Minor Arcana: Wands

Question 1

Ace of Wands

Answer 1

Beginnings of a new enterprise.
Start of noble quest.
A birth or conception (especially if this card is near the Ace of Cups in a reading).

Question 2

Ace of Wands

Reversed

Answer 2

Destructive pride.
Rushing forward without thinking.
Failed initiative, due to lack of preparation or a false start

Question 3

Two of Wands

Answer 3

Authority, guardianship, fore-sight, vision.
Power and energy wielded and kept in reserve.
The splendor and wonder of a world waiting to be explored, or the fruits of a long and laborious life.

Question 4

Two of Wands

Reversed

Answer 4

Surprise, which can be pleasant and welcome, or a horrific shock.
Blindsided by fate.
Misinterpretation of events.

Question 5

Three of Wands

Answer 5

Generosity, an enterprise or partnership, or a fair trade mediated by someone of good character.
This card is sometimes connected with sea travel or trade, and sometimes with philanthropy.
Voyages of discovery.

Question 6

Three of Wands

Reversed

Answer 6

Failure of over-ambitious plans, getting overextended.

Inability to look past one’s own experience and take joy in something new.

Question 7

Four of Wands

Answer 7

Celebration, success, revelation, completion of a great task.
Can also mean a wedding or a partnership of some other kind, or an armistice.

Question 8

Four of Wands

Reversed

Answer 8

Being left at the altar, literally or figuratively.

A wrench in the works, a last-minute complication, or a damaging natural event.

Question 9

Five of Wands

Answer 9

Ordeals, tests, battle and the glorious chaos of ambition.
This card can represent the more idealized side of armed conflict (the reality tends to show up in the suit of Swords).
Fighting to achieve one’s goals, especially against other people.

Question 10

Five of Wands (Reversed)

Answer 10

Disputes resolved by an outside party, turning to the courts, for instance.
A battle abandoned or not fought fairly.
Trickery.

Question 11

Six of Wands

Answer 11

Riding home in triumph.
A hero in victory, arriving to enjoy the fruits of his efforts.
The reward after the battle, the recognition for a job well done.

Question 12

Six of Wands

Reversed

Answer 12

Someone else steals the recognition of your victory.

Disloyalty and betrayal. Ingratitude.

Question 13

Seven of Wands

Answer 13

Individual courage and strength.

Beset on all sides by opponents, but with a significant advantage: self-reliance.

Question 14

Seven of Wands

Reversed

Answer 14

Hesitation, indecision, embarrassment in public. An untenable situation. An unwillingness to ask for help.

Question 15

Eight of Wands

Answer 15

Urgency, speed, energy being expended quickly (possibly too quickly). Haste and rash decisions. Infatuation and ill-advised passion.

Question 16

Eight of Wands

Reversed

Answer 16

Inertia, slowing down to a crawl, delays.

Jealousy or internal disputes.

Question 17

Nine of Wands

Answer 17

Recovery from illness or injury.
Holding strength in reserve or letting it build against a true threat.
Patience, security and defensive positions.

Question 18

Nine of Wands

Reversed

Answer 18

Adversity from a tenacious foe.

Waste of saved resources.

Question 19

Ten of Wands

Answer 19

Selfishness, heavy burdens, taking on the work of others in addition to or instead of fulfilling one’s own responsibilities.
Being damned with faint praise or receiving a “reward” that turns into an albatross.

Question 20

Ten of Wands

Reversed

Answer 20

Being tricked into taking on the work of others through deceit or subterfuge.
Abandoning one’s responsibilities entirely.

Question 21

Page of Wands

Answer 21

Clever, enthusiastic, witty and vivacious person.

An energetic lover or a faithful apprentice.

Question 22

Page of Wands

Reversed

Answer 22

A lazy, spoiled or shallow person.

Indecisive and theatrical — confuses being “eccentric” with being interesting or educated.

Question 23

Knight of Wands

Answer 23

A powerful and decisive, but inconsistent and fleeting person.
A man of action, if not foresight.
A harbinger of danger, though rarely bearing a direct threat.

Question 24

Knight of Wands

Reversed

Answer 24

A cruel or bigoted person.

Someone with a lot of misdirected energy, or some genuinely wrong beliefs.

Question 25

Queen of Wands

Answer 25

A warm, affectionate and stable woman, someone who is well-established in her community.
That also means, though, that she is stubborn and set in her ways.

Question 26

Queen of Wands

Reversed

Answer 26

She is unpredictable and inconstant, likely to turn on friends and see opponents where there are none.
She is virtuous, but is too cognizant of her virtue, and uses it as an excuse for rash action.

Question 27

King of Wands

Answer 27

A moral man, but not a dogmatic one.
The King of Wands is passionate and intelligent, but his passion has been tempered by years and he relies more on instinct and observation than education.
He is proud, courageous and kind, but demanding.

Question 28

King of Wands

Reversed

Answer 28

Morality is tainted with fear and callousness.

His code has to be the rule of the land, not just his own personal outlook, and he probably has the power to enforce it.