General

The general meaning of the Seven of Wands is challenges and fights. When receiving this card, this could mean that you are faced with people who are actively challenging you, and in some instances, they may be backing you into a corner. This is not a pleasant card to receive but when you are backed into a corner, you have the option of standing up for yourself or surrendering. This is up to you to decide. In traditional tarot, this card is of a man standing on a tall hill being challenged by opponents below. And like the man in the traditional tarot, you may have the upper hand in these challenges and fights, depending on how you view the situation. You have the upper hand here as you are standing on higher ground. At the same time, the persistent challenges may be overwhelming. In my depiction of the card, I have a girl going to bed, because when faced with conflict, I usually take a nap to rest before dealing with it in a rational and calm way.  

Upright

I read somewhere that the Seven of Wands is about struggle in order to maintain your position, rather than attain it. And I thought this was a great distinction between the Seven and Five of Wands. The guidance here is to get a clear mind before you engage in untangling conflict. In love, this could mean that you are setting boundaries in your relationship. Often, I see the Seven of Wands indicative of outside forces disrupting a relationship. It could be that the relationship is not only influenced by conflict within your situation but also from external sources, which may be something you both need to figure out how to deal with or the relationship may fall apart. In career and finances, this could mean that there is much competition for the position that you are applying for or the position that you are in. It could be that you are struggling to maintain financial abundance or build wealth. The guidance here is to persevere.

Reversed

When the Seven of Wands is reversed, this could mean that you are feeling quite overwhelmed, and you are unable to see the bigger picture. Sometimes, this could mean that you are running away or surrendering too quickly in order to avoid conflict. In love, you may be feeling quite defensive and unable to see your partner’s side of the story. The alternative meaning is that you are avoiding conflict, to the detriment of the relationship. In other more serious circumstances, you may be breaking up because of external influences. In career and finances, this could mean that you may have failed to hold your position and you have been taken over by the competition. This could also mean that you have lost some of your money.