Seven and nine of wands

Aoife

I find it very hard to differentiate between these two cards.

I can see that the 7 seems to be about having courage, garnering and directing energy to move forward. Whereas the 9 suggests a more cautious appraisal, garnering and holding back energy, having resilience and the patience to hold out until the time is 'more right'.

My problem is - these issues are so similar - they offer a spectrum of advice that could apply to both or either card in a given situation - so they've become almost interchangeable in my head.

I would welcome your insights.
 

Tarotphelia

The 7 of Wands is a card of victory over obstacles, while the 9 of Wands is about defense , fear, & guardianship .

In the 7 (using RW imagery) the man has no wands around to defend,- he is fighting them off & winning.

Tarotphelia
 

Belladonna

In my experience, the seven is about seizing control of a situation and the 9 is about "if at first your don't succeed, try, try again."
 

jema

i often see the 9 wands as a card about creating space. making room for yourself - a room of your own so to speak. both in a very physical way but also in terms of time and to take yourself seriously - to speak up for yourself and demand respect and to take your own dreams seriously too, do you want to write a book and everyone tells you how hard it is? and you believe them? and so you don't really sit down and write that book you just dream about it - the 9 wands tell you to deal with the situation and make the effort to turn it into reality.

perhaps a bit of an unconventional view of 9 wands?
well, it works for me:)
 

Thirteen

Originally posted by Tarotphelia The 7 of Wands is a card of victory over obstacles, while the 9 of Wands is about defense , fear, & guardianship .

Um, but isn't 6/wands more "Victory"? 7/Wands doesn't promise you'll win, merely that you'll put your back to the wall and fight.

AOIFE: You've been offered some really good insites--I especially like Jema's idea of 9/wands as space. But you know, your original assessment was pretty dead on: the difference is in how energy is used. With 7, you're embattled, overwhelmed--so you fight back with all the energy in you. Fierce, desperate energy--you're not going to give up!

"No surrender!" says 7/Wands, or "You'll never take me alive, coppers!"

9/wands, on the other hand, suggests exhaustion, a profound desire to surrender. You WANT to give up, but you've got to hold out, protect the fort for this one last night. If attacked, you may end up doing a 7/wands. But right now, you're reserving your energy, trying to just stay on your feet till morning--trying to not toss down that wand, and walk out with hands raised, "I give up! Take it, it's yours!"

I would add that 9/wands also suggests to me that success, or achiving a goal, is very near--if the person can hold out. Whereas with 7/wands, the results are still up in the air. You can hold your ground, never give up, but that doesn't mean you'll win in the end. In certain layouts, 7/Wands might even suggest that a person is wrong for not giving in. Afterall, people were willing to fight and die to keep schools segregated--to oppose integration. I'm sure they felt as embattled as any 7/Swords, as willing to stand their ground--but that didn't make them right nor, in the end, victorious.
 

XLCR

Just wondering...

has anyone ever associated the 9 of wands with jealousy or possesiveness- protecting whats yours, defending territory?
 

Thirteen

Re: Just wondering...

XLCR said:
has anyone ever associated the 9 of wands with jealousy or possesiveness- protecting whats yours, defending territory?

Sure, why not. It fits just fine.
 

Inana

This is a very simple look, but usually works fine for me with the RW, so maybe it helps you:

7 of wands is about fighting exterior conflicts, hard situations that you find and facing them the best way you can.

9 of wands is about facing your own fears related with the current situation (wich usually is not easy). Is more about inner demons and insecurities.
If you look at this card there is no visible menace, only a lot of wands stacked on the ground and that guy looking afraid. While in the seven you can see the wands are really pointing to him.
 

koulla

Belladonna said:
In my experience, the seven is about seizing control of a situation and the 9 is about "if at first your don't succeed, try, try again."
in my humble opinion, the seven is about standing ur ground, firm iin ur beliefs, fighting like a trooper to eliminate all obstacles that stand in ur way, you succeed, hence the eight of wands when everything picks up a pace, and starts falling into place, then the nine, a soldier, tired of fighting, weary of everything and everyone around him, was it all worth it, he is the Hermit after all, weary of battle and looking for direction,