Diference between 5 of wands and 9 of wands.

[fallingstarheart]

So I just got the five of wands as something that I have to do in order to achieve a goal, but the nine of wands showed as something I do not have to do.

The five of wands is a card of competition while the nine also is, while the nine of wands would be survival after strugle and the five is competition itself.

Should I consider the nine of wands as an indicator of just holding grounds while the five more representative of the struggle itself?

EDIT: What I really ment to say is the nine of wands is something I should NOT do.

[Carla]

I would say these cards indicate that you can expect some healthy competition, but that you do not have to worry about defending yourself from underhand schemes or sneak attacks.

[fallingstarheart]

Thanks Carla. One mystake I did is saying the nine of wands is something I do not need to do. What I really ment is something I should not do, this is why I'm confused.

[EyeAmEye]

Five Of Wands - be ready to face some challenges but nothing overly serious/strenuous. It's a good healthy kind of competition.


Nine Of Wands - don't over exert yourself. It won't be necessary. The Nine is about the last ditch effort in the face of failure that puts you over the top. When you think you can't go on, you find it in yourself to continue. You won't have to have this mindset or effort in order to succeed in this situation.

[CrystalSeas]

Originally Posted by fallingstarheart

So I just got the five of wands as something that I have to do in order to achieve a goal
EDIT: What I really meant to say is the nine of wands is something I should NOT do.

Five Wands indicates you'll have to struggle to get to the goal.
Nine Wands indicates you should not let that struggle leave you defensive and ready to fight when it's not necessary.

So, while you'll have a lot of rivals and people trying to keep you from reaching your goal, you shouldn't maintain your adversarial attitude after you've reached it.

[Thirteen]

Originally Posted by fallingstarheart

So I just got the five of wands as something that I have to do in order to achieve a goal, but the nine of wands showed as something I do not have to do.

Watch that you don't sabotage yourself. See, 5/wands is very much competition between peers, often friendly competition or at least not fatal. They fight with staves, not swords. You'll note in the 9/Wands rider image, however, that our guy is not under attack; he's been under attack, and now is on guard because of it. Thus, the 9/Wands is really about getting through that last nervous night on watch. This is the attitude that you have to "not" have about the coming competition as compared to the 5/Wands, which is the attitude you should have.

If, like the guy in the 9/Wands you look at the upcoming battle as do-or-die, yourself as the underdog fighting for your life, rather than "it's just a competition and I'm on par with everyone else," (i.e, you are as good as them), then you'll sabotage yourself. You'll enter it full of worries, fears, jumpiness, even feelings of "I can't do this! I give up!" Or you just may over compensate and go too far.

Thus, be realistic about this competition. Don't go into it as if you need to kill or be killed.

[willowfox]

Originally Posted by fallingstarheart

So I just got the five of wands as something that I have to do in order to achieve a goal, but the nine of wands showed as something I do not have to do.

***5 wands indicates the need to fight, while the 9 wands indicates that you must not act in a defensive way. In other words attack head on as it suggests the need to be highly competitive and do not pause until the goal has been achieved.

[EyeAmEye]

Wouldn't the 7 of Wands be more of a "defensive" card than the 9?

[Thirteen]

Originally Posted by EyeAmEye

Wouldn't the 7 of Wands be more of a "defensive" card than the 9?

The 9/Wands is protective, which is a kind of "defense." The guard is on the alert, worried that the fort might come under attack as it has in the past. Technically, this isn't "defense" as there is no attack happening--it is being on watch, on your guard.

The 7/Wands is certainly the "defend!" card as the person *is* under attack and *is* defending themselves quite aggressively.

The 5/Wands is actually more a matter of attack rather than defend--you attack and fight in order to win the title, to come out on top. That's true of any fighting contest from boxing to Karate: you want to be the one making the other guy defend himself, not the one on the defense.

[YDM42]

One is offensive, the other is defensive, and the last is guarded or on guard.

5 if on the offensive, and competitive, in the stance that it takes against a perceived threat.

7 is wholly defensive in a stance it takes towards a perceived threat and it may issue a challenge, but unlike the 5 where the person is going through the motions, 7 has more at stake here.

9 of Wands has even more at stake, and is unwilling to risk it at all,(not even for a fight of defense) therefore guarding, (no action)-- or taking the stance of guardian of whats important.

I see it as a progression and maturity at how we intently handle perceived threats in our lives.
It's an intention card vs action some times. "(a stance we take)