Nine of Wands — Strength is a card of the Minor Arcana, suit of Wands in the Thoth Tarot. In a reading it speaks of strength, health, endurance and recharging. In the Golden Dawn system it corresponds to the sephirah Yesod, the element Fire and Moon in Sagittarius in astrology.
strength · health · endurance · recharging · perseverance
What does Nine of Wands mean?
You have the resources to carry on: your staying power is greater than you think. Change does not weaken you, it recharges you.
Everyday meaning
Strength, health, physical and moral energy. It points to the ability to withstand and recover thanks to solid inner resources, and to a well-defended position.
Psychological meaning
Inner stability that comes from accepting your own rhythms; trust in a vitality that regenerates after every effort.
Initiatic meaning
Fire in Yesod, the Foundation, with the Moon in Sagittarius in the second decan: the arrow of aspiration finds a stable base in the lunar rhythm. Strength is energy that renews itself cyclically, sustained by the alternation of Sun and Moon.
The shadow side
Ill-dignified, it signals obstinacy, mistrust, defensive rigidity, suspicion toward anyone who approaches.
Nine of Wands reversed
The Thoth Tarot is traditionally read without reversed cards: the reader judges from the cards around it whether a card is well or ill dignified. This is its ill-dignified or blocked reading:
Tiredness, excessive defences, mistrust; a need for rest and regeneration before the next effort.
Nine of Wands in love, work and spirit
In love
A solid relationship that has come through trials; take care not to experience the other person as a threat.
At work and career
Perseverance, the ability to bear pressure, recovery after a difficult period.
In spiritual practice
Strength as harmony between the lunar and solar cycles of inner energy.
Kabbalah, astrology and the Hebrew letter of Nine of Wands
Yesod · Fire · Moon in Sagittarius
Crowley on Nine of Wands
Nine arrows, eight crossed and a larger one in the centre, carry the Sun and the Moon at their ends: strength is born from their harmonious alternation.
Frequently asked questions
What does Nine of Wands mean in the Thoth Tarot?
You have the resources to carry on: your staying power is greater than you think. Change does not weaken you, it recharges you.
What does Nine of Wands mean in love?
A solid relationship that has come through trials; take care not to experience the other person as a threat.
What does Nine of Wands mean for work and career?
Perseverance, the ability to bear pressure, recovery after a difficult period.
What does Nine of Wands mean reversed?
The Thoth Tarot is traditionally read without reversed cards: the reader judges from the cards around it whether a card is well or ill dignified. This is its ill-dignified or blocked reading: Tiredness, excessive defences, mistrust; a need for rest and regeneration before the next effort.
What are the Kabbalah and astrology correspondences of Nine of Wands?
In the Golden Dawn system Nine of Wands corresponds to the sephirah Yesod, the element Fire and Moon in Sagittarius in astrology.
