Start Today with Guidance and a Glimpse of Possibilities

In the Nine of Wands, the Rider Waite image shows a figure who has faced many struggles and, while he’s still standing strong, the bandage around his head indicates that he has sustained injury along the way. The figure is watchful, wary, anticipating further attacks from any angle.

Where Wands symbolize the element of Fire, Cups represent Water: receptivity, love, and the inner being are the province of this suit. In the Ace we see the culmination of these things: a hand appears from a cloud holding a Cup -a grail - from which multiple streams of water run into a beautiful pool. This flowing water will never run out: it is infinite, as love is.

In this card the Hierophant sits, Pope-like on a raised throne, while two acolytes pay homage to him or await his bidding, In full regalia, with crown and scepter, The Hierophant is the point at which The Emperor and The Magician combine - he is the master of the stage, but, unlike the former, there is no element of service here and, contrary to the latter, The Hierophant does not wield his power lightly or playfully. Depending on the context, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

The Knight of Pentacles emphasizes patience and growth. The knight sits on a horse holding a gold coin in no hurry to charge forward. He is in no rush to thrust himself forward before he has thoroughly explored his options and course of action. The knight is prepared to do the heavy lifting in order to achieve his goals the right and honorable way.

The Fool is the first card in the Major Arcana; and yet he does not have a number. He is ‘0’, standing for both everything and nothing. The Fool is infinite possibilities; he is the decision to make a journey, to have an adventure, and to discover - even if that decision isn’t made consciously. The Fool is a special card, and careful attention should be paid to him whenever he pops up in a reading.

The card of Temperance concerns balance, and harmony achieved through successfully merging all the many elements of our lives. This is seen literally in the image of the angel pouring water from one cup into another, mixing the streams in a never-ending flow. The card hints at it figuratively, too, in the way in which the figure stands with one foot on land - a symbol of the outer world - and one foot in the water, which is representative of the inner one. The path in the card’s background suggests that, with the hard-won self-awareness and openness to change brought about by The Hanged Man and Death, we are now ready to return to our lives, clarified, and with a new sense of purpose.