TAROTSeven of Wands
Upright
Holding your position following success.
The need to continually prove yourself once success comes your way.
Maintaining ideals and passions that brought about success.
Intuition
The card shows perhaps one of the greatest feats of ‘holding your position’ in history; the Battle of Thermopylae.
The figure is the Spartan ruler King Leonidas I holding ground in front of the pass at Thermopylae with his men at his back and the invading Persian army to his front.
Reversed
Exhaustion after success. Resorting to compromise too easily.
Becoming overwhelmed by the responsibilities that come with success or promotion.
Inability to keep everyone happy.
Not standing your ground on things that are important to you.
Astrologia
Assertiveness, passion, desire and courage. Taking the lead and initiative. Usually has a good control of their life and direction. Prone to self-centered behavior, leading to mistakes through over-confidence.
Seven of Wands
After the success of the Six of Wands, we come to the Seven, where people are now after some of your success for themselves.
Although the Five of Wands may seem similar in that they both describe conflict, the Five is about conflict on the route towards success whereas the Seven is protecting the spoils of the success once you have attained it.
The Seven is about staying true to your original passions and emotions after you have achieved goals whilst protecting what you have gained. This can be a difficult task because there are often many people looking to bring the successful down!
Looking at the astrology associated with this card we see Mars in Leo. This conflict is not about rational discussion but just as much about assertiveness, independence and force of will. It may even be a matter of pride over logic.
The Seven of Wands is all about holding your ground in the face of challenges and the most famous such situation is depicted on this card.
King Leonidas I
Previous to the Persian advance, ancient Greece consisted (as with most of the ancient world) of city states that were often at war with each other. During the Greco-Persian Wars the Greek city states came together to fight a common enemy. Sparta had significant strength in land warfare, with Athens having strength at sea on account of its large navy. The biggest advantage Greece had was a single command structure with all city states agreeing to a central military command. This is something that was unheard of before.
One of the pinch points the Persians would have to cross to enter central Greece was the narrow pass at Thermopylae, and this was defended by King Leonidas I and his Spartans, and also contingents from 11 other city states. This pass was heroically defended long enough to give the rest of Greece time to organize. Further naval battles led by the Athenians plus land battles at Plataea and Mycale would end the Persian invasion.
Many see the battle at Thermopylae a major turning point in history. Although the Persians did eventually pass Thermopylae (and King Leonidas died in the defence there) the later rise of the Western World may not have occurred without this critical delaying battle.
Description and Symbology
We see King Leonidas I facing off against the Persian army at Thermopylae. The sun shines behind him and onto his spear, signifying the astrological sign driving his passions and will; Leo.
He stands on a rocky outcrop that raises him up and points him out as the leader but also limits his movement and perhaps makes him a target. The king is not minded by this. He has earned his place here and will defend it or die!
He is in any case well defended with his shield, finest armor fit for a king, and skill as a fighting Spartan, as well as his loyal men at his back. They all know they will probably die but their will to defend the land goes beyond its earth and water. They will not budge on their principles and readiness to fight for them.
The defending Spartan
The Spartan warrior King Leonidas stands in the way of his adversaries, the Persian army. He will not budge and also stands at ease… for the moment.
Raised ground
The king stands on a raised outcrop. This can mean many things: his success, his greater acumen and experience compared to his adversaries, or his high position. This raised position also limits his movement. It gets harder at the top and high visibility sets you out as a target.
The opposing armies
Behind the king we see other Greek hoplite warriors defending the pass at Thermopylae. The king has resources and men to help him. We also see the many spears from the unseen Persian army in front. There look to be more Persians (which was certainly the case). Again, the king does not care. He will defend his position irrespective!
Tips for Readings
The following table shows the upright and reverse meanings for general questions. The last row ('Yes/No') is useful when you are picking a single card to decide a yes or no decision.
Upright
Reversed
You will need to defend your position, ideals or passions in a relationship. This may require assertiveness as well as rational argument, as the issues may boil down to preferences and personalities rather than any rational discussion.
You may also need to set boundaries between you and the other person to set expectations for the future.
You are lacking confidence or afraid of losses when defending something you feel is important within a relationship.
You may be falling back to compromise too easily, or lack assertiveness causing you to avoid necessary hard discussions.
Remember that although compromise is often the diplomatic solution, it does not work when you are giving so much away that you are no longer true to yourself or are delaying small skirmishes today that will become all out battles tomorrow!
You will experience co-workers who think you need to be brought down a little after your recent successes or current position.
The issue may also be between you and external competitors.
In either case you need to consider what you stand to lose by backing down and defend what you believe to be right.
As with all such conflicts it will be important to set boundaries and stick to them.
You may be feeling overwhelmed by new responsibilities. Although backing down is an option, consider carefully whether this undermines the position you spent so long getting to and whether you are giving up things that will make you unhappy or cause continued conflict for the future.
At the same time, ensure that you are not damaging your position by being too aggressive. It is possible to not budge but doing it with patience!
There will be a need to face difficult health problems head on rather than ignore what your body is telling you and hoping the matter will sort itself out.
Do not ignore your body if you are being called to defend yourself in other areas of your life and remember your health is often your shield in many situations. A well body creates a strong mind that can defend itself better.
You may be feeling vulnerable because of health issues plus a need to defend your position in other spheres of your life. Illness or the lack of focus it creates may be making you back down or not put up a fight at all.
The best cures are holistic but so are the best defences. Both your mind and body must be ready for the battles ahead so they can work together for a holistic solution.
You will face criticism for your beliefs or how you implement them.
Be careful of those who judge you as a distraction of what you are successfully doing. It is the ‘successfully doing’ that may be their real issue! In all things be assertive in your true beliefs as they are a major part of who you are and what stands behind your success to drive you forward.
You may be uncertain on how you see yourself or your inner path forward. This is probably because of external criticism rather than you being right or wrong. Remember that your mind is your own space and your core beliefs are a major part of any success so far, and always worth defending!
You have faced challenges in the past but success has come from an assertiveness and will-to-succeed. You must maintain that assertiveness moving forward to retain your rewards.
A fear of talking risks and especially a fear of failure or being challenged by others is preventing you making the most of your wealth, or even of making any decisions regarding investment.
This cycle of fear needs to be broken so you can move forward.
Expert advice may be needed.
Yes through assertiveness and an ability to stand your ground.
Indeterminate. You may be avoiding issues so it may be better to wait until you feel able to move forward with confidence
Reading the Card
The upright card
This card represents a need to protect the fruits of your work, your position, your space, or your beliefs from others, and hold your ground with confidence.
You may have been through a period of success and the recognition that comes with that has made you a target of others who are either after something from you or want you to prove yourself.
More importantly, this is a challenge to who you are, where you stand and what for. Talking your way through it rationally will not be enough. You will need to show your will and courage in standing up because sometimes you need to step up and be your own hero.
Sometimes you need to step up and be your own hero.
The reversal
The reversed Seven of Wands suggests you have moved to a position (possibly via promotion or change of social status) where you feel vulnerable to attack through a lack of confidence, being out-numbered or outmatched, or simply worn out by the obstacles your new position places in your way.
You must judge for yourself whether or not you need to hold your ground and retain your values and sense of self. This possibly means possibly fighting a losing battle so retreat or compromise are other options. The Seven of Wands tells you retreat and compromise should not be your go-to answer here as you will be picked off as you retreat.
Card Design Process
The idea of using King Leonidas as the character in this card came almost immediately. The physical character started life as something much more mundane than a historical hero - the author's photos of a toy hoplite soldier.
Final Words
The seven of Wands suggests that sometimes compromise, decisions by committee and agreeing to differ are not the way forward when considering beliefs or passions you feel strongly about. Stepping back means you step back from your true identity and sense of self.
