Deviation Actions
Description
While the 4s are all about consolidation, the 5s are about an eruptive breaking of molds. The stability of the 4s grows unstable, and if we were comfortably settled with the previous cards we now go through a certain amount of pain and insecurity at having to adjust. The 5s are under the auspices of Mars whose somewhat violent energy is very appropriate to the dynamic of these cards.
In the realm of emotions the erosion of security causes us disappointment. We had set our heart on something, now it's proved elusive. The card signifies disillusionment, farewells, separation, sobering insights and at worst despair, sorrow and depression. With this card we are sometimes our own worst enemy as negative wishes surface and find fulfilment or we even despise and mistrust our innermost feelings.
Traditional depictions of the card show a black-cloaked person in a wide open landscape with a ruined castle in the background turning away with a bowed head from five cups, three of which have been knocked over and their contents spilled uselessly on the ground. In the Crowley deck a pentagram arrangement of crystal goblets is blasted by wind that has torn apart the lotus flowers surrounding the cups while ominous black waters open up beneath them.
I wanted to show the sense of grief and loss that accompanies this card while keeping true to the element. We expected a vibrant, life-giving flowing river, but instead we find no more than a small stagnant pool surrounded by the cracked earth of the desiccated riverbed and in it five, bleached and dried-out fish carcasses. The shadow of a city in the background picks up on the motif of a ruined castle in the Rider-Waite deck.
In a spread the card means we must face disappointment and loss. We may have risked our heart or a cherished dream and got it handed back to us. Now we are filled with sadness and regret and need to come to terms with a situation where our hopes got dashed. However, it’s important to see the adjustment that the card brings also as a reality check. We were laboring under an illusion and that illusion just got lifted, but it means we can see more clearly now.
For a relationship-related question the card may indicate that you were putting hopes and expectations into a connection that has proved false. Perhaps you had a crush on someone and they just told you they’re not interested. You may have trusted a friend and they just didn’t come through for you. The realization stings, but it shows that you projected more onto the other person than what they are willing to give to you.
If the card position points to a business related question you may have started a new job or project with a great sense of anticipation, thinking that it will be a rewarding breakthrough, but things are just not working out like you hoped. You’ll need to reassess the situation, take some time to lick your wounds and then start over. Your dreams are out there, just not up this particular creek.
In your personal life and development the card may tell you that an expectation you had just isn’t going to be fulfilled. You may feel that you’ve overestimated yourself and let yourself down. You may realize that something you thought was easy is actually difficult or that an achievement that you thought would make you happy and solve your problems is now leaving you unfulfilled and hollow.
If the card is uncovered in an adverse or blockage position it could mean that you are so afraid of disappointment and pain you don’t even dare risk anything. After all, if you do nothing, hope for nothing, you can’t feel let down. However, you may pass up a chance for love, happiness and success, simply because past failures have taught you fear and you falsely elect to withdraw when you should engage.