Seven of Wands

Minor Arcana · Wands · number 7 · Sette di Bastoni

Seven of Wands, plate by Pamela Colman Smith
Pamela Colman Smith, 1910

Upright

The Seven of Wands is valour: six against one, but that one stands on high ground and holds his position. This card tells you that you are under pressure, and that you are holding. At work it speaks of negotiations, competition, heated discussions; in the family, of a position to defend against everyone. If these days you feel attacked on several fronts, it is no accident, but Waite says it clearly: the fighter is on top, and the others cannot reach him. The practical advice: do not come down from your high ground to answer every provocation. Choose your battles, and on those do not retreat.

Source: Arthur Edward Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910) · read the original passage
«It is a card of valour, for, on the surface, six are attacking one, who has, however, the vantage position. On the intellectual plane, it signifies discussion, wordy strife; in business—negotiations, war of trade, barter, competition. It is further a card of success, for the combatant is on the top and his enemies may be unable to reach him.»

Reversed

Reversed, the Seven of Wands loses its position and perplexity remains: embarrassment, anxiety, and above all indecision, which Waite explicitly warns against. If these days you find it hard to choose, between two job offers, between staying and going, between speaking and staying silent, it is no accident: you let too much time pass and now everything looks more complicated. Be careful not to be paralysed by the fear of getting it wrong. It is not a sentence: the moment is still yours. The practical advice: give yourself a deadline, write it on the calendar, and on that date decide, with the information you have.

Source: Arthur Edward Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910) · read the original passage
«Perplexity, embarrassments, anxiety. It is also a caution against indecision.»

Source

Arthur Edward Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910) Part III, § 2, The Lesser Arcana, Seven of Wands https://archive.org/details/a.-e.-waite-the-pictorial-key-to-the-tarot