Four of Wands

Celebration, homecoming, a foundation worth dancing on.

The picture

Four wands stand in the ground with a garland of flowers and fruit strung across the top, tied on with red ribbons. Beyond them two figures raise bunches of flowers above their heads. Behind them stands a castle with a bridge and a small group of people. The sky is bright yellow.

Upright

Four is stability, the foundation. In some suits a Four can feel a little still. In Wands, the foundation is a party.

This is the card of arriving somewhere and knowing it. A home finished, a wedding, a milestone, a group of people who are glad you are there. The work of the first three cards has paid off, and it is time to stop and mark it. It can be a literal homecoming too, back to the people and places that know you.

The four wands make an open doorway, a canopy you can walk under. Nothing is closed in. The celebration spills out towards the town, and anyone can join.

When I see this card I read it as permission to enjoy what you have built. Plenty of us skip straight to the next thing. The Four of Wands asks you to stay for the dancing first.

Reversed

Reversed, the garland sags. The usual reading here is blocked: the reason to celebrate is real, and something stops you feeling it. Tension at home, a family that will not come together, a milestone you wave away as nothing much.

There is an inward reading as well. The home you need to feel settled in may be yourself. If the outer life looks fine and you still feel you do not belong anywhere, that is the inward reading, and the foundation to work on is inside.

When it turns up

When did you last stop and celebrate something you finished?

If you would like the cards read against your own chart, my readings are here.

Related pages
The Number 4