Four of Wands

I'm always happy to see the Four of Wands come up in a reading. Like every Tarot card, it can be read in any number of ways depending upon context, but its underlying good nature always shines through. It's a card of great success and celebration. Who couldn't use a little of that?

When this card falls, something wonderful has just been completed or has just been initiated. I often see it as a transition from something fairly rigid, mundane, and routine to a new phase of prosperity and innovation. The castle in the background is symbolic of what's being left behind, that old routine that stagnates a bit and doesn't really allow for a lot of freedom. The two figures on the card are leaving that environment to walk under the garland into a very bright, wide-open future. If you look closely, you can see a crowd gathered behind them; this is a celebration of their achievement. They're sharing it with the people they love.

Sometimes this card hints at a romantic relationship, and I've seen it as a harbinger of engagement, even marriage or solid long-term commitment. This could be a business relationship. It's prosperity and well-being; it's two people (sometimes more) coming together in a brilliant meeting of the minds that leads to something greater than either of them could have created alone. Numerologically, four is the number of stability, of a solid foundation. The suit of Wands connotes passion, fire, action, accomplishment, and energy. I don't read this card much differently when it falls in the reversed position. That's how powerfully it conveys the message of peace and prosperity. The Four of Wands is associated with the planet Venus in Aries--Venus is harmony, Aries is fire and energy. Put those together and you truly have something remarkable on your hands.