Seven of Wands Tarot Card Meaning: Upright, Reversed, Love & Yes or No

Upright meaning

Keywords: Courage · Holding your ground · Competition · The high ground · Mental strength

A man stands on a hilltop, using a single wand to fend off six wands rising up from below. He's outnumbered, but he took the high ground first, so he's hard to knock down. You may be facing plenty of pushback right now, but you're already holding up better than you think. Don't rush to get it over with. Standing firm where you are is how you win this one.

Love

Right now your work and your own position are taking up more of your attention than romance. If you're single, you might like someone but feel tempted to back off because of a rival. If you're in a relationship, try not to push only your own view. Hear your partner out fully.

Relationships

Opinions are clashing a lot at the moment. Standing your ground is fine, but if all you care about is winning, it'll turn into an argument.

Career & study

Expect plenty of situations where you're up against someone: competition, negotiations, interviews. If you hold steady and trust your preparation, you'll end up with the upper hand.

Money

This is less about easy money coming in and more about protecting what you have. If there's a deal or price to negotiate, don't back down easily. State your terms clearly.

Mind & wellbeing

You're going through a stretch of days where you're holding on with your guard up. Your mental strength is solid, but your shoulders are tense, so take breaks to stretch and loosen up.

As a person

Someone with a strong sense of responsibility who sticks to the plan. Once they've decided something, they see it through, but they can be stubborn and don't always listen to others.

As someone's feelings

They don't want to lose you, but they also don't want to be the first to show vulnerability. They're acting tough on the outside so their feelings don't show.

What to do

Pick one ongoing conflict and write down, in a single line, the boundary you absolutely need to keep. Once that line is clear, everything else will shake you less.

Watch out for

If all your energy goes into defending yourself, it can come across as stubbornness. Be especially careful not to try to control the people closest to you.

Reversed meaning

Keywords: Exhaustion · Wanting to give up · Overwhelm · Overdefensiveness · Hesitation

The man in the picture is alone on a hilltop, fending off six wands. Reversed, he's been holding on so long that his arms are giving out. You may be worn out from trying to defend everything single-handedly, to the point where you just want to let it all go. Don't try to protect it all. Keep only what truly matters.

Love

You've been working so hard to protect the relationship that your heart is tired. If you're in a relationship, you may get defensive at the smallest comment, which wears you both down. If you're single, ask yourself whether fear of getting hurt again is making you shut out people who are trying to get close.

Relationships

Right now even a passing comment can feel like an attack. You don't need to fight every battle. Choose which remarks to simply let go.

Career & study

Tasks and competition are piling up all at once, and it feels like too much. Putting off decisions will only make things harder, so start by deciding what to drop and what to hold on to.

Money

You're on edge trying to keep spending in check, yet the decisions that really matter keep getting pushed back. For now, protecting only the money you truly need is wiser than taking on anything new.

Mind & wellbeing

Holding on with your guard up for so long has left you anxious and drained. Don't push through by cutting back on sleep. Set aside proper time to rest.

As a person

Someone so responsible that they take everything on themselves. Right now they're worn out and on edge, and they tend to get wary even when someone offers to help.

As someone's feelings

They're feeling very drained in this relationship with you. It's not that they don't care, but they're unsure whether they have the strength to keep going.

What to do

List everything you're currently holding on to, then cross out one thing you'll let go of this week. After that, reach out to one person you can ask for help.

Watch out for

If you keep putting off decisions because you're exhausted, things will only get more tangled. At the same time, be careful not to throw it all away in a moment of frustration.

Symbols in the picture

A young man stands on a hilltop, holding off six wands rising from below with a single wand of his own. It's six against one, but he holds the higher ground, so he won't be pushed back easily.

• The Young Man Standing His Ground. He stands with his feet planted wide, his body turned toward the wands below. Waite called this a card of valour. This is someone who won't back down, even when he's on his own. When this card appears, it reads as 'this is a moment when I have to defend my own place.'
  Reversed: The man who stood so firmly is now worn out just from staying on his feet. He's spent all his strength blocking everything alone, so step back and catch your breath first.
• The Wand Gripped in Both Hands. He holds a single wand crosswise in both hands, pushing it out in front of him. This is a defensive stance, not an attack. It means holding on to your views and your position all the way. It's a sign that even if others disagree, you need to state your opinion clearly at least once.
  Reversed: The wand clutched in both hands is now being used to block every word that comes in. Check whether you're pushing away even the advice meant to help you.
• Six Wands Rising from Below. At the bottom of the card, six wands thrust upward toward the man. These are the rivalries, arguments and objections that test you. The people holding them can't be seen. If comments are coming at you from every direction, it means you can answer them one at a time.
  Reversed: The six wands feel like they're coming all at once instead of one by one. Don't try to fend off all of them. Pick the most urgent one and deal with that first.
• The High Ground of the Hill. He stands on top of a rugged hill, while the wands are lower down. This is what Waite called 'the advantage of position.' You may be outnumbered, but where you stand supports you. You already have skill and experience built up, so there's no need to be afraid.
  Reversed: You're standing on the hilltop but can't feel how much that ground supports you. You're selling short the skills you've already built.
• The Mismatched Shoes. He's wearing a different kind of shoe on each foot. It's a sign the fight began before he was fully ready. Some also read it as unsteady footing. Don't wait until you're perfectly prepared. Face things with what you have right now.
  Reversed: The mismatched shoes keep him hesitating over where to put his feet. You keep putting off decisions because you feel you're not ready yet.
• The Face Looking Down. He has his head lowered, looking straight at the wands below. This is the attitude of facing your opponent head-on instead of avoiding them. He's tense, but he has no intention of running. The more uncomfortable the conversation, the more you should bring it up directly instead of talking around it.
  Reversed: His eyes on the wands are drifting toward his own worries more than the people in front of him. You're fighting battles in your head over things that haven't even happened yet.
• The Low Hills and Sky Behind. Behind him, low hills and an open sky stretch out. There's still plenty of open land beyond the place he's defending now. Once you get through this rough patch, many more paths will open up for you.
  Reversed: There's a wide sky at his back, but he's so focused on the wands in front that he can't see it. Even if you give up this one spot, there are still plenty of places to go.