The seven of wands shows us a young man standing on a hill that ends in a cliff, and what seem to be stick-wielding assailants are coming at him. He doesn’t have anywhere to go, as he has been backed into a corner. His only choice now is to stand and fight.

The 7 of Wands shows us when we are forced into a position, or forced to make a choice. We are under pressure, or we are put upon by others. This is a card of open conflict, but there is not a fight yet — just the threat of implied violence. All too often the threat of implied violence is enough to make most people behave or acquiesce to our demands. But in this case, this young man has chosen to stand and fight.

He doesn’t look prepared. He is wearing mismatching shoes. No one knows if this was one of the many accidents pam made in drawing the art — as she said her self that she was underpaid and rushed to completion. But to be fair, Art only wanted the “major” Arcana scene-illustrated, so in some ways she just went over budget — but the fact that she did changed history, and it is too bad how her story played out.

But back to this guy . . . in the 7 of Wands we see implied conflict. We are experiencing peer pressure, whether it is an open mob or conversion therapy. We are being hunted, punished, or shamed for not going along with the “group think.” We may have earned this ire (we insulted someone, or we we a menace to society), or this could be any one of the countless cases of being wrongly accused of an action or belief we never took part in. 

The seven of Wands doesn’t tell us “why” or “what” — it only shows us the consequences of previous actions or general unpopularity. To fully understand this card in a spread we need to know the context in which we are reading. We need to have a question this card answers, or we need other cards that *do* state what happened, and how we go to this place. 

Lastly, if this card is the very last card and indicates the final outcome, it implies that someone is getting their comeuppance (whether that is deserved or not), but without another card that shows “how that Tuens out,” it leaves us to believe that justice served is enough information, and that we should ask no more. 

• The visuals on this card are so minimalistic that we have to really dig for meaning. But in the process, we can’t simply make things up. Whatever we say about this card, it has to match what is in the image.
• So we have a bunch of boys in a tight group, and they seem to be friendly to each other, but we have to examine the group as a whole, as well as the posture and attitude of each one, if we are to understand the various meanings of this card in a reading.
• I want to start with the central figure. He is wearing red in the Rider version of this card. He is also the only one wearing a hat.
• Notice how he is the only one of the five who is completely in his own world. Everyone else is looking at someone else, or someone else’s stick. This one individual is confident, self-composed, and examining his stick like someone would examine the cards life has dealt them. 
• Notice his stance. He is balanced and upright. His body language reinforces the notion of his self-assurance and stability. He hols is stick with both hands, but away from him as he examines it. If this boy represented your client in a reading, it would sho that they are an island of sanity and calm in the middle of chaos.