These Indian summer mornings have been so warm I have grown into the pattern of drinking the morning coffee with the front door open so I can see the sunrise. It’s very beautiful. The new neighbor has gotten into the pattern of stopping by each morning when my door is open and asking if she can draw a Tarot card from one of my decks. I am always happy to oblige, and I am even happier watching her silently decipher what each card means. She never tells me what query is on her mind when she draws the card, and she never tells me what she understands the card to mean.
This week a peculiar thing happened. On Monday the neighbor (whom I shall call Becky) drew the Nine of Wands. On Tuesday she drew the Nine of Wands. On Wednesday we used a different deck and, you guessed it, Becky drew the Nine of Wands.
Looking at the picture on the card we see our beloved heroine/hero on the Nine of Wands has definitely been through tough times. His or her head and arm are bandaged, and they’re leaning on a crutch. This warrior has seen some battles, but they’re still standing! The boxing legend Jack Dempsey once said, “The real champions are the ones who keep standing back up.” They’re hurt, but they’re not down. When we have had a bad experience, we feel weary and battle-scarred. Even if we aren't hurt physically, our psyches are wounded. Our openness, innocence and trust are gone, replaced by wary defensiveness. It is clear that this character is expecting another battle or the need to defend. Only time will tell. And each of our individual histories will show us in retrospect that those heart-wrenching moments introduced us to ourselves.
From a surface glance, the Nine of Wands hints that we may need to keep our guard up, to brace ourselves for another round. If you have already been burned, you know what this warrior is feeling. Life's lessons can be hard sometimes, especially when hopes have been dashed. It is natural to feel defensive at such times, but try to avoid becoming bitter or mean. During these times it might be suggested to focus on being kinder to ourselves, to make a conscious effort to build confidence and stay away from the petty thoughts of being better than others. Trusting one’s own abilities, in this case, is good medicine. And getting back on the proverbial horse, with a big smile on one’s face, is even better medicine.
In my own life, the Nine of Wands always told me when I was feeling overwhelmed, when I was not trusting my abilities, and when I was swimming “up stream,” so to speak—that is, being hard on myself because I was secretly believing I might fail. My grandma would say that a strong constitution and self-confidence is all about believing in yourself, using the currents to your advantage, and having more love in your heart each day than you did the day prior.
For Becky I had to get a little more specific. She wasn’t comfortable about telling me the exact question she held in her heart and mind when she drew the card, so I gave her these rough leanings. I warned Becky that not all of these leanings will apply to her life, only the one that matched the same area of focus as the question she had in mind when she drew the card—i.e., if she was concerned about a career issue when she drew card, then observing the “family and friends” attributes is not a productive idea.
General Focus of the Card: Character, stamina and discipline. Doing your best according to the circumstances you find yourself in. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Good news is on its way. The trick to feeling good is to feel good.
Career & finances: Financial transactions and social activities will bring success and rewards. That means loosen up and get out of the bunker. Go ahead and do that thing you’ve been wanting to try! You’re going to have enough money to get by and will have access to even more. If there’s a job or position you’ve been wanting to try for, right now’s a good time.
Romance: From a Qabalistic perspective, this card often indicates that the person who is asking the question is torn between two loves or two choices. Choosing either will yield a painful event, yet one must be chosen. This is not a good place to be and the only valid remedy is to stay true to your feelings and be really, really kind to yourself.
Health: Try not to get so run down. Ease up a bit and get a massage or a pedicure. If you must see a health professional, get a second and third opinion before you accept any conclusions.
Family & friends: A relative or close friend could be looking for a way out of a financial problem—it won’t help anybody if you endanger or hurt yourself helping others. Tell them you’d rather help them host a yard sale or a space at the flea market. If you've been waiting to hear from someone, you'll probably end up calling them yourself.
I still don’t know what Becky had in mind when she drew the Nine of Wands or if my ramblings even helped. I do hope, however, if she was feeling like our weary warrior portrayed on the card, that she exerted all effort to feel good about herself. I think that matters most. When we really feel good about who we are, it’s hard not to love the universe.
And when we love the universe, it loves us right back.
[Illustrations are from the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck, known also as the Rider Tarot and the Waite Tarot, by U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902 USA.]