Monday, March 17, 2014

Nine of wands – What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

After a quiet and enjoyable Sunday, I've pulled another nine for today: the Nine of wands from the Rider Waite Tarot. I have to say, I'd rather have this card than having to deal with the despair of the Nine of Swords. The figure in this card still has his determination and strength to overcome the final challenge. He has struggled and  been through a lot. He has been battered and bruised but he has prevailed and is still standing on his own two feet
The way he is looking over his shoulder is telling us he is on his guard for the last attack. It is almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. When things tend to go wrong we expect them to go wrong the next time too. This man is letting his past shape his present moment. Although I can’t blame him since I am a master in doing the same thing. Our fears are mostly much worse than reality is.
When I would look for a positive advice from this card I would say that if his experiences, endurance and probable  his cunning and strength has brought him this far, he can rely on himself to be able to make it on his own when the next challenge will arise. So we can also see this card as reminder of our self reliance and inner strength.
Some questions to think about:
  • What battle have I fought which has scarred me but strengthened me at the same time?
  • Who or what do I need to protect?
  • What is consuming a lot of my strength?
“It is worth remembering that the time of greatest gain in terms of wisdom and inner strength is often that of greatest difficulty.”
Dalai Lama

6 comments:

  1. A quote I read this morning:
    "For the majority of us, uncertainty is worse than disaster, because disaster comes to us only rarely; worry depletes us often."~ Eknath Easwaren
    And a song to see you through (at least the chorus lyrics):
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn676-fLq7I

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    1. I love that song (see title :D)
      The quote is great. I am starting to get a big collecting of inspiring quotes

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  2. When I see this wounded soul having gone through so much and still willing to go through more, I think perhaps the lesson here is learning there is a time to let go, to learn from the experience and move on. What is he protecting at this point?

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    1. Perhaps you are right. when he would lay down his last wand, he wouldn't feel so overburdened in the ten of wands
      Maybe he is clinging to an old way of life which has become outdated but is giving himstill a sense of securtity

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  3. This is a lovely contemplation of the 9 of Wands, and I shared it on my FB page!

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