IX, Suit of WandsNine of Wands tarot card meaning
Upright and reversedNine of Wands in shortIn short
The Nine of Wands is the last stand. A tired man with a bandaged head grips his staff in front of a fence of eight more, watching for the next attack. He is hurt and still standing, and he keeps the ground he won.
- Resilience
- Guard
- Persistence
Piece oneThe ground
The staves stand planted in the earth, green hills behind, a bare grey strip in front. This is the ground he holds. Waite sums the card up as strength in opposition.
"The card signifies strength in opposition."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThis strip of ground is what he's guarding. The staves are planted in it and he stands on it, so the fight in his face has a reason. Grey and flat, it isn't much to look at, and that makes the guarding more stubborn. Waite's strength in opposition starts with refusing to give up the ground.
Piece twoThe palisade
Eight staves stand in a straight row behind him. Waite compares them to a palisade, a wooden fence built for defence. Everything he built stands there, and he has to protect it.
"...erect, in orderly disposition, like a palisade."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe row of staves is everything he has built, now turned into a defence. They stand behind him in order, so he protects what's at his back. The ninth staff in his hands works as the gate in that fence. His bandaged head shows the palisade has already been tested.
Piece threeThe watchful face
He looks sideways, wary and tired, a white bandage round his head. Waite gives him an expectant look, as if waiting for an enemy. The bandage tells you he has already been in a fight.
"The figure leans upon his staff and has an expectant look, as if awaiting an enemy."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereHis face says the fight isn't over. The bandage shows he's been hurt, and the sideways look shows he expects more. He's tired and still on guard. The palisade behind him and the staff in his hands make sense because of this look: he'll use them again.
Piece fourThe ninth staff
He holds the ninth staff close with both hands, a guard at his post. Solidly built, red tunic, rolled grey sleeves. Waite says he will meet an attack boldly.
"If attacked, the person will meet an onslaught boldly; and his build shows that he may prove a formidable antagonist."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe ninth staff is the one still in use. He holds it close with both hands, upright, a guard at his post. The other eight stand planted behind him; this one moves with him. His heavy build and red tunic make him look like part of the palisade, and Waite says he'll meet an attack boldly.
Colour, and where else it appearsEchoes
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The ground
Flat grey ground and olive hills: plain, hard earth, worth defending. The Seven of Wands fought from a high mossy crag, and the rock did half the work. The Nine holds a flat strip with no height to help him, so the planted staves and his own body have to do it.
Also in -
The palisade
Rust red posts on pale sky, each with a green sprout: the fence is still alive. The Seven of Wands showed staves rising at one man from below; here they stand on his side in a row. The Ten of Wands gathers them into one heavy bundle in a man's arms. In the Nine they still stand up on their own.
Also in -
The watchful face
A white bandage over dark hair, soft and pale against hard red wood. The Seven of Wands showed a young man with the same dark curls, face set, swinging his staff at six attackers. The Nine looks older and warier, and the white cloth reads like a mark left by that earlier fight.
Also in -
The ninth staff
His tunic matches the staves, so he and his defences are made of the same stuff. The Seven of Wands swings its staff across the body, mid-fight. The Ten of Wands hugs ten staves at once and can no longer use any of them. The Nine holds one, close and ready, and keeps the rest standing.
Also in
Colour notes are ours, read from the picture; Waite does not explain the colours.
Nine of WandsUpright
Strength in opposition. Waite says the person meets an attack boldly and may prove a formidable opponent. You are tired, maybe hurt, and still standing, and you know how to defend what is yours.
Waite adds delay, suspension and adjournment. The fight goes on, so hold on a little longer. You're closer to the end than you think.
Nine of WandsReversed
Waite's words: obstacles, adversity, calamity. The defences weaken, and one more blow feels like too much.
You may be exhausted, or guarding so hard that nobody gets in. Rest, ask for help, and choose what is worth defending.
Yes or noYes, if you hold on.
Yes, if you hold on. You're close. Stay firm a little longer.
Nine of Wands in your lifeIn your life
Love
You guard your heart after being hurt. Tell a real threat from an old wound.
Work
A hard stretch near the finish. Keep going, protect your work, keep what you built.
Money
Hold on to what you have. Guard your savings and be patient with delays.
Health
Resilience and slow recovery. A card can't diagnose you; if something's wrong, see a doctor, and rest when you need to.
Spirituality
Faith tested and still standing. Keep your practice going on the hard days.
Advice
Hold your ground a little longer. You came too far to stop.
As a person
Tough, loyal, watchful. Has been through a lot and protects what matters.
Past, present, future
Past: a struggle that left marks. Present: holding the line. Future: one last effort, then it's over.
Written by us, from Waite's meanings and the picture.
Symbols and correspondencesAt a glance
- Suit
- Wands
- Element
- Fire
- Astrology
- Moon in Sagittarius
- Sephira
- Yesod
- Upright
- Strength
- Reversed
- Obstacles
QuestionsCommon questions
Mostly yes. It shows struggle and tiredness, and it shows strength too: Waite calls it strength in opposition.
You guard your heart after a hurt. Trust slowly, and let someone inside the fence.
Yes, if you hold on. It may take longer than you hoped.
The bandage in our picture shows he has already fought. Waite describes him waiting for an enemy, with an expectant look. Hurt, and ready for the next attack.
Fire, like all the Wands. In the Golden Dawn system it is the Moon in Sagittarius, sephira Yesod.
Waite shows a man leaning on his staff, waiting for an enemy, eight staves behind him like a fence. Attacked, he will meet it boldly. Strength in opposition.
The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911Card meanings and quotes: A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911. Element, decan and sephira: the Golden Dawn's Book T. Colours, life situations, yes or no and questions: written by us, from Waite's meanings and the picture.
All 14 Wands