LexTalk

Have you ever felt like you’re constantly having to explain yourself?

Why you’re doing something.

Why something matters to you.

Why you made a particular decision.

Why you’re setting a boundary.

Why you DON’T want to do something.

Why you DO want to do something.

And eventually you’re sitting there thinking…

DO I NEED TO PREPARE A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION TO JUSTIFY MY ENTIRE EXISTENCE?!

Because sometimes it really feels that way.

And I think that’s one of the reasons today’s tarot card immediately caught my attention.

Welcome back to LexTalk Tarot: One Card at a Time!

We’ve officially reached Card #28 of 78, and today we’re exploring a card traditionally associated with:

Courage.

Perseverance.

Boundaries.

Determination.

Defending your position.

And learning when something is actually worth fighting for.

Today we’re studying…

THE SEVEN OF WANDS

And my beginner memory trick for this one is:

Seven of Wands = Stand your ground, but choose your battles.

Because I’m starting to realize that standing up for yourself doesn’t mean you have to spend your entire life fighting.

Sometimes protecting your peace means saying what you need to say.

Sometimes it means holding a boundary.

Sometimes it means continuing down your path even when someone doesn’t understand it.

And sometimes?

It means deciding:

I’m not explaining this anymore.

Let’s investigate.

Meet the Seven of Wands

Card: Seven of Wands

Suit: Wands

Arcana: Minor Arcana

Element: Fire

Core Themes: Courage, perseverance, boundaries, determination, defense, resilience

The Seven of Wands belongs to the suit of Wands, which we’ve learned is traditionally associated with the element of Fire.

And Wands often connect with:

Passion

Creativity

Ambition

Energy

Action

Drive

We’ve actually been seeing quite a bit of Wand energy lately.

The Ace of Wands gave us the spark.

The idea.

The inspiration.

That exciting:

WAIT! WHAT IF I DID THIS?!

moment.

But the Seven of Wands is further along in the journey.

The excitement of starting something is one thing.

Continuing when things get harder?

That’s another.

Because eventually… someone questions you.

Something doesn’t work.

Competition appears.

You get criticism.

You encounter resistance.

You start doubting yourself.

And suddenly the question isn’t:

Do I want to start?

It’s:

Do I believe in this enough to keep going?

OOOF.

Okay, tarot.

Let’s Study the Seven of Wands

The Rider-Waite-Smith Seven of Wands is one of those cards where the story feels pretty obvious before you even know the traditional meaning.

There’s a person standing above everyone else.

He’s holding a wand.

Six other wands are coming toward him from below.

And he looks like he’s thinking:

OH COME ON.

ALL OF YOU?!

But when we look closer, there are some really interesting details.

The Higher Ground

The central figure is standing on elevated ground.

He’s above the six wands challenging him.

Traditionally, this can suggest that he already has a position worth defending.

He’s not necessarily fighting to GET somewhere.

He’s trying to maintain his ground.

And I think that’s an important distinction.

Sometimes we work really hard to build something.

A career.

A creative project.

Confidence.

A boundary.

A healthier habit.

A business.

A relationship.

A sense of identity.

And once we have it?

Keeping it can require effort too.

Higher Ground = A position you’ve already worked to establish.

Which makes me think:

What have I worked hard to build that deserves protecting?

That’s a good question.

The Six Wands Below

Six wands rise toward the figure.

And no… this doesn’t necessarily mean six literal people are coming for you.

The wands can represent:

Competition

Challenges

Opposition

Pressure

Criticism

Obstacles

Basically…

Life saying:

Oh, you thought this was going to be easy?

Cute.

But here’s something I really like about this card.

Challenges don’t automatically mean we’re on the wrong path.

Sometimes we encounter resistance precisely because we’re doing something new.

Or difficult.

Or unfamiliar.

Maybe we’re learning.

Maybe we’re growing.

Maybe we’re simply discovering that something requires more effort than we expected.

Six Wands = Challenges, pressure, competition, or opposition.

The existence of a challenge isn’t necessarily a sign to quit.

But it also isn’t automatically a sign to fight harder.

Context matters.

The Wand He’s Holding

The figure holds one wand across his body defensively.

He’s actively responding to what’s happening.

He’s not hiding.

He’s not pretending the challenge doesn’t exist.

He’s ENGAGED.

And because Wands are connected with Fire, this can reinforce themes of:

Passion

Willpower

Courage

Determination

But here’s where I think the card becomes more nuanced.

Fire is powerful.

But if you burn at full intensity constantly?

Eventually… you burn out.

The Wand = Using your energy intentionally to defend what matters.

And THAT word matters.

Intentionally.

Because not everything deserves the same amount of energy.

WAIT… ARE HIS SHOES DIFFERENT?!

Okay.

This detail made me laugh.

Look at his feet.

They don’t match!

Depending on the deck reproduction, one foot appears to have a shoe while the other looks more like a boot or different style of footwear.

And tarot readers have interpreted this little detail in different ways.

Some see it as suggesting:

Being caught off guard.

Acting quickly.

Feeling unprepared.

Being thrown into a situation before you’re completely ready.

And I LOVE that interpretation.

Because how often do we think:

I’ll handle this once I’m prepared.

And then life goes:

LOL. NO.

Sometimes we don’t get time to prepare.

We simply have to respond with what we know at that moment.

Mismatched Footwear = You don’t always have to feel completely prepared to handle a challenge.

Honestly?

That might be one of my favorite details on the entire card.

The Uneven Ground

The figure isn’t standing on some perfectly flat, comfortable platform.

The terrain looks uneven.

And I think that’s another great visual reminder.

Standing your ground doesn’t necessarily mean you’re comfortable.

You can feel nervous… and still maintain a boundary.

You can feel uncertain… and still believe in your decision.

You can question yourself… and still keep going.

Confidence doesn’t always look like:

I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I’M DOING!

Sometimes confidence looks like:

I THINK this is right for me, so I’m going to keep going and figure it out.

Uneven Ground = Maintaining your position even when circumstances feel unstable.

Seven of Wands Upright Meaning

When the Seven of Wands appears upright, common themes include:

Courage • Perseverance • Boundaries • Determination • Confidence • Standing Your Ground • Defending Your Position

Maybe someone is questioning a decision you’ve made.

Maybe you’re dealing with competition.

Maybe you’ve established a boundary and someone doesn’t like it.

Maybe you’re pursuing something that other people don’t understand.

Maybe you’re trying to protect progress you’ve worked hard to make.

The Seven of Wands can invite us to ask:

Is this important enough for me to stand behind?

And if the answer is yes?

Stand.

You don’t necessarily need to scream.

You don’t need to convince everyone.

You don’t need to win every argument.

You can simply remain where you are.

Upright Message:

You can believe in yourself without needing everyone else to agree with you.

I REALLY like that.

Seven of Wands Reversed Meaning

You know the LexTalk rule!

REVERSED DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN BAD.

Common reversed themes include:

Feeling Overwhelmed • Exhaustion • Defensiveness • Self-Doubt • Giving Up • Burnout • Choosing Your Battles

And I think the reversed Seven of Wands might actually contain one of the most important lessons in this card.

Because there’s a difference between:

Standing your ground.

and:

Constantly being in defense mode.

If you feel like you’re fighting everyone… all the time… about everything… eventually you’re going to be exhausted.

Sometimes the strongest thing we can do is ask:

Does this battle actually matter?

Maybe it does.

Fight for it.

Maybe it doesn’t.

Put the wand down.

Reversed Message:

Am I standing up for something important—or exhausting myself trying to win an argument that doesn’t matter?

Boundaries Don’t Require Everyone’s Approval

THIS.

I think this might be my biggest takeaway from the Seven of Wands.

We sometimes treat boundaries like negotiations.

We say:

This doesn’t work for me.

And someone responds:

Well, I don’t like that.

So we immediately think:

OH.

MAYBE I NEED A DIFFERENT BOUNDARY.

No.

Someone disliking your boundary doesn’t automatically make it unreasonable.

Obviously, boundaries can be communicated respectfully.

And boundaries aren’t about controlling other people.

They’re about deciding what YOU will participate in, accept, or do.

But here’s the uncomfortable part.

Sometimes when you change a pattern…

people who benefited from the OLD pattern aren’t thrilled.

That doesn’t automatically mean you’re doing something wrong.

A boundary doesn’t require unanimous approval to exist.

OOOOH.

Write THAT one down.

Stop Over-Explaining

I think a LOT of us do this.

We don’t simply say:

No.

We say:

No, because here’s my twelve-paragraph explanation, supporting evidence, character references, historical timeline, pie chart, and sworn testimony.

Because somewhere inside us… we’re hoping the explanation will make the other person AGREE.

But what happens when they don’t?

Do we need another explanation?

Another argument?

Another attempt?

At some point…

maybe:

No, that doesn’t work for me.

is enough.

Maybe:

This is what I’ve decided.

is enough.

Maybe:

I understand that you disagree.

is enough.

The Seven of Wands is making me think about how much energy we spend trying to be UNDERSTOOD.

And yes… being understood feels wonderful.

But sometimes?

It isn’t available.

And we still have to make decisions.

Not Everyone Needs to Understand Your Journey

This one feels especially relevant when you’re creating something.

Start a blog.

A business.

A YouTube channel.

A podcast.

An Etsy shop.

Learn tarot.

Write a book.

Change careers.

Do something unconventional.

And somebody will eventually ask:

Why are you doing THAT?

Sometimes they’re genuinely curious.

Sometimes they don’t understand.

Sometimes they think it’s silly.

Sometimes they’re projecting their own fears.

And sometimes… they simply aren’t interested.

That’s okay.

Not everyone has to understand your dream for it to matter to you.

You don’t need to convince every person around you that something is worth pursuing.

You need to decide whether it’s worth pursuing TO YOU.

But What About Constructive Criticism?

Okay.

Here’s where things get tricky.

Because:

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!

sounds wonderful.

But if we take that too far, we can accidentally become someone who refuses to listen to ANY feedback.

That’s not growth either.

The Seven of Wands doesn’t mean:

EVERYONE WHO DISAGREES WITH ME IS A HATER.

Sometimes someone sees something we don’t.

Sometimes criticism is useful.

Sometimes feedback makes our work better.

Sometimes we ARE wrong.

The challenge is learning to ask:

Is this criticism useful?

Is it coming from someone whose opinion I respect?

Is there something specific I can learn?

Is it constructive?

Does it align with reality?

Or is someone simply saying:

I don’t like it.

Those are very different things.

Protect your vision without becoming so defensive that you stop learning.

THAT’S the balance.

Not Every Battle Is Yours

This might be the lesson I need tattooed somewhere.

Not every argument requires my participation.

Not every incorrect assumption needs correcting.

Not every rude comment deserves a response.

Not every criticism deserves emotional energy.

Not every person deserves access to my peace.

Sometimes… you can just let somebody be wrong.

I KNOW.

Revolutionary.

But seriously.

There is a HUGE difference between:

Giving up.

and:

Deciding something isn’t worth your energy.

Walking away isn’t automatically weakness.

Sometimes walking away is strategy.

Seven of Wands in Love & Relationships

Okay… Let’s talk LOVE.

In relationships, the Seven of Wands can bring up themes around:

Boundaries • Personal Needs • Defensiveness • Protecting the Relationship • External Pressure

And I think this card can be interpreted in a really healthy way.

Because loving someone doesn’t mean abandoning every personal boundary.

You can love someone… and say no.

You can love someone… and need space.

You can love someone… and disagree.

You can love someone… and maintain your individuality.

Upright Love Reflection:

Can I communicate my boundaries confidently without turning every disagreement into a battle?

That’s the key.

Boundaries don’t need to become weapons.

Seven of Wands Reversed in Love

Reversed themes might include:

Defensiveness • Emotional Exhaustion • Repeated Conflict • Difficulty Maintaining Boundaries • Feeling Overwhelmed

Maybe you feel like you’re constantly defending yourself.

Maybe every conversation becomes an argument.

Maybe you’re tired.

Maybe you’ve stopped communicating because it feels pointless.

The reversed Seven of Wands might invite reflection on whether conflict has become the default communication style.

And as always:

Tarot cannot determine another person’s intentions or guarantee what will happen in a relationship.

It’s a tool for reflection.

Seven of Wands in Career

Career is another area where this card gets REALLY interesting.

Because competition exists.

People have opinions.

Ideas get challenged.

Work gets criticized.

And sometimes you have to advocate for yourself.

Upright Career Themes:

Competition • Determination • Protecting Your Work • Advocating for Yourself • Confidence • Perseverance

Maybe you need to:

Speak up.

Present an idea.

Defend a proposal.

Ask for recognition.

Maintain professional boundaries.

Keep pursuing something despite setbacks.

For creators?

This card feels especially relevant.

Because once you start putting your work publicly into the world… people can have opinions about it.

Some feedback helps.

Some doesn’t.

And part of becoming confident in your work is learning the difference.

Career Reflection:

Am I protecting my creative vision while remaining open to opportunities to improve?

Seven of Wands Reversed in Career

Reversed themes can include:

Burnout • Workplace Pressure • Feeling Overwhelmed • Competition Fatigue • Self-Doubt

Sometimes we’re not failing.

We’re exhausted.

There’s a difference.

Maybe you don’t need another productivity hack.

Maybe you need rest.

Maybe you need help.

Maybe you need clearer priorities.

Maybe you need to stop trying to fight every battle at once.

You cannot defend seven directions indefinitely.

Eventually… something has to give.

Seven of Wands & Money

Financially, this card makes me think about protecting progress.

Maybe you’ve created a budget.

Paid something down.

Started saving.

Set a spending goal.

And then life starts throwing temptations and obligations at you.

Dinner.

Shopping.

Events.

Unexpected expenses.

Other people’s expectations.

The Seven of Wands can invite reflection around financial boundaries.

Money Reflection:

Where do I need stronger financial boundaries to protect the progress I’ve made?

Maybe that means saying:

That’s not in my budget right now.

And resisting the urge to follow it with a seventeen-minute apology.

When Standing Your Ground Feels Uncomfortable

Here’s something I’ve learned.

Setting a boundary can feel TERRIBLE… even when it’s healthy.

Saying no can feel rude.

Disappointing someone can feel awful.

Doing something differently from what people expect can feel selfish.

But discomfort doesn’t automatically mean you’re doing something wrong.

Sometimes you’re simply doing something NEW.

If you’ve spent years:

People-pleasing.

Over-explaining.

Avoiding conflict.

Saying yes.

Trying to keep everyone happy.

Then standing your ground might feel completely unnatural.

That’s okay.

New things often feel weird before they feel normal.

Protecting Your Peace Isn’t Avoiding Everything

There’s another balance here.

Because:

PROTECT YOUR PEACE!

has become such a popular phrase.

And I love it.

But protecting our peace doesn’t mean avoiding every uncomfortable conversation.

Sometimes peace requires HAVING the difficult conversation.

Setting the boundary.

Addressing the problem.

Saying what needs to be said.

The goal isn’t:

Never experience conflict.

That’s unrealistic.

Maybe the goal is:

Stop participating in unnecessary conflict.

BIG difference.

Believe in Yourself… But Stay Teachable

If I could summarize the mature version of the Seven of Wands?

It might be this:

Believe in yourself enough to keep going—and stay humble enough to keep learning.

You don’t need everyone else’s approval.

But you also don’t know everything.

Neither do I.

Confidence and curiosity can exist together.

You can say:

I believe in what I’m doing.

AND:

Maybe there’s something I can improve.

That’s not weakness.

That’s growth.

Today’s LexTalk Tarot Journal Prompt

Grab your tarot journal!

Today’s main question:

What am I spending too much energy defending—and which boundaries genuinely deserve my attention?

And another one I REALLY like:

Whose approval am I still trying to earn?

A few more:

Where do I need to stand up for myself?

What have I worked hard to build that deserves protecting?

Am I seeking approval from people who don’t need to agree with me?

Am I maintaining a boundary—or becoming defensive?

What criticism could actually help me grow?

What criticism can I safely ignore?

Where am I over-explaining myself?

What battle am I ready to walk away from?

What would protecting my peace actually look like?

And finally:

If I stopped trying to convince everyone else, what would I choose for myself?

OOOF.

The Tarot Deck I’m Learning With

The Seven of Wands is another perfect example of why I’m enjoying learning tarot through Rider-Waite-Smith imagery.

Instead of memorizing:

Seven of Wands = Defense.

I can look at the card and remember:

Higher Ground = A position already established

Six Wands = Challenges and opposition

Held Wand = Determination and defense

Mismatched Footwear = Feeling caught off guard or unprepared

Uneven Ground = Maintaining your position through uncertainty

And suddenly… I understand the STORY.

Throughout LexTalk Tarot, I’m using a physical Rider-Waite-Smith style tarot deck because studying the artwork is helping me understand each card rather than simply memorizing definitions.

If you’d like to learn alongside me using the same style of deck, you can [check out the tarot deck I’m using here — paid link].

You absolutely don’t need my exact deck to follow along. I’m simply sharing what I’m personally using throughout this journey.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Learning Tarot With a Journal

I’m also keeping notes about each card in a tarot journal.

And today’s memory trick might be one of the easiest yet:

ONE GUY WITH A STICK VS. SIX OTHER STICKS = PICK YOUR BATTLES.

Tarot scholars everywhere are probably thrilled with my highly sophisticated educational methods.

But hey… I REMEMBER THE CARD.

If you’re learning tarot alongside me, any notebook works perfectly.

But if you’d like a dedicated place for tarot meanings, symbolism, personal interpretations, and reflection prompts, you can [check out the tarot journal I recommend here — paid link].

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

How I’m Remembering the Seven of Wands

Beginner tarot friends… Don’t memorize this entire blog.

Here’s today’s cheat sheet:

SEVEN OF WANDS

Core Meaning: Standing your ground

Upright: Courage, perseverance, boundaries, determination, confidence, defending your position

Reversed: Exhaustion, defensiveness, self-doubt, overwhelm, giving up, choosing your battles

Higher Ground: Established position

Six Wands: Challenges and opposition

Held Wand: Determination

Mismatched Footwear: Feeling unprepared or caught off guard

Uneven Ground: Challenges and instability

Element: Fire

And today’s beginner memory trick:

Seven of Wands = Stand your ground, but choose your battles.

Done.

One card.

One story

28 Cards Into LexTalk Tarot!

We’ve officially explored:

28 OF 78 TAROT CARDS!

We’re almost 36% through the entire deck!

WHAT?!

And I love how our last few cards are starting to build on one another.

The Ace of Wands gave us:

THE SPARK.

The Three of Cups reminded us:

FIND YOUR PEOPLE.

And now the Seven of Wands says:

DON’T ABANDON YOURSELF JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE DOESN’T UNDERSTAND.

That’s a pretty good sequence.

Because creating something isn’t always easy.

Growing isn’t always comfortable.

Setting boundaries isn’t always popular.

And sometimes continuing down a path means accepting that not everybody is going to understand why you’re walking it.

Maybe they don’t need to.

One Last LexTalk Thought

I think the Seven of Wands is teaching me something I probably need to remember more often.

Not everything requires a response.

Someone doesn’t understand my choice?

Okay.

Someone doesn’t like something I created?

Okay.

Someone thinks I should do something differently?

Maybe I’ll listen.

Maybe there’s useful feedback there.

And maybe… there isn’t.

I don’t need to build a courtroom case defending every decision I make.

I don’t need unanimous approval.

And neither do you.

But I also don’t want to become so determined to “stand my ground” that I stop listening altogether.

Because sometimes another person sees something we can’t.

Sometimes feedback helps.

Sometimes we’re wrong.

Sometimes changing our minds is growth.

So maybe the Seven of Wands isn’t about stubbornness.

Maybe it’s about discernment.

Knowing:

What deserves defending.

What deserves reconsidering.

And… What deserves absolutely NONE of your energy.

That last category might be bigger than we think.

We only have so much time.

So much emotional energy.

So much attention.

We can’t spend all of it standing on a hill waving a stick at every person who disagrees with us.

Eventually… we need to put the wand down and go live our lives.

Maybe somebody doesn’t understand your dream.

Keep building it.

Maybe someone doesn’t agree with your boundary.

Keep it if it’s healthy and necessary.

Maybe someone criticizes your work.

Listen long enough to determine whether there’s something useful there.

And then?

Move forward.

Because standing your ground doesn’t mean refusing to move.

It means knowing yourself well enough to decide when movement is actually YOUR choice.

And maybe real confidence isn’t:

I’M RIGHT AND EVERYONE ELSE IS WRONG!

Maybe it’s:

I’m comfortable enough with my choices that I don’t need everyone else to validate them.

OOOF.

I like that MUCH better.

So, today’s reminder is simple:

Stand up for what matters.

Listen when there’s something worth hearing.

Walk away when there’s nothing left to accomplish.

Protect your energy.

Protect your boundaries.

Protect your peace.

And save your wand for the battles that actually matter.

Seven of Wands = Stand your ground, but choose your battles.

One card. One lesson. One little bit of magic at a time.

— Lex

Tarot interpretations are subjective and are shared here for personal reflection, education, and entertainment. Tarot should not replace professional medical, legal, mental health, or financial advice.