VII, Suit of WandsSeven of Wands tarot card meaning
Upright and reversedSeven of Wands in shortIn short
The Seven of Wands is standing your ground. A young man on a rocky height swings his staff at six others rising from below. He's outnumbered, and he holds the high ground.
- Defence
- Courage
- Holding ground
Piece oneThe crag
The ground is rough, mossy rock, hard to climb. Waite says six attack one, and the one has the vantage position. Your position counts for more than numbers.
"...six are attacking one, who has, however, the vantage position."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe rock is his advantage. He stands higher than anyone attacking him, so six against one becomes a fair fight. The crag is rough and mossy, hard for the others to climb. Take away this ground and the young man with his single staff would be swallowed by the staves below.
Piece twoThe six staves
Six staves rise toward him from below, their holders out of sight. Waite reads it as six attacking one. Pressure from every side.
"...six other staves are raised towards him from below."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe staves are the attack, and you never see who holds them. They rise from below in a loose crowd, so the threat feels general: pressure from all sides. They explain why the crag matters and why the young man swings across his body. Six is a lot, but they have to reach up.
Piece threeThe young man
A young man swings his staff, his face set. Waite has him brandishing it on a craggy height. Alone, and ready.
"A young man on a craggy eminence brandishing a staff..."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereHis face carries the card. Jaw set, eyes on the attackers, he looks ready for a long fight. He stands alone, with no team and no helmet, only work clothes and a staff. The crag holds him up and the six staves press in, and his stance is wide enough for both.
Piece fourThe seventh staff
He swings his staff across his body with both hands. It is the one staff with a person behind it. Waite calls the card one of success: he stands on top, and his enemies may fail to reach him. This staff holds them off.
"It is further a card of success, for the combatant is on the top and his enemies may be unable to reach him."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThis is the one staff with a person behind it. He grips it in both hands and holds it across his body, a bar between him and the six. His height on the crag makes one staff enough. Waite reads the card as success because of this position, and the staff keeps it.
Colour, and where else it appearsEchoes
-
The crag
Moss green and stone grey: hard ground to take. The cool rock sits apart from the fighter's warm clothes. The Five of Wands fights on flat brown earth, where nobody has the height. The Hermit stands on a snowy peak with nobody below him at all. Here the height is held against an attack.
Also in -
The six staves
Red-brown staves on pale blue sky, the same wood as his. The attackers are his equals, from the same suit. The Five of Wands shows staves crossing in a free-for-all among five youths. The Nine of Wands stands them in a row behind one tired man. In the Seven the staves have picked a target.
Also in -
The young man
Olive tunic, mustard shirt: work clothes. Nothing about him says rank, which makes the stand his own. A tired fighter with the same dark curls comes back in the Nine of Wands, a bandage on his head and his staff held close. In the Seven he still has his breath and his swing.
Also in -
The seventh staff
Red-brown wood against pale blue: the fire of Wands in his hands, set against a cool, open sky. The Nine of Wands holds his staff upright and close, like a guard at a post. The Ten of Wands carries ten at once, wrapped in his arms. In the Seven the staff is still a weapon, swung wide.
Also in
Colour notes are ours, read from the picture; Waite does not explain the colours.
Seven of WandsUpright
Courage under pressure. Waite calls it a card of valor: six attack one, and the one has the better position. In thought it means discussion and wordy strife; in business, negotiations, war of trade, barter, competition.
Waite also calls it a card of success, since the one on top may be out of reach. Defend what you believe in, keep your footing, and hold the high ground.
Seven of WandsReversed
Waite's words: perplexity, embarrassments, anxiety, and a caution against indecision.
You feel overwhelmed, unsure the fight is worth it. Decide. Wavering lets the others climb the hill.
Yes or noYes, if you stand firm.
Yes, if you hold. Waite calls it a card of success: the one on top is hard to reach. Expect a challenge.
Seven of Wands in your lifeIn your life
Love
You may have to defend your relationship, or your own needs in it. Stand up for what matters.
Work
Competition, negotiations, people questioning your place. Hold your ground with facts.
Money
Protect what you built. Negotiate firmly. Refuse to sell under pressure.
Health
Stress from staying on guard. A card can't diagnose you; if something's wrong, see a doctor.
Spirituality
Keep faith with your beliefs when others argue. Testing makes conviction grow.
Advice
Stand firm and decide. Your position is better. Hold it.
As a person
Brave, stubborn, principled. Won't back down.
Past, present, future
Past: a challenge you faced down. Present: pressure from several sides. Future: a position to defend, and you can.
Written by us, from Waite's meanings and the picture.
Symbols and correspondencesAt a glance
- Suit
- Wands
- Element
- Fire
- Astrology
- Mars in Leo
- Sephira
- Netzach
- Upright
- Valor
- Reversed
- Perplexity
QuestionsCommon questions
Mostly yes. Waite calls it a card of valor and success, since the one on top is hard to reach. Expect pressure and conflict too.
Standing up for your relationship, or for yourself in it. Rivals or outside pressure, maybe.
Yes, if you hold. Your position is better.
Waite describes six staves raised toward him from below, six attacking one. The one has the vantage position, so the card is about courage and holding your ground.
Mars in Leo, the third decan of Leo, in the Golden Dawn system. Fire is its element, Netzach its sephira.
Waite calls it valor and success. Six attack one, and the one stands on top, out of their reach.
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