← Encyclopedia of Tarot · lesson 29/121
Seven of Wands
The Seven of Wands is the card of defending what you have gained. Success brings challengers, and here one person stands alone against several. It speaks of courage, persistence and conviction — of holding a position because you believe in it, even when you are outnumbered.
The image
A young man stands on a rocky rise, brandishing a staff, while six other staves are raised towards him from below. In the Rider–Waite–Smith card he wears two different shoes, a detail often read as a sign that he was caught off guard. The high ground is the key symbol: he is under pressure, but he has the better position.
Upright
It tends to describe a challenge to be met with resolve: competition at work, criticism to answer, a belief or boundary to defend. Waite calls it "a card of valour", adding that "the combatant is on the top". He also gives it to discussion, debate and business rivalry. The card usually encourages standing firm rather than retreating.
Reversed
Reversed, it is often read as feeling overwhelmed, giving way under pressure, or defending something long after it is worth defending. Waite lists "perplexity, embarrassments, anxiety" and "a caution against indecision". Some readers do not use reversals.
Correspondences
A pip of the Wands, element Fire. In the Golden Dawn system, which most English-language decks follow, it is Mars in the third decan of Leo, 20°–30°, and sits in Netzach, victory, on the Tree of Life. The Golden Dawn titled it the Lord of Valour.
In a reading
In the past it can show a time someone held their ground; as an obstacle, constant defensiveness; as advice, to trust one's position and not yield too soon. With the Nine of Wands it is often read as long, wearing resistance; with Strength, courage held with composure.
In astrology
The Golden Dawn's correspondences, which most English-language decks follow (French, Marseille-based tradition differs for some Major Arcana).
Element: Fire — the element of Aries, Leo and Sagittarius
Mode: Fixed — Leo is a fixed sign