I’ve written interpretations for every card in the Wild Unknown Tarot. As the box of the deck states, there are no rights or wrongs. These are simply my perspectives on the tarot card meanings. I hope you find them useful!
Click here for a directory of all posts in my Wild Unknown series.
Creator’s Keywords: courage against odds
Carrie’s Keywords: conviction, defiance
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Seven of Wands Tarot Card Meanings in the Wild Unknown
One wand stands ablaze above its companions. The flame radiates a white light, piercing through the surrounding darkness. The six remaining wands lean away from the central wand. They seem taken aback by this sudden display of pyrotechnics. The only colors in the card are the orange and red of the flame, the colors of primal and instinctive energy.
There are times to rise above adversity peacefully with your head held high, as we saw in the previous card. But this card reminds us that there are also times when you need to let loose a surge of adrenaline. Sometimes you’ve got to ignite your fighting spirit. Sometimes you’ve got to stand up fiercely, defy the status quo and declare what you will (and will NOT) stand for.
We all have our limits with how much we’ll put up with. The Seven of Wands wants you to learn not to take any shit. Don’t be silenced. Don’t give up. Don’t sit quietly by doing what everyone else is doing. Be brave and bright, be engulfed by your true power!
However, it’s also important not to light up like a fire cracker only to have your adrenaline rapidly fizzle out. The Seven of Wands shows a sort of fight or flight mentality. It’s a quick burst of conviction – just monitor your energy carefully to make sure you don’t crash and burn.
Seven of Wands Tarot Card Meanings in General
At it’s best, the Seven of Wands is associated with a healthy stubbornness. Doing meaningful things requires conviction. The imagery for my deck, the Spacious Tarot, has some similarities to the Wild Unknown. The Seven of Wands shows a sort of spiritual ‘whack a mole’ game where things keep coming up and you need to maintain the presence and passion to deal with them. In the Waite-Smith tarot version, a person stands in a defensive posture. He holds one wand and is fending off six others.
Perhaps this level of adrenaline is necessary for now, but as mentioned above, the energy of this card is not always sustainable. Part of your self-discovery is trusting when it is time to burst forward and defy all hurdles… but also trusting when your energy is better spent elsewhere.
In a reading
Sometimes this card asks you to consider the age old question: what’s really worth fighting for? There are times when you are tasked with simply going with the flow of life, but the Seven of Wands reminds you that sometimes you need to go against the grain and be assertive!
In her book Learning the Tarot, Joan Bunning mentions that this card can indicate either attacking OR defending. Both of these can be wise expenditures of energy when they are truly in alignment. Your task is to determine how to use these energies effectively and with integrity.
Hi, I'm Carrie!
I'm a tarot reader and mentor. My purpose is to encourage your expansion. If you're new, start here.
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I love your interpretations. This is exactly the thing I needed to read this morning too. I have felt my flame incredibly stifled lately but have been a little scared that fanning the flames will result in an episode of spontaneous combustion that might freak out everyone around me (and maybe even myself). There’s a lot of light that wants out but I sometimes feel the need to monitor the rate I let it out at so it doesn’t shine too fiercely. I feel like this card gives me permission to let loose and burn bright. Thanks for sharing 🙂
🙂 🙂 Thank you for the comment!
I love the way you interpret these cards. Can’t wait to have my own copy. your blog will be a welcome addition to the little leaflet that comes with the deck
How exciting, Ellen, I hope you adore the deck as much as I do!
I visit your page so often. It is written in a way I can easily relate-down to earth and easy to digest. Thank you for your valuable insights.
I visit your site several times a week and appreciate your down to earth and dialed in interpretations. Thank you so much.
I love your interpretation. What you say about the fight or flight moment this image evokes reminds me of the fairy tale The Little Match Girl–lots of layers here.