nine of wands: creative prompts

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we've considered the overall vibes of the nine of wands with a juicy essay, looked at the numerological and elemental correspondences of this card, explored personal connections with a nine of wands tarot spread — and now it's time to wade into the creative soup and see what comes forward.

this is low-key one of my favorite monthly pieces to put together, because i think that questions offer such a powerful and open-ended way to work with the tarot. (i am eagerly awaiting my copy of tarot for creativity for this very reason!) writing out these creative prompts and offering them to you to explore at your leisure, to pick and choose from, to question and consider, feeds something magical in me. i hope you find some questions here that energize and entice, that activate imagination or encourage new ways of thinking.

you can use the following prompts for anything you want: journal prompts, reading questions, creative inspiration, and so much more. allow doors to open and let yourself walk through them. pay attention to the questions that snag your attention, and the ones that feel strange or uncomfortable. there's no pressure — engage with what feels good in this particular moment, and you can always come back to these at another time.

let's wander into the nine of wands together, and see what we find.

first, consider: what does the nine of wands immediately bring up for you? what's your first interpretation, initial response, instinctive reaction? how does it feel in your body, your mind, your heart, your spirit? what comes up right away, and what comes up when you sit with it for a few minutes?

how does the transformative property of fire show up in this card, and in the suit of wands in general? what transformations have already occurred by the time we get to the nine, and what kind of evolution do the moments of this card capture? what specifically might change through the process of sitting in this energy? similarly, how does the detached, philosophical, service-oriented energy of the number nine show up in this card? what connections do you see between this card and the hermit, the moon, the other minor arcana nine cards?

how is the nine of wands a conclusion to the story of fire? how might it feel like a natural or logical ending, and how might it feel forced or pressurized? in what ways did the ace of wands and the other early cards of the suit set the stage for this eventuality? how did we get here, and what has this journey looked like? when you think about a story of fire or a linear experience of wands, what tale is being told?

what are some other ways you could understand this card? what might this card represent as an environment? what might it feel like to embody this card, or to imagine it as a person you could speak to or walk alongside? if this card was a song, what it would sound like? can you think of any characters or stories that include or focus on this energy? any flavors or scents or textures that remind you of this energy? do you like my embers metaphor, or is there another fiery format that feels more nine of wands to you?

how do you understand this card through the lens of creativity? what is a time you were ready to be done with a creative or passion project, and felt grief over its ending? what is a time you were eager to be finished with something, perhaps even anticipated or celebrated its conclusion?

and finally what might this card have to offer as medicine? when might stepping into this energy feel like a relief, like a comfort, like exactly the right kind of support? what's a moment or time where this card might be something you could intentionally reach for?

we'll all be looking at the ten of wands together in just a few days, but if you want the full gamut of exclusive tarot spreads, numerology writings, complete paid archives, and access to the lovely 3am.tarot sanctuary community discord server, upgrade your newsletter subscription for 15% off right now!