Nine of Wands tarot card from the Simply Tarot deck

Nine of Wands Tarot Card Meaning

The Tired One

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Vigilance • Endurance • Boundaries

The Nine of Wands is the card of struggling on! You’re tired and exhausted having worked long and hard to get to this point. You are near to completing your journey, to achieving your goal, don’t give up now. You have the strength and determination to clear this last hurdle.

The Subject could be at the end of their tether with a situation they feel should already have come to an end. The Nine of Wands is the penultimate step in the Subject's journey but they don’t feel they have the energy to carry on. Whilst they're facing incredibly high expectations, they should have faith that they have the capacity to see things through. no, it has been a long and hard journey, but it would be a shame to give up now.

The Subject would benefit from looking at this situation as if it were the last leg of a race, where the sprint at the end could win the race, rather than slowing down towards the tape. This last task or obstacle is not a deal breaker. There are people around the Subject that believe in them, and who can offer support and encouragement if they know it is needed, or the Subject should be encouraged to summon up the strength from deep within to overcome this last hurdle.

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Love & Relationships

Weariness lingers beneath the surface, even where love still exists. Someone may be protecting themselves so carefully that intimacy struggles to reach them fully anymore. Survival instincts are difficult to silence once the heart has learned disappointment too many times.

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Material Life

Weariness settles deeply into the body here. Someone has carried responsibility, pressure or survival anxiety for so long that even rest begins feeling temporary rather than restorative. Endurance keeps the structure standing, though the cost of remaining constantly guarded grows heavier by the day.

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Notes from the Artist

Nine Wands differ in height suggesting that some energy is waning and growth is being affected. The Wands are rooted and budding which suggests there is still the promise of success, and the circle of flames flickers with energy, but something is needed to keep the Wands growing apace together.

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From the archive

The Original Artwork, Reimagined

Before Nine of Wands became part of the Simply Tarot collection you see today, it was drawn and painted by hand for the original 2011 Tarot House Deck. The style has evolved, but the meaning and character of the card remain at its heart.

Original hand-painted Nine of Wands tarot card by Patricia House from the 2011 Tarot House Deck — 2011 **Original 2011 artwork Nine of Wands** Hand-painted by Patricia House

Nine Wands stand in a circle of flames which flicker with energy. All the Wands are rooted in the ground and budding but many are different in height. — Today **Nine of Wands reimagined** The current Simply Tarot artwork

The original first edition

Buy the Original 2011 Deck

The card shown above is part of the original 78-card Tarot House Deck. Every image was drawn and painted by Patricia House before the deck was professionally printed by Cartamundi in the UK. A limited number from the original print run are still available.