In the last essay, we saw that two, and possibly three, of the Fours from this deck have taken on attributes or concepts normally associated with Fives in traditional decks.  As a result, it is interesting to see what the authors have done with the Fives – which in contrast to the Fours, have a consistent set of concepts and ideas, and fit very well together.  Essentially, the Fives in this deck are all events that we might think of as natural disasters – tornadoes, earthquakes, tempests, etc.  This is very interesting, considering the traditional association of the fifth sephiroth and the number Five with feminine and destructive influences.  In this aspect, the Goddess appears in her “don’t mess with Mother Nature” guise, as Kali the Destroyer.  It is also interesting that there is no visible human influence on these cards, as if they are a reminder that we are sometimes impacted by natural forces that are not always under our control.

Five of Pentacles – Earthquake.  This is one of the few cards with a black border, and shows reddish earth being rent into grey bottomless chasms, into which five pentacles are falling.  The sky is grey and threatening.  This card has a similar meaning to the normal Five of Pentacles, suggesting a disruption of the parts of your life represented by Earth and the suit of Pentacles – your material possessions, home, job, health, etc.  The bottom literally falls out from under you, and you are on shaky ground.  There are similarities in this deck to the Tower card, represented by Kali, which also has rendings of earth and chasms in it.  Because this card represents disruption of a normally immovable element, it may mean that you are fighting to cling to your structures and possessions (4 of Pents and Tower) and have to be forced into a major change.

Five of Blades – Hurricane.  Here a hurricane spirals in the background (looks more like a tornado) while in the foreground a tree bends nearly parallel to the earth.  Five knives fly through the air in an arc.  In the background there is the suggestion of a sailboat being blown off course.  Knives are used for cutting away, and when I see this card and the perfect arc of knives sailing along, I think of cutting away what is not needed, in a forceful manner.  A new set of ideas and attitudes is coming in, and will need to be reckoned with.  There is also a message in the tree – the more fixed opinions we have will either need to learn to bend and be flexible, or be uprooted and swept away.  Change is coming, and even if we are able to flow with it, it will be turbulent times.  Mental disruption or illness is also a possibility with this card, just as physical illness is possible with the Five of Pentacles.

Five of Cups – The Storm.  Four cups are tossed on a stormy sea, while a fifth cup stands on a small black rock out in the water.  It is not a very big rock, and it appears that a large wave could come along and knock it over at any minute.  Lightning flashes in the background, and clouds race across a full moon, as trees bend in the wind along the shoreline.  Consistent with the previous two cards, this card represents stormy emotions, a situation in which we may be clinging to our self-control by a precarious thread, easily knocked off balance by just one more push in the wrong direction.  Fear, anxiety, and guilt may be surfacing from our subconscious and ruffling the normally calm waters of our conscious mind.  As if caught in a storm, we can go along with the ride, or try to reach safer shores.

Five of Flames – Pele.  This card depicts a volcano erupting in flaming red and orange colors.  The surface of the mountain is still icy, while its interior is filled with super-heated lava.  Grey ash erupts from the top as lightning strikes accompany the eruption.  Underneath the mountain is Pele, the goddess of fire.  The lava pool flows up through her as it erupts in a column of fire out the top of the mountain.  This card signifies a release of intense emotion – rage, anger, or repressed energy.  This is a cleansing force and represents the rising up of oppressed peoples and fire that can hurt or heal.  Once what was is swept away, the fire cools and forms a clean surface to rebuild on.  When this card comes up, there is a need to release something that can no longer be contained, or it will erupt in more destructive ways.

Thrysse