The number 5 represents the need for adjustment, some kind of change, or that added something that brings the situation out of balance again.  It represents the struggle and challenge of inner and outer growth; adapting to feedback about your action; working out the kinks.  Coins are associated with the material world, acquisitions of wealth and possessions, our connection to Earth and Nature, sensation, matters pertaining to the physical plane, the body, health and physical or sexual activities.  Coins can also be connected with practicality, groundedness and being realistic.

“You’re experiencing shifts and adjustments in your inner sense of security or centeredness.  You may feel that you basic groundedness is being challenged.  You’re changing the ways in which you feel connected with the earth.  You’re altering or questioning your “security blanket”. – Gail Fairfield

Looking at the image on the Fenestra 5 of Pentacles, the first thing that struck me is the resemblance of these figures to zombies.  Their pale skin and rather emaciated bodies remind me of images I’ve seen of zombies.  Not the flesh-eating ones so prevalent in horror movies today, but the original zombies found in Haitian folklore.  Wade Davis in The Serpent and The Rainbow describes them as individuals who have been cursed into believing they are now dead.  As a result they have no will of their own and mindlessly follow their master’s commands.  I must say that with the ways things have been going right now in my personal life, I can understand that feeling.  Lately, family obligations have been causing hubby and I to feel like zombies – trapped and helpless against the reality fate has offered.

The Dante 5 of Clouds shows a figure garbed in a blue gown sitting in a window or doorway.  She seems to have a golden halo over her head and is holding an instrument of some type in her hands.  A set of keys dangles from her girdle.  The view outside her window shows white clouds hovering above a green landscape.  The perspective makes it look like she is high above the land, as though in a tower.  She seems apprehensive as she or concerned as she looks over the land visible outside.  And she is not playing her instrument, as though something has stopped her.  Is there something going on outside or is it merely her fears and isolation that are interfering with her playing?  Is she seeking human contact to relieve her solitary existence?  It’s difficult to know for sure.

Both of us are feeling somewhat isolated and helpless right now.  The world outside our door seems increasingly distant and foreign.  Similar to the two figures stumbling along on the Fenestra, we feel almost naked and exposed.  Some we have asked for helped have ignored our requests and those that have been able to help have problems of their own to handle.  Money is indeed becoming more of an issue and having more financial resources might help make this situation a bit easier to bear.  One of the only things that has made this tolerable is that we have each other.  Unfortunately that also means that sometimes we bear the brunt of each other’s frustrations and anger.  This image is a reminder that without each other’s support, this situation would become unbearable and probably crush us.  We need to continue supporting and helping each other.  We also need to make sure we find ways to recharge our batteries and renew our energy levels.  There may not be a lot of freedom available in this situation right now, but we need to find ways to prevent this situation from grinding us down.

On another level, this card can also describe my mother-in-law and brother-in-law.  They are both vulnerable, alone and practically helpless if the hubby and I were not here to aid them.  Their world has grown increasingly narrower as family and friends have left or died.  They can’t take care of themselves anymore and that must be a scary position in which to find oneself.  Perhaps that is the message for me.  Although things are challenging and exhausting sometimes, things are more frightening and scary for them.  And if we can help them and offer reassurance then perhaps it will ultimately be worth it.  All I know is that walking away is not an option for either of us.  His mother supported and helped us when she could and now it’s our turn to offer the same to her.