like taking your nice, organized supply box and upending it onto the floor. It’s not an energy that I feel comfortable in - in fact, when I pull this card, I tend to have a visceral reaction - a feeling like pin pricks underneath my skin. I know that there will be an upheaval of sorts - a mess that I’ll need to sift through in order to make sense of where I am as I begin moving forward.
The interesting thing about relating the Five of Wands to my creative practice is that, while I still feel that sense of upheaval and discomfort, it sits alongside a feeling of freedom. It’s a feeling of tearing off the constraints of other people’s ideas and expectations and allowing myself to fully embrace - and channel - my inner fire. Taking ownership of my creative passion and allowing space for its full expression is somewhat scary, but feels so vital. It’s like waking up.
Some questions I’ll be considering this week:
What is causing my creative fire to burn low or go out?
What would feed my creative fire?
What fear is holding me back from taking creative risks?
How can I quiet the inner critic and create from a place of authentic expression?
Five: contraction, uncertainty, adversity, loss, conflict, changing tides, a test
Wands: fire, passion, creativity, ego, will, the magical self, creation/destruction, intuition