The divinatory meanings most often applied to the Four of Wands are home, completion, reward, celebration, and rest after hard labour. These concepts derive from the elements discussed in Time out! The Four of Wands (Part 1), in particular a combination of number, suit, element and decan.
These are, of course, not the only interpretations of the Four of Wands. Even when the same elements are combined, each tarotist will have her or his own interpretation of these concepts. Each tarotist may further use different esoteric systems with the cards, or combine the concepts with a specific theme (such as feminism)—or a storyline (such as the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the round table)—or prefer to emphasize one or two aspects over the others.
For creative problem solving, the more you can see in the card, and the more the card evokes, the better for stimulating ideas.
Below are suggestions of keywords and phrases for the Four of Wands, based on various combinations of the concepts, and divided into several categories. You will see that some concepts contradict each other as much as others complement each other. Choose the ones that seem the most appropriate to the situation, or that engage your imagination the most.
A Four of Wands person could be …
… business or career matters …
A Four of Wands person could be …
- friendly, warm, helpful
- compassionate, nurturing
- feeling secure
- a homemaker; someone who makes you feel at home
- an extrovert who enjoys socializing
- a generous spirit
- active and energetic, with a sense of purpose
- feeling motivated and energized
- a free spirit, but not remarkably unconventional
- well-balanced (the masculine and feminine well integrated)
- aware of her/his own limitations
- secure in her/his identity, complete in her/himself
- a hard worker, productive
- a rational, clear thinker, a well-ordered mind
- good at solving problems if the solution lies in what has worked before
- someone who does not rely on intuition, but accepts it when it comes
- reliable, honest, trustworthy, loyal, “a salt of the earth” person
- conservative, but with an open mind
- wise, having integrated lessons from past mistakes
- deserving a rest
- in a responsible position
- a leader who is firm, but fair
- someone who follows the rules, but not blindly
- someone who loves gardens and nature reserves
- someone who loves putting photos in an album, creating scrapbooks, or recording the history of the family
- a perfectionist
The energy of the card is …
- celebratory, festive
- restful, a picnic or other fun outdoors event
- safe, secure
- orderly, organized, but not rigid
- expectant
- exhilarating
- motivating
- peaceful, harmonious
A place such as …
- home
- a shelter
- a kitchen
- a guest house, holiday home, or cosy “family” hotel
- an outdoor party or wedding venue
- a picnic spot
- a holiday resort
- an outdoor place of worship or sacred site
- an outdoor museum
- your “happy place”
- a garden, nature reserve, zoo (where nature is ordered and controlled)
- a circus
- one with a solid foundation
- the pyramids of Giza, Peru, etc.
- a well-designed building
An event or action such as …
- a ‘welcome home’ party
- an arrival
- a reunion
- entertaining visitors
- having a sense of security, feeling at home
- ‘bon voyage,’ the start of a holiday or adventure
- launching something
- a bar mitzvah, coming-of-age party, or other induction into a group or society
- a celebration, festival, carnival
- an engagement party, wedding, housewarming
- the start of a new phase in life
- an enjoyable social event
- a picnic or a barbecue with friends or family
- gardening
- a charity ball, fundraising event
- an award ceremony
- reaching a milestone, anniversary
- enjoying small victories; “goal!”
- receiving recognition for work done
- completing a project, or part of a project
- using your expertise in aid of the community
- enjoying the fruits of your labour
- reaping what you sowed
- “Well done!”, “good job!”
- finding safety, shelter
- getting over a bad mood
- receiving support from your community, family, or friends; a social network
- enjoying nature (the controlled kind, e.g. garden, reserve, picnic spot)
- sharing the joy, displaying a generous spirit
- peace restored, successful mediation, order regained
- a successful lawsuit, or judgement in your favour
- experiencing prosperity, good fortune as a result of hard work
- enjoying the bounty of the harvest, a good harvest
- enjoying the moment—tomorrow is back to work
- completing a project
- reaching the end of examinations
- receiving a good mark on an assignment or test
- the preparation for an event
- a well-deserved rest
- taking time out to celebrate what has been achieved so far
- attaining balance between work and relaxation
- finding motivation and energy for a task
- harnessing energy
- setting something free, letting go and feeling the relief, breaking free
- forgiveness after a long struggle
- the first day of spring
- the calm before the storm
- after the storm
- all’s well that ends well
- counting your blessings
- buying property
- conserving what has been created in the Three of Wands
- preserving the past, putting photographs in an album, scrapbooking, capturing happy memories
- reflecting on past successes
- reaching (favourable) conclusions
- finding answers
- the end of a play
- controlling impulses
- focusing on your goals
In the field of creativity …
- dreams becoming real; realizing your dreams
- gathering the tools and materials you will need
-
preparing, consolidating, refining, or perfecting a creative project
-
creating order, de-cluttering, preparing a work surface
-
constraints such as deadlines or a tight budget
- a project completed, or parts of a project done
- spending time on a hobby
- achieving ‘flow’ (complete absorption in, and enjoyment of, a creative project)
- making a breakthrough
- breaking through a creative block
- finding the perfect solution; “Eureka!”
- defining a problem carefully, outlining what is needed
- completing an outline for a book, or making a preliminary sketch
- mapping out a new project
- preparing the layout
- “It works!”
- starting a new project based on how well a previous one turned out
- a book proposal; an advance from the publisher based on a proposal
- quoting or tendering for a project
- a new commission based on your work so far
- compiling a portfolio of your best work
- receiving recognition for your work
- an award or bursary
- decorating a new home or office
- balancing work and family life
- combining or reworking existing ideas into something creative
- launching a project; opening night; an exhibition of your work
- good reviews; a successful launch
- feeling creative; finding inspiration
- feeling confident in your abilities
- donating your work to charity
- scrapbooking or putting photographs into an album; capturing and displaying happy memories
- listening to music that makes you happy
- working on a creative project with a team
… business or career matters …
- an award or recognition for you work
- being recognized as an expert in your field
- celebrating the completion of a project
- a job offer; landing the ideal job
- moving into your own office
- working from home; telecommuting
- a promotion, a bonus, or well-deserved raise
- your quote or tender accepted
- end-of-year function, retirement party, celebrating a colleague’s birthday
- a project that is going well
- reaching a goal or objective
- taking a well-deserved rest
- going home after work
- planning your leave
- feeling well rested
- balancing work and home life
- spending time with family or friends
- attending a conference or workshop
- a productive meeting
- feeling productive, finding ‘flow’
- resigning from a frustrating job
- a partnership that is working well
- a team that works well together; team members with complementary skills
- a teambuilding exercise
- working towards a common goal
- setting realistic goals
- project planning; strategizing
- breaking through a deadlock
- gathering information from various sources
- launching a product
- pitching a sale
- a marketing or public relations exercise
- drawing up a CV; ‘branding’ yourself
- Finding the perfect solution
- reworking an old idea to create something new
- committing to a job, company, or goal
- networking
- gathering all you will need for the project
- de-cluttering the office or work surface
- working in a creative environment
- incubation, letting your subconscious work on the problem while you relax for a while
- successful negotiations
- compiling a report on the project, preparing the company’s annual report
- reminding yourself of successes in the past
- working outdoors
- sharing ideas
- improving an existing product or process
… relationships …
- a relationship built on a solid foundation
- rediscovering the fire in a relationship, rekindling a romance
- a friendship turning into a romance
- a wedding, engagement, or other public declaration of love and commitment
- a long-term relationship (romance or friendship)
- making time to attend to a relationship
- sweet memories
- genealogical research; researching the history of a family
- creating a home for your family
- a romantic holiday or a honeymoon
- a rite of passage or initiation into society or a group
- settling down, buying a house together, putting down roots
- freedom rediscovered after a divorce or break-up
- ending a restricting or abusive relationship, and feeling a great relief
- a passionate romance turning into a stable relationship
- a support network
- making up after a fight; make-up sex
- giving your love generously
- a “complete” family
- extended family
- a group of friends that have been through much together
- birth
- forgiveness
… and spirituality
- manifestation
- prayer answered
- living your faith
- feeling secure in your faith
- a celebration
- worship
- creating a sacred space, building a shrine
- generosity, “it is better to give than to receive”
- charity from a generous heart; charity starts at home
- visiting the poor, elderly, and sick
- knowing you are blessed, feeling gratitude
- grace
- receiving or giving forgiveness
- returning from a retreat
- feeling spiritually refreshed
- starting a new spiritual practice such as yoga or meditation
- finding a spiritual home
- a church picnic, fête, or other social event
- forgiveness
- letting go, setting something free
- harnessing spiritual energy
- preferring the more traditional ways of worship
- not a seeker anymore
- a team, bible study group, or congregation
- your spiritual family
- committing yourself to your faith
- baptism or other initiation ceremony
- observing feast days
- using your talents or skills to the advantage of the community
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