Welcome to Tarot Thursdays! This week we will be exploring the [card] and how it can be used as a prompt or brainstorming in our writing.

Tarot is an interesting thing. It’s based upon symbolism and metaphors through imagery. With these images the subconscious mind is tapped into through the story provided. Not everyone gets the same thing from a piece of art. Each piece will influence each person in a slightly different way.

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Introduction of the Card

The Five of Wands is card number 26 in the deck and the fifth card of the Wands Suit in the Minor Arcana of the Tarot.

Let’s take a look at the following examples of this card below.

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Card Examples

Notice the similarities between them and take note of their differences. Do any of these move you more than the others? Take your time and allow these cards to tell you their story.

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My Analysis of These Cards

In each of these cards, it appears that everyone is at a standoff of some sort. They are challenging each other, but not really attacking. There is a disagreement or chaos of some kind, but things haven’t gone completely out of control. Mostly it looks like people are either showing off or shouting words or trying to come to a compromise.

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Themes of the Card

Each card has a set of keywords associated with it that serve as themes for its image. These keywords will vary somewhat depending on who you ask.

According to the Learning the Tarot website, the keywords associated with the card are:

• DISAGREEMENT
• COMPETITION
• HASSLES

You can learn more about what this site has to say about this card here.

According to the Biddy Tarot website, the keywords associated with the card are:

• DISAGREEMENT
• COMPETITION
• STRIFE
• TENSION
• CONFLICT

You can learn more about what this site has to say about this card here.

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What this Card Means to Me

I don’t know why, but this card always makes me think of the classic stereotyped Monday. And this is what I’m thinking of when I say “Monday in Disguise” all this bullshit and stress. I don’t really consider myself a competitive person normally. It tends to bring out the worst in people – myself included – from what I’ve seen. I know this isn’t always the case. There are some people that really, really shine under pressure.

And these are the kinds of people I love to read about and watch in movies. Whether they shine or turn to mud, it’s fascinating to see this transformation in stories. It’s interesting to me as they progress and learn – or fail to learn – from their lessons. Stress like this is challenging. It pushes us to grow and develop whether we like it or not.

The keyword I choose for this card is: CHALLENGE.

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Music Playlist

In this spirit of all this, these are the songs I have picked out for this card.

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The Writing Exercise

This exercise is a free write. Permit yourself to write whatever comes to mind based upon the theme of this card. Choose a keyword or key phrase and run with it to see what you come up with.

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I would love it if you linked or pinged back what you wrote so I could see where you went with this.

Happy writing!

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Mythic Tarot by Liz Greene (Author), Juliet Sharman-Burke (Author), Tricia Newell (Illustrator) © 1989
Dragon Tarot by Terry Donaldson (Author), Peter Pracownik (Author) © 1996
Universal Tarot by Lo Scarabeo (Author), R. De Angelis (Illustrator), A. E. Waite (Designer) © 2001
Tarot of Dreams by Ciro Marchetti (Author), Lee Bursten (Author) © 2015