tarot of the week--nine of wands

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Charles Darwin

I always pick my Tarot of the Week card randomly, and have been often surprised at how often is matches my life, and the energy around the people I know. So many people are talking about this defensiveness bubbling up, or feeling solitary, alone, battling, or a feeling of being protective, or on edge. There is a lot going on in the Nine of Wands, and it is not bad in the slightest. This Nine, I have found in my experience in readings, validates this feeling, and helps give a positive view of the next phase of their lives.

Tarot writers often call the Nine of Wands the Defense card. It is easy to see why. The Nine of Wands stands at the ready, head bandaged, leaning on his staff. He is guarded, weary, clearly tired. Without any Tarot knowledge whatsoever we can discern a few things about this lad from the start. He's been through a battle, but not quite through the war yet. His posture is decidedly defensive, but there is positivity throughout this card. The sky is clear blue, the wands are sprouting saplings, symbolizing new growth. All is created for survival here. As Darwin said, "“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” The Nine of Wands has adapted to his circumstances by building a wall of Wands, and standing in a position that has been successful before.

We know the Nines are the numerological equivalent of the end of a cycle. We saw it in the Nine of Pentacles, and the Nine of Swords. But Nines never show a proverbial end with champagne, confetti, and a vacation, rather they show us at the penultimate point, or the point before the end. As Tarot writers often say about this card, you may have won the battle, but the war is not quite over. The Wands are the suit of Fire--creativity, work, passion, enterprise and action. Often this card arrives when work or your creative endeavors are feeling like a battle royale. Sometimes this card comes around reputation and family, but I often find it in my readings around the workplace, and workplace politics. This card shows a man bandaged, acknowledging that he has scars and bruises. This conflict hurts him. Remember scars grow on people who survive, not on the dead. It is a strange way to say something that is supposed to be positive, but the Nine of Wands acknowledges how hard won your successes are. It is often said, the war is not about winning, but about surviving. And in this case, there is a victory in still standing. But we also know more battles are coming. This man is a survivor. His defensiveness has helped him. He is ready or prepared. 

So, in the upright, Spirit reminds you that you should be defensive and ready for another battle. That standing up for yourself is an important aspect of this time. You have gone through a cycle of this, and are preparing for another cycle of it, but this time you are more prepared. If you are reading for someone's health, the Nine of Wands can indicate that the person is strengthening and fighting, and they are victorious about some aspect of a serious health crisis. When I read for chakras, I often see this card as a blocked heart chakra. And I often say to the person that this is a good thing. The heart is a gift you give to people. We must think of our vulnerability as a precious gift we only give to those who deserve it. So, to block the chakras to another can be very protective, and important. We must learn to shield our energies when we encounter someone unworthy of its value.

But this is the issues we encounter in the challenge position, or the reversed position. Is the defensiveness now working against you? We have all met defensive people, and it can be more than off-putting. It raises your own defenses. So, the reversed Nine of Wands tells us that our defensiveness is not longer serving our Highest Good. It also appears for those who are so bruised and scarred from the past, that they are unable to put their defenses down and trust another person. Not just the heart is blocked, but the entire chakra system from chakras 1-4 are blocked. The throat is not, however, which can mean that someone is getting into battle with their words, and no connection to their heart. See how dangerous that can be?

Let me know about your experience with the Nine of Wands, and what you think of these Tarot posts. I cannot believe I have been writing here for a year. Can you? Maybe I need a little blog celebration? Weeeeeee!! 

tarot of the week-six of wands

The Suit of Wands embodies those qualities we associate with fire and fire signs--passion, drive, ambition, showmanship, motivation, competition, charm and at the worst egotism, arrogance and pride. The Tarot constantly challenges us on the experiences we most fall into and most deeply rely upon. This is particularly so in the Six of Wands, the card of Victory. Not Empty Victories, like the Five of Swords, but triumph at its most pure--the hard-won. We see the rider through the crowd of Wands, undoubtedly, the wands of war, heralding his win. His head is crowned with laurels and he holds a Victory Wreath up high. It is sometimes said that this is the Victory over the Five, which is a card of conflict and drama. The Six marks the Victory of that battle.

But as with all good things, our Victory is short-lived in the reproaches of the Tarot. When coming on the heels of a challenge, this card marks a win, positive outcome, a victory. And if winning is everything, then this is a wonderful card for you. But the challenge here is to temper your wins and check yourself. It is undoubtedly positive. It just reminds you, quickly, thoroughly, to stay small. Remain humble. Embrace, not the victory march, but the tenacity, the stay-puttedness, and ambition, that gained  you the victory, not your adoring and admiring public.

Humility is not a quality known for those with fiery tendencies. I would dare say that most fire signs regard humility as an attribute of loss, a quality you grow out of suffering, but this card asks you to tap deeply into your wins, your pride, and your successes to find humility. Because this card could also be labeled the Card of Self-Aggrandizement. And so it warns that your pride could unravel the exact thing you are celebrating. Pride causes the imbalance and later the defeat you avoided earlier.

Make no mistake, the Six of Wands is a positive card of winning. It heralds wins in any endeavor, and so when someone seeks an answer, you can tell them with the Six of Wands that they have the tenacity and strength to win any competition. Any challenge is theirs to own. But remind them to watch their ego.

A great affirmation might be:

I embrace grace and dignity in all my endeavors.

tarot of the week--ace of wands

Welcome to the blog at the Moon + Stone! 

I thought this might be a great way to share some tarot wisdom and introduce you to some of the rich symbolism of the cards. I decide to randomly pick my Tarot of the Week. And by random, of course, I mean, banging out the deck, shuffling eight times, calling on my guides and angels. It is how I start any reading.

This week's card, the Ace of Wands, is the beginning of the suit of wands, and really the entire minor arcana. And so, aces are about new beginnings. Wands, sometimes called the Staffs or Clubs, is the suit of fire, so it is deeply creative, inspirational, passionate. When I say creative, I don't simply mean the arts, (though wands does govern the arts), but I mean the creative approach to our lives. For example, when we find wands coupled with other suits, like a boatload of pentacles, the earth sign, we might say that we need to start taking a more creative approach to our financial situation. 

Wands govern the astrological signs of Aries, Leo + Sagittarius, and so we see these passionate signs often revealed in our readings. If you have ever wondered why tarot readers ask you for your birthdate, it is so we can distinguish who is what in your reading. If you are a Leo woman, you might find the Queen of Wands shows up to help you understand that the reading is directed at your energy, not the energy of the person you are inquiring about. With wands, as with any suit, there are attributes which are seen as both positive and negative. Any fire sign probably knows these intuitively--Wands are self-motivated, dynamic, driven, bold, competitive, inspired, full of vision and will, but they also can be prideful, ego-driven, hot tempered, sometimes even rushing forward into action without planning.  

But what of our beautiful Ace of Wands? It is a new creative beginning, couple it with a sense of awe and action. Aces start the minor arcana of each suit, and all aces show a hand coming out of the heavens to present a gift to you.Think of it as manna...God is blessing you with a creative fire to manifest  your dreams. It is no mistake I pulled this card for my first blog post on my new business page! This is most certainly a creative beginning and a new adventure.

But the aces do more than just kick off a project, they can help you confirm that the path you are currently on is exactly where you are supposed to be. So, the culmination of luck and skill come together when the Ace is present. It might feel like you are driving down a street with all green lights when the Ace comes, because the Universe is helping you achieve your goal here. Wands are about movement, so if you are still in the planning phase,  this card comes to help you move thought into action. All the energies of the universe are behind  you. It is time of action, so this card can come when your planning has been done and now it is time to GET TO IT!

So, what happens with the Ace of Wands is reversed? It can mean you are drawing out the negative aspects of the Wands--being too ego-filled or pushy with a new project. It warns you to be realistic and know your limitations. Mostly, though, aces are always seen as positives in your reading. A true blessing from God, and the Universe. If there was a meditation on this card, it would be: "I fearlessly express my authentic self."

I'd love to hear your thoughts about this Tarot Card of the Week, and welcome any questions.