9 of Wands: Sagittarius II
Decan ruler (Chaldean): Moon
Hermetic title: Strength / Great Strength
Corresponding majors: The High Priestess [Moon] + Temperance [Sagittarius]
Dates: December 1- December 10
As we arrived 10 days ago in Sagittarius, sign of the archer, I wrote about the presence of speed, strength, and strike in the 8, 9, and 10 of Wands. We now encounter the second of these in the form of a muscular, wary figure who is clearly no stranger to battle. Welcome to the 9 of Wands! - literally known as the "Lord of Strength". Artemis of the silver bow is on the hunt in a winter sky. The power of the wands suit reaches its peak; the atmosphere ripples and flexes with arcane lunar fire.
The character for my last name. Notice the bow-shaped “radical” on the left.
Taut as a Bowstring
Now, exactly what kind of strength are we talking about? Back in Leo season, I explored different meanings of the Strength card: physical strength and vitality on the one hand, moral fortitude and courage on the other. I think we can also examine the physical and temperamental forms of strength in the 9 of Wands. On the physical side, there is "the strength of the archer" - the strength it takes to string a bow, or to pull back a taut bowstring, which in turn dictates how far the arrow shall fly; in the Odyssey, the hapless suitors try vainly to string the king's great bow, demonstrating that none can match Odysseus in strength. The bow, the archer, and the string all share this tensile strength, which physicists contrast with compressive or shear strength. Tensile strength depends not on hardness or toughness, but elasticity. (My own last name, zhang 張, derives from this property in archery: to stretch or expand under pressure.)
What about non-physical forms of strength? Human character has an analogue for tensile strength, and that is the quality of resilience. Our wounded warrior in the 9 of Wands has seen many battles in his time. His strength is defined by his experience: he knows what to anticipate as well as how to adapt. He conveys an air of readiness - even defensiveness - as if he knows that hostilities might break out at any moment. In fact, the wands behind him form, Waite says, a "palisade" - a structure meant to protect one's forces from attack. Crowley, in his own 9 of Wands text, linked the resilience of this card to its astrological decan ruler, the Moon. The Moon waxes and wanes; thus, Crowley observed, "change is stability". Because changefulness is essential to the 9 of Wands, I've always felt the wariness depicted in this card is only one side of the coin - something terrible might happen, but equally, something wonderful might. The well-prepared mind greets both as an adventure! for this is Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius.
One Brave Thing
Several years ago, there arose in me an idea. I say it like that, awkwardly, because I'm surely not the first to have had it. Anyway, it came out of nowhere (8 of Wands-fashion!) and changed my life. This was the idea of "One Brave Thing". If I'd articulated it as a statement, which I didn't, it would have sounded something like this:
Each day, I can expect myself to do One Brave Thing.
The One Brave Thing has become my constant companion over the years. It's OK if it doesn't happen, and I can do more if I want, but the idea is that it's reasonable, once a day, to ask myself to do one thing that I feel nervous or uncomfortable about, and then feel good about it afterward. The One Brave Thing can be anything that's not life-threatening or hurtful. On various occasions my One Brave Thing has been:
Disassembling and cleaning the bathroom drain with the help of a YouTube video.
Asking for a raise.
Sending off a book proposal.
Mucking out the chicken coop.
Writing an email to someone I respect.
Raising my hand to ask a question in a public forum.
Making a budget.
Driving someplace unfamiliar at night.
(Now, I am sure there are those of you who do multiple Brave Things all the time and think nothing of it. But I am a youngest child, and that means all manner of nerves when it comes to adulting.) We talked in the 8 of Wands about Temperance as a card of extremes - the icy cold and fiery heat that temper a sword to lethal sharpness. My understanding of Temperance has to do with expanding my range. The more things I try, the fewer I fear. The more mistakes I endure, the surer my aim. The 9 of any suit is a magical place, where the light of the Tree of Life gathers in the ninth sephira, Yesod. While many readers believe the 10 is the ultimate of any suit because it is the maximum, I disagree. For me, peak power resides in the 9; in the 10 it overflows and collapses, to begin anew. Yesod represents the "magical backstage" to me. If you can create change in the 9, the blueprint of reality, it will manifest inevitably in the 10 - our real world. Whether it's the brave strength of the 9 of Wands, the demon-confronting 9 of Swords, the wish-granting 9 of Cups, or the gracious comforts of the 9 of Pentacles, 9's regard the future, and in doing so, produce it.
Timendi de suo Corpore
Although we more typically associate fear with the 9 of Swords, the 9 of Wands decan is itself well acquainted with fearful notions. The Picatrix commentaries for the Sagittarius II decan mention timoris, ploratus, dolorum, et timendi semper de suo corpore - fright, loss, lamentations, grief, misery, troubles, fear for the body. The image is one of a man driving cows, and an ape and either a wolf or a bear before him. Is he protecting his livestock from wild animals? Why are they harassing his cows in the first place? The image, like all Picatrix images, is inscrutable, but it is not hard to imagine how anxious you might be if you were surrounded by large animals you either had to defend or fight off. The Astrolabium Planum image picks up only on the last signification, "fear for the body": a figure (who, incidentally, seems fine) palpates his own body with a worried expression. Am I okay? Am I all in one piece? Perhaps he has just had a frightening encounter, or had to do something well out of his comfort zone. Whatever it is, the subject is clearly self-preservation.
Strangely, there's another set of decan images for Sagittarius II which describe a beautiful woman distributing precious gems - a far cry from the stressed-out animal husbandry of Picatrix. But as we know, the ruler of this decan is the Moon, and she can be fortunate or infortunate depending on her condition. Perhaps that accounts for the schizoid expression of these decanic spirits.
Far Without and Deep Within
For me, the 9 of Wands has primarily been a character-developing card - one Brave Thing at a time. But Sagittarius is also a sign of adventure, and while the 8 of Wands has brought packages and messages to my doorstep, the 9 of Wands has occasionally sent me out on journeys. It's shown up for long drives - the kind that leave your back sore and your eyes straining. But even moreso, it's shown up for internal journeys - meditation, active imagination, shamanic journeying. When you see the position of the Temperance and High Priestess cards on the Tree of Life, you can see a representation of this internal voyaging: it's a straight shot up the Middle Pillar - the shortest distance from here to enlightenment.
Iconographically, the 9 of Wands has little in common with its corresponding majors. But the Moon's fluctuating adaptability and Sagittarius' broad range produce a seasoned warrior. Like the human immune system, he grows stronger with exposure, though he is least pleasant to deal with when he is actively doing his job. Like the silent Priestess, he knows much and says little. In fact, you could say he is the living embodiment of Theodore Roosevelt's legendary mantra: "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
The Takeaway.
When you draw the 9 of Wands, you may find yourself being tested to what seems like your limits. Stay flexible! and know that you have the capacity to handle whatever it is. Although I generally partake of Nietzsche very sparingly, his famous formulation is appropriate in this context: Aus der Kriegsschule des Lebens, was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker ("Out of life's school of war, what doesn't kill me makes me stronger"). Use past experience to inform future choices. And be assured: in retrospect, the journey will prove to have been worthwhile.