Fighting in vain? Margarete Petersen’s Five of Feathers

The resting figure in the Four of Feathers has been replaced by five rather destabilized figures in the Five. One is about to run a sword through another, while one looks on in anguish. The other two might be laughing... We do see their faces, unlike the RWS version. 

Five of Feathers (trimmed): ©Margarete Petersen tarot

The feather has snapped in two, the lower half tatty and damaged, the upper half maintaining most of its form with only a little ruffling - losing end and winning end perhaps? The peace has definitely been broken. Margarete Petersen says, in her LWB, that it’s all about fighting in vain, and the need to forget your imagined triumph and surrender.  

The Five of Swords is linked astrologically to Venus in Aquarius, which I see as needing to recognize that there are limits (the fixed nature of Aquarius) to what we want to achieve, what we’re attracted to (the Venusian quality). Not that we have to give up, necessarily, but to accept a ‘temporary defeat’ or setback by objectively (Aquarius again) assessing how strong we are, be it as an individual or group, in relation to our opponent, be that another individual or community, and being able to step back from a battle that can’t be won.  A battle – not the ‘war’.  By knowing when to walk away from a situation or relationship, whatever it might be, we live to fight another day for what we believe in, what we’re pulled towards – the attraction principle again.

Peace has been broken,

Fighting for imagined gain - 
Let go, surrender.


Margarete Petersen Tarot, AGM-URANIA, 2004.