Cosmic Tribe Tarot - Five of Wands
by Stevee Postman, text by Eric Ganther
Destiny Books / Inner Traditions
ISBN 0892817003

Description:
The background looks at first like a cloudy blue sky, but a closer inspection shows the image is just painted on a concrete/stone wall. The foreground is barred by five thorny stems, extending vertically off both top and bottom edges. Between the stems, a hand (a right hand, male Caucasian) tentatively feels its way through them. Solid at the wrist, the fingertips – or perhaps the thorny stems where the fingers touch them, or maybe both – become intangible and pass through the bars rather than squeezing between them.

From the Book: Frustration
“Dry periods happen. Don’t freak out and try to claim this new inertia as some proof of your unworthiness. Ask friends for support. Move forward deliberately. The patient hand knows the way to empowerment will soon be revealed.”

My take on it:
While many decks I’ve seen place the focus for this card on external competitions, whether for work or for sport, the emphasis here is on competing against your own fears. What thorny issue is holding you back? Step back, take your time, look at it from different angles until you find the path most likely to see you through. Once you find the path, take it –deliberately, one step at a time, making adjustments along the way until you’ve dealt fully with the issue and can move freely beyond it.

Tracy Hite