4 of Wands: Modern RWS Tarot Card Meanings
‘Four of Wands’, Rider Waite Smith tarot deck.
RWS Four of Wands: Upright Meanings
Keywords
Celebration, Harmony, Homecoming, Community, Stability, Milestones
Generally
The Four of Wands signifies a time of joyful celebration, harmony, and stability, often marking the successful completion of a significant phase. I find this card to be one of the most difficult for divinatory readings.
In a Love Context
In matters of love, this card points to a stable, committed, and harmonious partnership, often celebrated with a significant milestone. A wedding, an engagement party, an anniversary celebration, or moving into a first home together. It represents a relationship that has reached a point of comfortable security and is celebrated by a wider community of friends and family.
In a Money/Career Context
This card can represent the successful completion of a major project, a celebration of a team's achievement, or finding a stable and supportive work environment. A company-wide celebration after hitting a target, a successful product launch, a harmonious team dynamic, or the financial stability that allows you to buy a home.
In a Spiritual Context
This card can signify finding a spiritual community where you feel at home. It may represent a joyful religious festival, a harmonious gathering of like-minded souls, or the inner sense of peace and stability that comes from a consistent and fulfilling spiritual practice. It is the celebration of spiritual harmony.
In Common Spread Positions
As Advice
Celebrate your successes. Acknowledge a milestone. Seek out community. Create a harmonious environment.
As (Ultimate) Outcome
A happy homecoming. A successful celebration. A period of peace and stability. A joyful gathering.
As Obstacles
A fear of commitment is preventing stability. An obligation to attend a family event is causing stress. A community is becoming insular.
As Hidden Energy
An unacknowledged need for stability and community. A surprise party is being planned. The potential for a happy resolution.
As Resources/Alliances
A supportive community. A stable home environment. A wedding planner or event organiser.
RWS Four of Wands: Reversed Meanings
Keywords
Lack of Harmony, Unstable Foundations, Cancelled Celebrations, Feeling Unwelcome
Generally
Reversed, the Four of Wands can point to a lack of harmony and unstable foundations. It signifies a cancelled event, a feeling of not belonging, or a home environment that is tense and unstable. A family argument that ruins a holiday, feeling like an outsider at a party, a project that is built on a shaky foundation.
In a Love Context
This card often signifies instability or a lack of harmony in a relationship. A cancelled wedding, a relationship that lacks a solid foundation, feeling unwelcome in your partner's family, a constant sense of tension in the home. It represents a partnership that has failed to reach a point of stable commitment.
In a Money/Career Context
This can mean a project that is failing due to a lack of teamwork or a work environment that is unstable and unsupportive. A toxic team dynamic, a business that is built on a poor foundation, a project launch that is a failure, feeling like an outsider at your job.
In a Spiritual Context
This can mean a feeling of disconnection from your spiritual community. A falling out with a spiritual group, a religious doctrine that no longer feels like home, a spiritual practice that brings no peace, feeling like a spiritual outcast.
In Common Spread Positions
As Advice
Leave a toxic environment. Postpone a celebration. Re-evaluate the foundations of a project.
As (Ultimate) Outcome
A cancelled event. A broken home. A project will fail due to instability.
As Obstacles
A lack of community support. Unstable foundations. A family that does not approve of your choices.
As Hidden Energy
A secret instability in a relationship or project. An unacknowledged feeling of being an outsider.
As Resources/Alliances
Help comes from leaving a tense situation. The freedom that comes from a cancelled plan. A realisation that your foundations are weak.
Additional Notes on The RWS Four of Wands
Waite’s Divinatory Meanings of The Four of Wands
"They are for once almost on the surface: country life, haven of refuge, a species of domestic harvest-home, repose, concord, harmony, prosperity, peace, and the perfected work of these. Reversed: The meaning remains unaltered; it is prosperity, increase, felicity, beauty, embellishment." (The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911)
RWS Four of Wands Symbolism
The RWS Four of Wands depicts a celebratory scene. In the foreground, four large wands are planted in the ground, forming a gateway adorned with a garland of fruit and flowers. This structure, a sukkah, represents a temporary shelter and a place of joyful gathering. In the background, two figures raise bouquets in celebration, while others gather near a castle or large home, which signifies security and permanence. The scene is one of shared joy, stability, and the celebration of a significant milestone or achievement.
Meditations On The RWS Four of Wands
What recent success or milestone do I need to take the time to celebrate?
Do I feel a sense of harmony and stability in my home and community?
Are the foundations of my current projects solid and secure?
Continue Reading: RWS Minor Arcana
Suit of Wands | Suit of Cups | Suit of Swords | Suit of Pentacles | All Minor Arcana
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