Nine of Wands Tarot Card Meaning & Interpretations

The element of Fire, represented in Tarot by the Suit of Wands, symbolises energy, passion and drive. It is the fire that burns in the home and within the engines of our transport and industry. At the end of a day or week of hard work, or at the end of a big project, you'll be feeling worn out and tired with perhaps even a minor injury. Back sore, hands rough or cut, clothes dirty, sticky with sweat and ready for a refreshing wash and rest. You are almost there but you've got one last final push to the finish line. You pause to rest briefly and take stock of what remains to be done. The 9 of Wands is about finishing what you've started and making all your hard work a success. How do you end this well? You can't allow your low energy reserves to influence your decisions here otherwise all the energy you've used will have been wasted. Don't rush to the finish line. Take your time and be careful how you complete and end this.

In numerology the number 9 is the last number in the numeric cycle which is why it is symbolic of endings. You should never attempt to start something when you are under the influence of a 9 because it forces your focus on completing what it was your started in the 1, or re-started in the 5. The 9 tends to be a secular and lonely number as can be seen in the Major Arcana's 9th card The Hermit. Therefore the 9 of Wands, just like the other 9s in Tarot, is a card that is symbolic of things we do on our own without the influence or aid of anyone else. As the number 9 is the number of man and humanity cards numbered 9 can also have a humanitarian theme. Instead of working alone the 9 of Wands could relate to voluntary work in a community helping those in need like the homeless.

The Rider Waite Smith (RWS) deck's depiction of the 9 of Wands has a man, with his head bandaged, holding a single wand with his back to the other 8 wands. He glances to the left, in the direction of the past, at 5 wands on his right. The 5s in Tarot's Minor Arcana are never good and both the 5 wands and the head injury link this card to the RWS 5 Of Pentacles which could suggest an injury at work. The positive message from this division of wands comes from the 3 on his left in the future. The 3 suggests success in the final outcome and that the worst is probably over even though the pain is still being felt from the rough road travelled so far.

The 9 of Wands, 9 of Rods or 9 of Batons, is a card of completing projects and endings in the home, community or work place. The element here is Fire which is symbolic of energy, passion, home, community and work. The numerology of 9 has the positive traits of endings, completion of cycles, harvest time, charity and humanitarian causes. The negative traits of 9 are being egocentric, arrogant, self pitying and discontent.

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THE PICTORIAL KEY TO THE TAROT

By Arthur Edward Waite (1911)

The figure leans upon his staff and has an expectant look, as if awaiting an enemy. Behind are eight other staves--erect, in orderly disposition, like a palisade. Divinatory Meanings: The card signifies strength in opposition. If attacked, the person will meet an onslaught boldly; and his build shews, that he may prove a formidable antagonist. With this main significance there are all its possible adjuncts--delay, suspension, adjournment. Reversed: Obstacles, adversity, calamity.

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