Five of Coins

[Madame Squee]

Subtitle: Hard Times

 

Keywords:

 

Loss, struggle, suffer, insecurity, scarcity, outside, abuse, exclude, rejection, illness, adversity.

 

Let's discuss!

[Thoughtful]

Someone left a review on Amazon giving a very negative post because of this one card.

 

There are two ways of looking at this card. 

 

The first does appear to show a woman happily getting winnings from the slot machine. She is totally absorbed in her good luck, and is selfishly ignoring the less well off and needy who look in through the window, they are feeling really cut off from that warm and inviting atmosphere. A man possibly her partner holds a full glass of beer ready to cheer their good luck.

 

A second meaning for this is quite the opposite. 

 

We cannot judge her on face values, we do not know her story. She may have had challenges and adversity in her own life.  But instead of feeling sorry for herself, limping along, and bemoaning her luck. She did something about it.  She rose to the challenges and turned her life around.  She found some security and hope and her new partner backs her up.  Perhaps she is happy about her winnings because she has been thinking of wanting to help others, by setting up a self-help group, or some kind of charitable work. She's been there and knows what it's like to be in poverty and need.  The cross around her neck indicates her compassion and love. Her experiences have made her more aware of her fellow man.

[Madame Squee]

The Double Diamonds are my favorite slot machine. Once or twice a year, my husband and I go up into the mountains to Cripple Creek where casino gambling is legal, and we play the slot machines. Odds at those machines are stacked heavily against players. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose (never more than we brought with us). It's just the two of us, and we always have fun -- experiencing the highs and lows of gambling together.

 

In preparing to comment on this card, I read the chapter on the Five of Coins. Having done so, I can understand why the Amazon reviewer became unhappy. Poppy tends to be a bit negative and preachy. Fortunately for me, I had already experienced Poppy's style of writing in the Waking the Wild Spirit companion book. So, her observations on the Five of Coins in the Everyday Enchantment Tarot didn't faze me. I'll have forgotten about them by the time I click post.

 

In my opinion, Poppy is a brilliant, passionate artist, who might want to let someone else write her books. I think there are lots of discussions to be had regarding capitalism and wealth and income inequality, but I don't think a sermon on a tarot card does much to influence minds and win hearts or change the politics that undergird the system.

 

On the other hand, I do love that Poppy writes about cycles and the Wheel of Fortune in her chapter on the the Five of Coins. I believe that's a valid and important association (for all the fives). In fact, that's exactly what I see in this image. Sometimes you're up, sometimes you're not. When you're down, you will figure out what's important in your life. When you're up, try not to forget it.

 

PS: When I first saw this card, the 5 of Pentacles in the Fey Tarot leapt to mind. The figure of the "Other" looms in this image, too.