The Virtue of the Five

The Passion of the Five is Avarice. This is more often associated with greed of material things but in fact Fives tend to have little concern with material things, being interested, instead, in knowledge and understanding. They want to know how things work. This is because they doubt their ability to be able to cope in the world and so feel they need to withdraw from it in order to protect themselves while they figure things out. As a result they are avid collectors of knowledge and information and ideas - and more and more of them! In a sense they are in a constant state of mental preparation so that they can feel capable and confident enough to go out into the world and deal with it. In the case of the Five, therefore, the Passion of Avarice is more about a latching onto and hoarding of knowledge which, actually, leads to yet more detachment from the real world so that they have even more difficulty functioning in it. However, if they are aware of this tendency in themselves they can work to understand it and see it for what it is, which is fear. When they learn to be present to their feelings and present in the moment, they can let go of the incessant mental activity which attaches them to their points of view. This letting go allows them to accept reality as it is. And so the Virtue of the Five is Non-attachment. Non-attachment to their thoughts and ideas instead of a clinging on to, and creating their identity around them. This acceptance of the world as it is, an understanding that everything comes and goes, brings an ability to be 'in the world but not of it'' and so greater peace.