Tarot Cards Meanings - Suit Of Wands

The Ace of Wands
The Root of the Powers of Fire

Numerical Value: 5
Season: Spring
Direction: South

Divinatory meaning
Upright – An exciting new project or career. The essence of fire, creativity, inventiveness, ambition and enthusiasm.  The aggressive pursuit of new ventures.  Foundations for future success, intuition, conception, fertility, artistic innovation and manhood.

Ill Dignified or Reversed – Bareness, impotence, sterility, avarice, greed.  An over confidence that ends in tears.  In a woman’s spread this card may indicate trouble with men.

The Two of Wands
The Lord of Dominion

Numerical Value: 2

Divinatory meaning
Upright – Success that has been achieved through hard work.  Strength of character and will ensuring that ideas come to fruition.  The responsible use of power and wisdom gained through experience.  Wealth obtained legally.  Job-related perks.

Ill Dignified or Reversed – Naked ambition that knows no bounds.  The attainment of a worthless ambition.  Riches and fortune obtained illegally, dishonestly or via deception.  Loss of faith in ones own rationale and oneself.

The Three of Wands
The Lord of Established Strength

Numerical Value: 3

Divinatory meaning
Upright – Dreams that turn into reality through circumstance and being in the right place at the right time.  Successful ventures launched, inspiration and original ideas.  Strength coming from successful enterprise due to the courage of one’s convictions.  Plans and ventures that are moving ahead.

Ill Dignified or Reversed – Failure to put plans into action.  Striving for unattainable goals.  Lack of communication between dreams and reality.  Failure of a promising looking enterprise.  Great plans that do not come to fruition.  A retreat from reality into fantasy.

The Four of Wands
The Lord of Perfected Work

Numerical Value: 4

Divinatory meaning
Upright – The fruits of one’s labour, hard work resulting in the successful completion of a project.  This is the card of the professional man: an innovator or renowned designer.  The establishment of culture, Refinement, charm, attractiveness and splendour.  Depending upon the surrounding cards, there is a possibility of romance.

Ill Dignified or Reversed – Happiness that is unorthodox in nature.  A life ruled by superfluous and artificial constraints and rules.  Tradition which leads to innate snobbery and superiority and exceptional and profound reliance upon ceremony, decorum and routine.  A period of respite before successfully concluding a project.

The Five of Wands
The Lord of Strife

Numerical Value: 5

Divinatory meaning
Upright – Problems and possibly upheaval that simply cannot be avoided.  Minor irritations may also occur, but whatever the circumstances, i.e. tests, opposition, trouble strife; great mental agility and the use of ones inner mental resources will be needed to triumph.  Success can be achieved but only through relentless hard work.

Ill Dignified or Reversed – Trickery, fraud, defeat, hurt and ruin.  Litigation and legal wrangles that could be avoided.  Spiteful conversation and unnecessary competitiveness.

The Six of Wands
The Lord of Victory

Numerical Value: 6

Divinatory meaning
Upright – The arrival of fantastic, good news.  Success and great public acclaim gained through hard work and effort.  Hopefulness, and satisfaction in what has been achieved.  The surmounting of obstacles through tact and diplomacy rather than use of force.  Victory and triumph.

Ill Dignified or Reversed – Indecision, fear that one’s enemies are engaging in surreptitious activity.  Fear about the outcome of a situation.  Delayed news or rewards or possibly even bad news.

The Seven of Wands
The Lord of Valour

Numerical Value: 7

Divinatory meaning
Upright – Successful advancement.  A time of great opportunity requiring much skill, courage and determination in order to succeed.  Strength of nerve, great fortitude and courage in the face of hardship.  An indication that success may be achieved through sustained effort.  Indicates strong and powerful competition.

Ill Dignified or Reversed – Indecision and retreat.  Lack of decisiveness that causes the challenge to be lost.  Opportunities lost through hesitation.  Giving in just as the end was in sight.  Depending upon surrounding cards a turning away from success due to fears of responsibility may be indicated.

The Eight of Wands
The Lord of Swiftness

Numerical Value: 8

Divinatory meaning
Upright – Understanding and harmony.  The time and conditions are right to facilitate success.  A process of speeding-up and an end to delays.  A time for ‘grasping the nettle’, taking the initiative or taking charge.  This card also indicates: important journeys, correspondence, and favourable news.  A card of hope.

Ill Dignified or Reversed – Disputes and disagreements.  Great effort and a driving force that is totally wasted through the running out of steam.  Silly, spontaneous actions.  Cancelled journeys and possibly redundancy or sacking.  Jumping in both feet first before testing the water.

The Nine of Wands
The Lord of Great Strength

Numerical Value: 9

Divinatory meaning
Upright – Order, discipline an unassailable position.  Any opposition will be defeated.  Courage in the face of attack or adversity and a stability that cannot be removed.  Good health.

Ill Dignified or Reversed – Lack or inability to give and take.  Projects pursued that are destined to fail because of their impractical nature.  Delays and disarray.  Card could indicate possible poor or ill health.  A secure position that is no longer.  Personality flaws.

 

The Ten of Wands
The Lord of Oppression

Numerical Value: 10

Divinatory meaning
Upright – Conduct that is honourable.  Great good fortune that is now a burden due to it’s demanding nature and demands on time.  Diseconomies of scale in business, a successful pastime that can no longer be administered by its creator.  Lack of social life due to the demands of a project, job or overtime.

Ill Dignified or Reversed – A concerted effort to spoil the pleasures and affairs of others because of jealousy.  Treachery.  An inability to delegate in a job, leading to unnecessary stress.  Lies and deceit used to upset others.

The Page of Wands
The Princess of the Shining Flame; The Rose of the Palace of Fire

Numerical Value: 7
Elemental Name: Earth of Fire

Divinatory meaning
Upright – A trustworthy, reliable young person, with an inborn desire to bring happiness, excitement and light to those around.  This person is a messenger of good news and witty gossip.  A person who is faithful in service to superiors.

Ill Dignified or Reversed – Honest qualities, that may turn to petulance.  Someone who believes they are trustworthy, but all the time being unfaithful.  A person unable to keep a confidence someone who betrays trust and spreads gossip.  The card can also indicate journeys that are delayed or a change of address.

 

The Knight of Wands

The Lord of the Flame and the Lightening;
The King of the Spirits of Fire

Numerical Value: 4
Elemental Name: Fire of Fire

Divinatory meaning
Upright – A lover of action, this is the card of someone who has a well-liked, energetic, confident, but sometimes unpredictable nature.  He has an engaging temperament and his actions sometimes a little swift do tend to make sense with hindsight.

Ill Dignified or Reversed – This person’s enthusiasm is so great it becomes at odds with those around.  Someone who enjoys discord, arguments, strife and trouble just for the sake of it and actively seeks to cause it.  Card may also indicate delayed journeys.

The Queen of Wands

The Queen of the Thrones of Flame

Numerical Value: 4
Elemental Name: Water of Fire

Divinatory meaning
Upright – A lady of the manor either living in or loving the country.  A very generous, capable and fair person especially in her dealings with people.  A woman who is both fertile in mind and body and a homemaker.  She enjoys social ease due to her charm and is protective towards those in her circle.  The card may also indicate the success of a project.

Ill Dignified or Reversed – A person who has a tendency to dominate or to be bitter; an envious, matriarchal and overbearing woman.  A person who has a cruel very dry sense of humor and tends to image people are out to get her, even though malice was never present or intended.

The King of Wands

The Prince of the Chariot of Fire

Numerical Value: 4
Elemental Name: Air of Fire

Divinatory meaning
Upright – A charming, responsible, loyal, entertaining, witty, honest, conscientious and generous person.  A lover of the home and family life.  A very passionate and virile man who is good at moral support and encouragement.  When pushed or provoked he acts without hesitation, but can sometimes find this hard as he can often see both sides of an argument.

Ill Dignified or Reversed – He has an inability to understand or appreciate another’s point of view, particularly if they are coming from a lower moral standpoint than his own.  He is intolerant, narrow minded and a bigot with deep prejudices.  He has a ruthless streak and cares little for the feelings of others.