The Card of the Day: The Nine of Wands
“Establishing healthy boundaries.”
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The Nine of Wands illustrates that you win at the game of life each time you have courage and stand up for yourself. This can mean creating boundaries with others who want to control you or take you down a peg. It can also mean confronting your own self-limiting attitudes and expectations. The Nine of Wands symbolizes that a personal victory is achieved each time you stand up for your dignity, worthiness, and self-respect.
Do you have trouble standing up for yourself because you fear creating conflict? Is it difficult for you to feel proud of your strengths and accomplishments? Are you looking for the acceptance of others for validation of your worth? Is your greatest adversary the sabotaging voice in your own head?
The man on the card looks like Sylvester Stallone at the end of “Rocky.” He has stood up and defended himself against all comers for twelve rounds. He is bandaged, showing that it wasn’t easy, and he endured a few blows. He has created a boundary with the eight wands standing behind him. He is ready stand up for that boundary. Each wand he has acquired was hard won, and is a trophy proving his accomplishment. He is bumped and bruised but he is still standing. He is standing up for his honor. He is standing up for his achievements and his worth. Nothing is going to take him down. He has too much dignity to allow that to happen. He sees the proof of his worth.
The Nine of Wands represents pride, but not the sort that lashes out to defend a wounded ego. This sort of pride is the dignity one feels in building their own world, with blood, sweat, and tears. Be proud of the scars that life sent you in the past. They made you a survivor.
Even though things may have not have always come easy up until now, the school of hard knocks has made you formidable. The only possible opponent left to defeat may be coming from within. Stand up to the shadow voice within that tells you aren’t smart enough, talented enough, good enough, successful enough, thin enough, or strong enough.
This card appears when it is time to place boundaries up for the protection of all you’ve worked for. Perhaps it’s time to stop meekly saying “yes” when your heart is screaming “NO!” It is okay to go against the expectations of others by being honest. It’s time to stand up to bullies in the outside world, and more importantly within your own head. Embrace the part of you that is strong and stand up for what you know is right.
Be honest and clear with yourself and others. If you do you will win.
*Nine of Wands in a Love Reading
New Relationship
The Nine of Wands can symbolize a new love interest who carries emotional baggage from the past. This person is likely recovering from an emotional injury that shattered their old reality. It may be difficult to truly get close to this person if they haven’t made peace with a past heartbreak or betrayal. It will take time to gain their trust.
Long Term Partnership
The Nine of Wands can symbolize old grievances that have accumulated over time in a relationship. One partner may use passive aggressive communication to mask hidden pain. Open a dialogue without rushing to defend your own vulnerabilities. This card can also signify a resilient relationship that has weathered many storms.
Seeking Romance
If you are single, the Nine of Wands can indicate that you are still healing from an old relationship wound. You may be giving off the impression that you are uninterested, or that people should keep their distance. Watch out for coming across as jaded, unhappy, or overly sarcastic. Toxic vibes are love repellent.
*This excerpt is a sneak peek at my upcoming book “Tarot in Love: Consulting the Cards in Matters of the Heart” from Llewellyn Books and available for preorder Fall 2022!
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