Cosmic Tarot-nine of wands

paradoxx

A seting crecent moon hovers above 5 transparent wands in the background, apparently in the ground itself, the image of a lion an be readily seen. in the foreground is a man with wild hair and a leevless shirt apparenlty harnessing a backpack of somekind (all we see ar eht straps) an bfore him is 4 more wands, one is low and almost cut out fo the card all together. Twisting around the center wand si a snake, possibly an infant cobra. The man is in danger, he ahs a big cat behind him and a snake in front of him, teh snake probablyis fully aware of the lion and the man, the lion is aware of the man, but the man may not be aware of either.

Truly a card of caution.

The colors of this card are like most others of this suit, orange, pink, beige, and brown, earthy but fiery, eneretic but controlled, it is amazing how such simple symbols can portray such complicated messages.
 

star-lover

i see it differently

that looked to me like a sun behind clouds not a crescent moon - i think the lion behind is sketchy but represents the man still having enough courage and strength left to do what he has to do though the lions face seems to say are you sure you are up to doing any more? hes like a night watchman staying up late though tired but determined to stay with it - his eyes are alert but tired - i still see this as a strong card - like he has the reserves still to go that last bit of distance if needed
i think the cobra is the last defence he has - if it comes to the end he still has that right amount of power

so i think the lion/cobra are what he has left of his weapons not things that he cannot see and endanger him

reminds me of arnie in terminator - at the end - really tired, beaten, but went on to the end and didnt give up - had faith in his vision/mission - was hurt and battered but didnt give up - card of determination as well i think
 

HarleyQuinnX

Yet another interpretation...

I find this card one of balance and anticipation.

The figure in the card has put 5 wands of his 9 wands up to hold off the lion behind him. He's only got 4 more left, and he's chosen to protect his other side with them. He could have chosen to put 8 or 9 to guard against the lion, but how would he really be able to defend himself then? The five wands seem to be enough to keep the lion at bay.

I don't think that the figure is really worried about the snake at the time, as the snake is showing on his side of the wand at least twice. He's looking on to bigger and better things.
 

tink27

Another thought..

There is definitely strong animal instincts here and this guy definitely has a very strong and vigorous body. :D At first glance he looks daring, courageous, exciting! He certainly looks as if he could take the world by storm! Magnetic, that’s the word, he’s very magnetic looking. On his back is it a knapsack or a harness, harnessing his energies to a purpose a goal! I bet there are times he believes there isn’t anything he can’t do! Ah! The strength of the Lion, the Sun, the King of Beasts! He’s facing something, some form of opposition???...but look at his stance…he isn’t even flinching! I bet he is adored by some and disliked by others.

I bet he’s a quick thinker…and with great vision (look at those eyes! ). Right now he’s very absorbed in something, is he defending himself from someone or something? Is this what the cobra is all about? His senses are heightened, his adrenalin is running. Fear brings us to the here and now. , What do you think he is protecting himself from?

OR, Perhaps the cobra is what he must overcome.

This is a lovely verse from Animal Magick, by D.J. Conway on the cobra.

Lift your head, great sacred serpent,
You who are a servant of the Goddess.
Strike fear into the hearts of all persecutors.
Let those who hate my spiritual path
Be cast down by their own actions
 

LibraX

See, I've got yet ANOTHER interpretation, in a way...

First off, does no one else notice the lizard sitting on the middle wand set befoe the lion? And then the wands and lion themselves are slightly transparent...

It could either fit in nicely with a previous interpretation of the man guarding himself and fighting off obstacles: the wands and lion are fading into the background, so he has recently successfully been victorious of some kind of struggle.

But my perception of it, is that the lion is just a spiritual form of the man. The man and the lion are 'one', the lion representing his inner strength and courage. I have a feeling that if we were to zoom out of the picture, we would see that there's actually five wands set before the man - a projection of the lion. Perhaps this is a way of telling us that when it crops up in a reading, the person needs to be able to take a step back and look at the bigger picture - that is, if they want to be sure they're as guarded on all sides and aware of everything around them.

I believe the lizard on the wand is a salamander - the symbol of fire - supposedly the very essence of the man and who he is, as is the lion, so more reason to view the lion as just his 'inner being'. However, the outside projection of the man or 'visible', shows us that he is guarding himself with a cobra. Perhaps since controlling his inner animal and setting down those boundaries (control being a virtue I believe this card projects), that salamander has morphed into the cobra - as has the lion into man - thus the man's defences are stronger.

There's also the fact that the lion is behind the man, held back, so is he a potential threat - or is he there guarding the man's back and protecting him?