Nine of Wands

 Nine of wands is one of those cards that seems kind of askew for some reason. This card is so rich in symbolism, some of it being obvious and others not so much.


 We see a man standing in front of a sort of makeshift fence, that while the poles have been placed unevenly, there is still more work to finish it. He stands with what seems to be the final pole and stares over his shoulder at the fence. The expression on his face is unsure, or frustrated, or just disapproving. Either way he seems to be thinking about something that isn’t pleasing him. Additionally, his head is bandaged, which from first glance we know he has some sort of injury to his head. The sky is bright blue and the background seems to be fertile, whether those are mountains or forests I am never sure but it is obvious, the fertile meaning of the color green. 

Going back to the bandage, we know the physical expression is that he has injured his head, but if we look at it from a symbolic perspective and attempt to understand the meaning of the bandage on the head, we see something else. The head in the tarot often has to do with intuition and mental state. If we combine that knowledge with the expression of frustration  on this guys face, and the fact that he has one last pole and hasn’t finished, we understand that this card has an obvious meaning.

The nine of wands often has to do with negative self talk, having all the skills to succeed but still doubting ones self. It is a card that warns the receiver not to over think about getting it perfect, and do the job trusting you have the knowledge, skill and, intuition to succeed no matter what. I often find it so interesting how this card is placed in between the 8 and 10 of wands which are so opposite from the 9 of wands, but that is just a larger example of how life is a series of forward movement … we may go up, we may go down, we may be overflowing with confidence or doubting the hell out of ourselves. Eventually we know we just have to keep moving forward and believe we will make it work, no matter the challenge. I think that’s really what this card is all about, it’s a reminder that you can do the thing, no matter what your mind says about you.

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