Welcome to Tarot Thursdays! This week we will be exploring the Seven of Wands and how it can be used as a prompt or brainstorming in our writing.

Tarot is an interesting thing. It’s based upon symbolism and metaphors through imagery. With these images the subconscious mind is tapped into through the story provided. Not everyone gets the same thing from a piece of art. Each piece will influence each person in a slightly different way.

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Introduction of the Card

The Seven of Wands is card number 28 in the deck and the seventh card of the Wands Suit in the Minor Arcana of the Tarot.

Let’s take a look at the following examples of this card below.

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Card Examples

Notice the similarities between them and take note of their differences. Do any of these move you more than the others? Take your time and allow these cards to tell you their story.

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My Analysis of These Cards

Here in each of these cards, everyone is taking a stand. They have each committed to a decision and are now acting upon it. Their will has been set in place and they shall not be moved from their goal.

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Themes of the Card

Each card has a set of keywords associated with it that serve as themes for its image. These keywords will vary somewhat depending on who you ask.

According to the Learning the Tarot website, the keywords associated with the card are:

• AGGRESSION
• DEFIANCE
• CONVICTION

You can learn more about what this site has to say about this card here.

According to the Biddy Tarot website, the keywords associated with the card are:

• CHALLENGE
• COMPETITION
• PERSEVERANCE

You can learn more about what this site has to say about this card here.

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What this Card Means to Me

The overall theme of this card is standing your ground. That moment when the line in the sand is drawn and you hold that line with everything you got. And in mental health, this is called setting boundaries. Sometimes it’s not received well. Sometimes people try to push back and try to break the line. But whether it’s a physical battle, a competitive sports maneuver, or if it’s just a simple “no means no” you can’t let them cross or break that line. It’s going to feel defiant and aggressive at times but you’ll need to stick with it and persevere. How many times have we cheered on a hero for doing this very thing in a story? Shouldn’t we be encouraging ourselves to do the same?

The keyword I choose for this card is: BOUNDARIES.

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Music Playlist

In this spirit of all this, these are the songs I have picked out for this card.

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The Writing Exercise

This exercise is a free write. Permit yourself to write whatever comes to mind based upon the theme of this card. Choose a keyword or key phrase and run with it to see what you come up with.

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I would love it if you linked or pinged back what you wrote so I could see where you went with this.

Happy writing!

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Mythic Tarot by Liz Greene (Author), Juliet Sharman-Burke (Author), Tricia Newell (Illustrator) © 1989
Dragon Tarot by Terry Donaldson (Author), Peter Pracownik (Author) © 1996
Universal Tarot by Lo Scarabeo (Author), R. De Angelis (Illustrator), A. E. Waite (Designer) © 2001
Tarot of Dreams by Ciro Marchetti (Author), Lee Bursten (Author) © 2015