1. Tarot
2. Card meanings
3. Nine of Wands

Minor Arcana · Wands

Nine of Wands

• strength in opposition
• delay
• suspension

Upright meaning

Strength in opposition: the steady watchfulness of someone who has come a long way. Waite also notes delay and suspension, a pause before the next step.

Reversed meaning

Reversed, Waite gives obstacles. A prompt to ask for support rather than standing guard alone.

• obstacles

Symbolism

A man leans on his staff with an expectant look, eight more staves behind him like a fence.

Group

Minor Arcana · Wands

Element, astrology

Not given by Waite, so we give none

Source

Our own plain-English summary of A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (London: Rider, 1911), Part III §2 (The Lesser Arcana). The keywords are Waite’s own words. Waite’s fortune-telling lists also contain harsher terms; we keep to the reflective readings he gives and never state an event as certain.

Tarot is a tool for reflection, not a prediction of fixed outcomes. This is not medical, legal or financial advice.