Seven of Wands At A Glance
Keywords: Maintenance, control, defense, creating structure and boundaries, protecting self, surrender, accepting defeat, yielding to power struggles
Season: Summer
Element: Fire (creativity, passion and will power)
Seven of Wands Tarot Card Description
The Seven of Wands is a minor arcana card and the seventh within the suit of Wands in the Rider Waite Smith system of tarot. The original depiction of this card shows a man atop a hill holding a wand angled toward the ground as if he is about to stake it in the ground amongst the other wands.
Together these total seven wands staked protectively all around him. He appears to be sweating and in the midst of his hard work in order to build a fence around him with the wands.This is a very clear show of protective behavior that maintain his safety and status quo.
We cannot see what exactly he is building a protective barrier around so we can assume it is just himself within the fence. This can suggest that at this time he feels a strong need to protect himself and his future prospects. This is the fundamental essence and advice behind the Seven of Wands card.
Seven of Wands Upright Meaning
When we receive the Seven of Wands in a reading and the artwork is upright when the card is flipped over then we can understand that the universe or whatever powers we personally believe in are guiding us now to protect that which we care for most.
It can suggest that we may need to enforce stricter boundaries around our time, energy and any other resources that we value.
It means that we may need to work hard until these tasks are done to their absolute completion. Like the man in the card we may be tired, sweating and back aching but we must continue to work hard in order to maintain all that we have worked for previously. It is a reminder not to rest on our laurels at this time because our position is not so secure yet.
In this way the Seven of Wands upright is quite a simple card with a strong set of clear actions that can be followed depending on the specifics of the question asked during the reading (more on that in the paragraphs below.)
“It always seems impossible until it is done.” - Nelson Mandela
Seven of Wands Reversed Meaning
When the Seven of Wands faces us with its artwork upside down it is not as cut and dry as it is when upright. There is a lot more nuance and variation applied depending on the reader’s particular situation. The answer or advice of this card can fluctuate greatly based on exactly what and even how the reader has asked their question.
The Seven of Wands reversed could have very different meanings if for example the question is money related than it would for a love related question. For this reason it is hard to give a general meaning for the reversed aspect of the 7 of Wands.
It often centers loosely around themes of giving up, surrendering to a stronger force/power or failing to implement protective measures and boundaries within an adequate amount of time.
“A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn.” - Helen Keller
Seven of Wands: Yes or No
The Seven of Wands is a no card. Regardless of whether upright or reversed the message is the same: the reader is not prepared enough to take this on now. What would be required of the reader (their hard work, time and resources) will not be enough for them to have success in this.
We are reminded that more opportunities will come in the future and the reader could use this feeling of frustrated FOMO (fear of missing out) to motivate themselves to be properly prepared for the next inbound opportunity.
Let’s Break Down the Seven of Wands In Our Lives
How the Seven of Wands changes based on common types of questions we may have asked. With particular attention to how varied the reversed meanings can be.
Seven of Wands In Love
The Seven of Wands in love readings can suggest finding an equal who both challenges and reassures us. This can be platonically or romantically inclined but it suggests a strong desire by one or both members to preserve and protect the relationship.
It can look different to different people, for instance it may be declarations of love or it could be very practical in the form of written agreements/contracts. It suggests both people involved taking measured steps to ensure the success of their relationship.
Reversed the Seven of Wands may suggest an over-protective or jealous lover. There may be an uneven power dynamic within the relationship causing friction, bickering and unrest.
The advice of the Seven of Wands reversed when applied to such love readings is to try to eliminate the uneven power dynamic as much as possible. Both people need to feel equally valued if the relationship is to succeed.
Seven of Wands With Money
To receive the Seven of Wands in response to financial queries suggests a need to prioritize actions that are most conducive to financial success and security. These likely won’t be the fun or flashy things we want to do or the tasks we most enjoy. But they are the ones that serve us.
This can look like filing a tax return within plenty of time or perhaps creating a budget or financial plan, to give just a few examples.
Reversed the Seven of Wands hints that we are failing to implement measures that adequately protect our finances. There could be potential money loss due to a lack of boundaries or structure like failing to create and then stick to a financial budget.
Or there could be sudden theft or loss of our personal assets due to a failure to insure/safeguard them in time
Seven of Wands At Work
The 7 of Wands in relation to career based questions is a positive card. It speaks of feeling like a deeply valued member of the team. This means we are maintaining balanced and professional working relationships with our colleagues and everyone works together in good faith to create a strong team and a pleasant work environment.
It can also remind us to take a little extra time to check our work remains at a very high quality and be diligent not to become complacent with our work.
Reversed the Seven of Wands can denote a power struggle or uneven power dynamic within the workplace that is leading to severe dysfunction and toxicity at work. It may not involve us directly and yet it impacts us greatly. We may feel powerless to stop this drama and must reach out for help regarding this matter.
Seven of Wands With Others
When we receive the Seven of Wands regarding questions about our external world and people in general it can mean we should consider creating boundaries around our time and energy for our mental wellness. It is not saying that others mean us harm or intend to drain us but living in a busy and loud world can do this to us without us noticing until it is almost too late.
We may need to take a step back and retreat within ourselves for a short while in order to recuperate our energy. Then when we do interact with others we should be firm with sticking with the boundaries that best serve us to keep our energy intact so it devolve into chronicle fatigue again.
Reversed the Seven of Wands suggests a lack of protecting our boundaries can lead to being taken advantage of in social groups and/or with certain family members. There may have been someone who took much more than we could spare and it completely up-ended our lives.
This can take the form of emotionally blackmailing us into reluctantly agreeing to something we didn’t want to do or constantly disregarding our concerns. This card suggests the boundary has already been crossed and we must now violently hold fast to them.
Seven of Wands With Self
The Seven of Wands in regards to the self or our own internal based queries could be suggesting that there is a current need for us to hold ourselves accountable to the goals that we previously set. It can be asking us to adapt them or maybe to dig deeper and work harder on them.
We may need to be our own cheerleader or give ourselves some leeway. Though we might not enjoy the idea of it most of us thrive when we have a sense of structure and routine and are better able to stick with it.
Reversed the Seven of Wands can mean we are being far too rigid in our goals and this is squashing them and hampering the results.
As counter-intuitive as it may feel for us the answer might be to surrender to the inevitability of an unpredictable outcome and adapt to change after the fact.
Seven of Wands As Feelings
The Seven of Wands feels like a deep rooted sense of urgency to protect our loved ones, assets and resources.
The threat may be obvious or less so but we are draw to performing actions that preserve our quality of life.
