SEVEN OF WANDS
A Juggler's Wands Fall Below Exploding Fireworks

A juggler is symbolic of a trickster or clown. He is the fool or the jester who is able to mislead people into seeing and believing what he wants you to see and believe. He distracts you from the illusion and calls your focus to another action in order to deceive you. We speak of 'juggling figures' in a ledger to indicate deception. Usually a juggler is an expert and through his expertise he is able to entertain and to deceive the eye. We also speak of juggling as an ability to manage many things at once as in "he juggles two careers and his little league coaching". The Seven of Wands shows only the objects being juggled in the air above the juggler. They are symbolic of the separate and distinct parts of one's life and especially the creative aspects of these endeavors. The card also symbolizes the ability to use deception in order to maintain an illusion. The implication is that in order to hold all the parts of a complicated life together we deceive ourselves and others by focusing elsewhere, on simpler things, when we are trying to hide the illusion and deception in a confusing part of our lives.

Each of the wand's handles is a different color, symbolizing that though the varied parts of life are very different from each other the skills required in the performance of these things is analogous. The fire which emanates from the wands symbolizes the energy we use in the actions we perform. The fire is blown different ways depending on the way the wand falls. This represents the many kinds of energy expended in the tasks of living. It also symbolizes the ability to feel the movement in the goal or task, and to predict, in a sense, the outcome as the juggler senses the falling wand in order to catch it.

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The roller coaster and the carnival rides symbolize fun, fear and the many different patterns our lives may follow. As we get on the ride we think of the moment of our birth and as we get off we think of our death, therefore the carnival ride is an analogy of the life of the individual. The roller coaster is symbolic of the dramatic life with many ups and downs. We have all felt as if our life were a roller coaster before when we have had high moments followed by extreme lows. The carousel is symbolic of a different pattern when life is a series of repetitions and we follow a marked pattern that is repeated in daily or weekly cycles. This card reminds us that in all these situations it is our ability to juggle the various aspects of our lives that keep the wands in the air and in movement. This means that creativity is the available resource that will make the life on the roller coaster work, and it is creativity that brings interest to the life of repetition and regularity.

Above this scene are the awesome fireworks of a celebration. Invented in China about a thousand years ago, fireworks are a bundle of chemical powders of differing types with a charge of gunpowder. This invention, which was uniquely Chinese, has now become a universal expression of festivity. It has traveled the world and represents the ability to learn from others and to transfer our creative knowledge. Fireworks are both stunningly beautiful and very noisy. The sound calls our attention to the sky, making us look up into the heavens. We see there the fire of our own creative spirit in the fire flowers of the fireworks' colorful glow. The most common pattern in fireworks is the chrysanthemum, a flower that symbolized royalty. Flowers themselves are a symbol of the Suit of Wands because of their bright colors and because they were the part of the plant that expressed the creative future in the form of seeds.

Because the colors in fireworks derive from an understanding of chemistry, fireworks represent creative invention and experimentation. They are a symbol of the creative impulse inside us that moves us to achieve ever more impressive results. Just as a flower calls attention to itself, the fiery explosions represent bragging, pride and the need to call attention to ourselves through our most colorful ways of expression. Perhaps we use this as a distraction to call our attention away from the parts of our life where we have less confidence.

 

To interpret this card in a reading look at the separate parts of your life; your job and social life and your relationships at home. Notice the value that you place on each of these parts of your life. Perhaps you are avoiding difficult issues in your home life by focusing intensely on the big pile of work at the office, evading the more personal troubles of your primary relationships. Perhaps you do this by diverting everyone's attention to the responsibilities of your work situation, thereby increasing its importance in the eyes of those around you. Or, you may avoid the responsibilities to the outside world, retreating to the simple repetitive tasks of the life at home. In order for a complete feeling to emerge from living we must find a way to juggle these different parts of life, knowing that the proper focus is on the issue that is about to reach your hand. This requires a real focus on the present and in living in the moment. If you get too far ahead and think about the wands that remain in the air you may not catch the nearer ones. This style of living requires creativity and a kind of special movement and grace, things that are suggested by the fiery Suit of Wands. The needed element is a passion for life and a strong spirit that can focus easily on the task at hand. In essence, this means having fun and valuing every experience as a part of the journey called life.

Another aspect of the Seven of Wands is the childlike effort we all make to call attention to our accomplishments. When this card is a part of your reading it is important to give yourself great credit and praise for the things you do admire in yourself and in others. As humans we all need acknowledgement for our efforts. This encourages us to help, love and respect each other and the many great and simple things we do that foster deep connections to develop between us.




Wheel of Change Images with Text:

The Empress /  Ace of Wands /  10 Swords /  The Sun /  2 Wands /  The Devil /  7 of Wands /  Strength

Large Wheel of Change Images:

Large Empress /  Large Ace of Wands /  Large 10 Swords /  Large Sun

Large 2 Wands /  Large Devil /  Large 7 of Wands /  Large Strength /  Large Justice

Other Pages:

Ten More Wheel of Change Images /  Wheel of Change Structure & Features/Justice

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Wheel of Change Home Page /  Order a Signed Wheel of Change /  Wheel of Change Reviews

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