Okay, so “Five of Wands as feelings”… this one was a bit of a head-scratcher for me at first. I mean, the imagery is pretty intense – all those people clashing with their staffs. It screams conflict, right?
So, I started by just sitting with the card. I pulled it out of my trusty Rider-Waite deck and just looked at it. I tried to clear my mind, you know, the whole “be receptive” thing. No immediate insights, just a general feeling of… unease. Like when you walk into a room and can tell there’s been an argument, but you don’t know what it was about.
Then, I decided to journal about it. I wrote down everything that came to mind, stream-of-consciousness style. Stuff like:
- “Frustration”
- “Competition… but not the healthy kind”
- “Feeling unheard”
- “Everyone talking at once, no one listening”
- “Being overwhelmed by other people’s needs/demands”
- “Wanting to be right, even if it means a fight”
Looking at that list, I started to see a pattern. It wasn’t just about external conflict, but also internal struggle. Like, that feeling when you’re pulled in a million different directions, and your own inner voice is getting drowned out.
Digging Deeper With a Real-Life Example
I thought about a recent situation where I felt this way. It was at a family gathering. Everyone had different ideas about how to celebrate my grandma’s birthday, and it quickly devolved into a shouting match. I remembered feeling totally overwhelmed and just wanting to disappear.
Bingo! That was the Five of Wands feeling in action. It wasn’t necessarily about “bad” feelings, but more about a sense of chaotic energy, a lack of harmony, and the frustration of not being able to find common ground.
I then spent some time meditating on the card again, this time focusing on that specific family situation. I visualized the scene, but instead of getting caught up in the drama, I imagined myself as an observer. I noticed how each person was just trying to be heard, even if they were going about it in a clumsy way.
This helped me see the Five of Wands as feelings not just as negative, but as a signal. A signal that there’s a need for better communication, for finding a way to navigate conflicting desires, and for creating space for everyone’s voice to be heard – including my own.
So, yeah, the Five of Wands as feelings… it’s messy, it’s complicated, but it’s also a reminder that conflict can be a catalyst for growth, as long as we’re willing to look beyond the surface and understand the underlying needs.
