The 9s

Back when I wrote about the 3s, I mentioned that the number 3 has a long history of magical associations.  When you multiply 3 by itself, you get 9.  If 3 is powerful, 3 3s is exponentially more so.  So 9, as you might expect, represents the full completion and culmination of each suit's properties.  The 9s integrate the earlier experiences of each suit's story arc.

There's something interesting about the swords, especially 7-9.  They're not quite what you would predict them to be.  Take the 9:  If you think of swords as representing reason, analysis, and the mind, and 9 as the culmination of that, you'd expect the 9 of Swords to represent something like a genius or a university, right?  Something very intellectual, at any rate.  And instead what we get is a person so upset that s/he can't sleep.  This person is literally sitting up nights agonizing over something.  S/he is filled with anxiety...why do these darn swords always have to be so miserable?  The swords are--literally and metaphorically--double-edged.  On the one hand, they may show us when their characteristics are badly needed, while on the other, they may show us we are over-thinking.  They can even do both at the same time.  To return to the 9 of Swords specifically, (1) the person shown on the card is stuck in a cycle of rumination over something, thinking and re-thinking it in an entirely unproductive manner (who hasn't lost sleep because they couldn't turn their inner chatter off?), and yet (2) a little more objectivity and a little less instinctive fear would do him/her a world of good.  Opinion on this card seems to be divided, with some readers viewing the upright card as advising you to worry less while the reversal means that you have good cause to be worried, and others (including myself) see it exactly opposite.  I think with this card you have to be careful to reference the question; for example, if it is simply describing a situation, the upright form of the card is simply saying that worry and anxiety are present (in which case, I would read the reversal as indicating that maybe there needs to be a little more fear of something).  But if the card is drawn as advice, I would be more inclined to read the upright version as saying that the worry was excessive (and then the reversal would suggest that the subject has reason to be worried).  Whichever way you look at it, be consistent.  When I'm in doubt, I pull another card to elaborate on the matter.

9 of Cups, Thoth Tarot

The 9 of Cups, by contrast, is relatively simple.  It is replete with satisfaction and fulfillment, and is sometimes called "the wish card."  I like the imagery of the Thoth Tarot, where nine cups are beaming golden light, overflowing with its blessings.  I wouldn't go so far as to call this card a guarantee that your wishes will come true, but you should be feeling pretty content with your situation when you draw it.

The 9 of Pentacles is one of my favorite cards.  The Rider-Waite image shows a woman in a garden with a falcon on her wrist.  This is a woman of means, enjoying her demesne.  Many interpreters see the falcon as a sign of control, of the woman's power over her material circumstances, even over nature.  However, I view it somewhat differently.  In T.H. White's wonderful memoir The Goshawk, he describes his fraught relationship with a bird of prey.  Falcons and other birds of prey are never truly tame, so they are really only ever a little bit under our control.  If they slip their jesses, they are gone for good.  Instead we must think of mastery here, and as White's experience illustrates, in particular self-mastery.  Mastering falconry means overcoming one's own impatience and frustration, as well as becoming intimately familiar with the bird's instincts and how to make them work for you.  Also, historically, falconry was very much an activity for the wealthy classes, and I think its presence in the 9 of Pentacles shows us that the woman is unquestionably well off.  I believe this card shows us a person who has earned the right to enjoy the fruits of hard labor, all those luxurious and beautiful pentacles things.

9 of Wands, Housewives' Tarot

The Rider-Waite Tarot's 9 of Wands shows us a man with a bandaged head, looking a bit beaten down.  But I like the picture on the Housewives' Tarot:  the lady is climbing a ladder with her bucket and sponge, but by God, she's dressed for breakfast at Tiffany's.  She knows that the drudgery is nearly done, and she is ready to rise above it.  The story arc of the wands is kind of a rollercoaster ride, and by the time we reach 9, we're nearly worn out.  I feel this card is very wise in the way that it shows how so often, just as we are about to achieve our goals, we succumb to weariness, despair, or frustration, in spite of all our past successes.  But this is no time to give up!  Don't give in to exhaustion and don't let your attention waver.  Put on your kitten-heel slingbacks and remember the inspiration, the desire or ambition (wands qualities) that fueled you at the beginning of your quest--if you can just hold out a little bit longer, your reward is assured.  See how the lady is almost at the top of the ladder?  Just a few more rungs to go!