The Suit of Wands represents our inner life force or vitality, our creative urges, libidinal energy, and the task of bringing our authentic inner selves out into the world. This suit speaks to the challenge of maintaining our inner flame so that it doesn’t become extinguished by the demands or projections of others or the voice of our own inner critic. As one of the four suits of the tarot deck’s Minor Arcana, its function is to describe the way that we externalize, channel, and manage our energy, unlike the Major Arcana which reflects spiritual lessons to be integrated.
An abundance of Wands cards in a tarot reading indicates a focus on what you’re building in the world and the demands that this work makes on your energy. The Wands cards describe a concern with developing the self-confidence necessary in order to take risks and creatively realize one’s dreams, as well as the ability to persevere through challenges and confront opposition from others or from oneself.
The Wands are connected to the element of fire and to passion, enthusiasm, vitality, and creative manifestation. They represent the ways that our energy can be channeled toward expansive ends or become stagnant due to self-doubt, scattered focus, or haste. Through the development of the suit, the Wands illustrate the ways that we can externalize our life force by cultivating our talents, creative visions, and drive.
Suit of Wands: Key Attributes
The key attributes of the Wands cards include creativity, vitality, enthusiasm, self-confidence, motivation, and expansion.
Positive traits: The positive qualities associated with the Wands cards are the cultivation of healthy self-confidence and pride, the desire to realize one’s creative ideas, the possibility of achievement and acclaim, an expanded sense of self and possibility, unapologetically taking up space, relational charm and charisma, and creative manifestation.
Negative traits: The negative qualities associated with the Wands cards are self-doubt, a preoccupation with the future, visions of grandeur, pushing past one’s limits, creative conflicts, defensiveness, the presence of heavy burdens, difficulty asking for help or delegating responsibilities, lack of self-confidence, scattered energy, or hasty decisions.
Correspondences: The Wands cards are connected to the fire signs of the Zodiac: Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius, which are associated with taking bold initiative, independence, creative self-expression, and the desire for expansion through journeys of the mind, body, and spirit.
Suit of Wands Tarot Card Meanings
The Suit of Wands includes nine numbered cards (Ace to 9) and four court cards. Within the Suit of Wands, each card has a specific meaning, which is outlined below:
Ace of Wands
The Ace of Wands upright indicates a creative breakthrough, an impassioned new idea, or an exciting new opportunity that holds great potential. The Ace of Wands reversed suggests that you’re having trouble connecting to your imagination or inspiration because you’re feeling blocked, frustrated, or disconnected from your creative flow.
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Two of Wands
The Two of Wands speaks to a growing awareness of a grand vision and the desire to map out a strategy towards the attainment of a cherished goal. The Two of Wands reversed can speak to a persistent focus on the future at the expense of being in the present moment.
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Three of Wands
The Three of Wands upright signifies a time of reviewing your progress, appreciating your accomplishments, and looking to the future to dream about where you want to go next. The Three of Wands reversed can indicate that you’re struggling with the fear of the unknown, self-doubt, or venturing outside of your comfort zone.
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Four of Wands
The Four of Wands upright heralds a time of celebration and joy and asks you to reflect on and honor the milestones in your life, whether big or small. The Four of Wands reversed suggests you may be denying yourself the opportunity to enjoy moments of rest and pleasure.
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Five of Wands
The Five of Wands upright indicates a period of competitive conflict with others as each person tries to assert themselves and have their voices heard by the group. The Five of Wands reversed can signal that you may be suppressing feelings of anger out of a desire to avoid conflict.
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Six of Wands
The Six of Wands symbolizes success, public acclaim, and recognition for your work, as well as the feeling of self-confidence and pride in your achievements. The reversed Six of Wands can symbolize being overly concerned with the pursuit of external recognition and the need to re-align your goals with a deeper purpose.
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Seven of Wands
The Seven of Wands suggests that you are facing opposition to your views, your success, or your position from either external forces or from your inner critic. The Seven of Wands reversed may represent a feeling of exhaustion from fighting a long battle and a desire to find a compromise or new solutions.
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Eight of Wands
The Eight of Wands upright signals that what you’ve been desiring to bring to life is on its way and to cultivate trust that what you’ve set in motion has taken flight. The Eight of Wands reversed represents stalled momentum to a project or a fear of change that creates inner roadblocks.
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Nine of Wands
The Nine of Wands upright suggests an attitude of hard-won resilience, courage, and the strength to defend oneself against encroaching forces, whether internal or external. The Nine of Wands reversed can indicate the feeling of having one’s boundaries impinged upon by others or a tendency to be emotionally guarded.
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Ten of Wands
The Ten of Wands upright suggests the feeling of being weighed down by the challenges of life due to many different responsibilities and obligations. The reversed Ten of Wands can indicate that your responsibilities have become too burdensome, leaving you feeling burnt out and in need of assistance or re-prioritization.
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Page of Wands
The upright Page of Wands symbolizes a new beginning or chapter of life and speaks to the energy and enthusiasm that drives you to take on a new venture. The reversed Page of Wands can indicate that you’re feeling impatient with your progress toward a goal or are questioning your direction forward.
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Knight of Wands
The Knight of Wands upright symbolizes a feeling of passionate enthusiasm for a new venture and the desire to take action to realize your ideals and goals. The reversed Knight of Wands can signify that your energy has become scattered due to a sense of excited urgency that drives you in many different directions.
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Queen of Wands
The upright Queen of Wands symbolizes self-confidence, creative self-expression, and a natural ability to relate to others with charisma and warmth. The Queen of Wands reversed suggests that you’re hiding your authentic self from others due to the fear of rejection or out of a concern for what others will think.
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King of Wands
The King of Wands upright speaks to your ability to successfully shape your dreams, ambitions, and creative visions into tangible forms in the material world. The King of Wands reversed can indicate that you have big creative goals but are doubting your ability to bring them into existence.
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