The Nine of Wands: Safeguarding My Energy

Every year my sister and I host a New Year's Day party at my house. We invite Karen, a local psychic, to come and tell people's fortunes. Karen is completing her dissertation in biology. She's whip-smart and very, very talented. Although she has many psychic talents, Karen prefers to use Tarot cards when working with clients.

This year, while Karen was doing my reading, the Nine of Wands showed up.

At first glance, it's easy to misunderstand what the card means, because it looks like the man is imprisoned by the wands. But on closer inspection, you can see that he's built a fortress of them. They safeguard him. He is not a prisoner.

Karen told me, "You need to protect your energy. Too many demands on it are sapping you. For you to continue the success you've got going with your career, you need to do a better job of keeping people at bay--and saying no."


I knew that. I felt that. The run-up to the holidays was very busy for me. I've had a house full of people, people I love. But I've also felt drained and been unable to concentrate on my work. I do my best thinking when I'm alone in my house. I also need to refuse to answer the phone. Well-meaning people say, "Oh, I'll only talk a minute," but that minute has cost me an hour of momentum or more.

It's difficult for others to understand, but my job is not nine-to-five. I don't start and stop at obvious times. When I'm on a roll, I work around the clock. Even if it looks like I'm doing laundry, I'm thinking. I'm plotting. I'm planning. A phone call seems innocent enough, but it's like being dragged through one of those black holes they had on Star Trek. I'm yanked out of my reality and into the real world.

I told Karen that I understood what she was saying. She continued the reading, but as she did, I had this urge to get up and pull out my own set of Tarot cards. I mean, I could NOT sit still. Since we were in my office, it wasn't hard for me to locate my deck.

I handed the case over to Karen, and as I did, all my cards fell out. Face down. She helped me retrieve them.

"One of them is vibrating," she said calmly, as she plucked it from the pile.

It was this card, the Nine of Wands.

Okay! I get the message!