Five of Wands

Five of Wands from the Rider-Waite Tarot deck

Five of Wands or Batons is a card used in Latin suited playing cards which include tarot decks. It is part of what tarot card readers call the "Minor Arcana".

Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe to play Tarot card games.^[1]

In English-speaking countries, where the games are largely unknown, Tarot cards came to be utilized primarily for divinatory purposes.^[1][2]

Divinatory purposes

A posse of youths are brandishing staves (wands), as if in sport or strife. This illustrates a kind of mimic warfare and corresponds to these divinatory meanings: Imitation, as in taking part with others, for example, in a sham fight; a strenuous competition and struggle in the search for riches and fortune. It is about being alert, engaged, ready to struggle and fight for what is important; defending what you perceive as yours. Also, a card that foretells the acquisition of gold; a card of gain.

Key Meanings

The key meanings of the Five of Wands:^[3]

• Anxiety
• Conflict
• Disagreement
• Strife
• Struggle

References

1. 1 2 Dummett, Michael (1980). The Game of Tarot. Gerald Duckworth and Company Ltd. ISBN 0-7156-1014-7. 
2. ↑ Huson, Paul, (2004) Mystical Origins of the Tarot: From Ancient Roots to Modern Usage, Vermont: Destiny Books, ISBN 0-89281-190-0 Mystical Origins of the Tarot Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
3. ↑ Trusted Tarot (2010) Five of Wands