Five of Arrows

Serpent and arrows entwined — cunning married to force. The Renaissance mind understood that raw power without wisdom destroys itself, while wisdom without power remains impotent.

Prudentia potentia inverts our expectations: prudence is not the servant of power but its source. The serpent, ancient symbol of knowledge (and temptation), does not merely accompany the arrows. It directs them.

Five marks the midpoint, the pivot. Here the suit of ambition pauses to consider: toward what target?