The scales sway anew, signaling the dawn of another turbulent era. Different from the chaos of the Fives, we’ve matured and grown. With our hard-earned wisdom, the Sevens ask us to reflect and review before we jump in and repeat past mistakes.

Quality of the Sevens

The Sevens have a much more subdued but serious quality than the previous odd numbered sets of tarot cards. The Sevens are a warning, and puts into perspective something that is just not right or illustrates a part of your life you need to look over, which is indicated by the suit.

The Sevens can also indicate some serious choices. The querent is being asked to fight or flee, to conform or forge their own path, to invest or divest, to make a shallow choice now or go on a spiritual quest for fulfillment. The figures in these cards are acting alone and for their own benefit, indicating that the choices will only affect the querent and the efforts they’ve already made. This can be a time period where goals must be reassessed. You’re being tested by other people or by circumstances, and now you need to ask yourself “Is this worth pursuing further?” This is your inflection point.

There is wisdom in reflection and the Sevens call on us to use past experiences to make judgment calls for the present. The challenges happening now have to be dealt with in a careful manner because making mistakes at this point will create serious setbacks. You have self-understanding now–your strengths and weaknesses– and you are being called to use it. There’s a call for a new approach as well, and with some resourcefulness, there is a greater reward.

Themes of the Sevens are usually reevaluation especially of current aims, existential questions, being decisive, introspection, and warnings.

Numerology of the Sevens

The numerological meaning of the number seven values wisdom and spirituality over materialism and gain. There’s a broad and permeable quality to this number that gives it this profound quality. Liberal, generous and creative, the number seven carries artistic and whimsical flair. This is where the existential quality the tarot’s sevens can appear. There is an interconnectedness and things are more nuanced.

Like the number three, the number seven appears in several religious texts and is often thought of as a holy number. There are seven days in a week, seven continents, seven chakras, seven wonder of the world. The number holds an undeniable mystical quality, a sense of purpose.

The Chariot: Where there’s a will, there’s a way

The Chariot (VII) represents its numerical key in the most empowering way. The seventh arcana is about understanding your willpower and your ability to move in a direction that leads to success. This is a powerful card that indicates you are in control. Like the other Sevens in the tarot, there is a decision-making aspect to this card as well. “Decisiveness will lead to victory,” this card seems to imply.

Similarly, there is also the question of who is making the decision. If you don’t move quickly enough, someone will make a move for you. You can see this in all the other sevens cards. Take the Seven of Wands for instance: The figure is fending for himself, backing to the edge of the cliff. Does he fight the others and stand his ground, or will he let the others push him towards his downfall? The Chariot has three figures in the image, a man at the helm of the chariot and two sphinxes leading it. The question is who is leading the chariot? Is it the sphinxes or the man? For more nuanced understanding: the gender of the sphinxes is female and the man is of course male, often symbolizing the traditionally feminine association to lead with the heart and the traditionally masculine association to lead with the head. So… who is fighting who?

The Chariot is a card of wins. There is hope embedded in the Sevens, but the warnings must be heeded. Make sure you’re making choices for yourself and not anyone else.

Keywords for the Sevens in Tarot

Upright Keywords:

• Reevaluation
• Self-reflection
• Taking a step in a new direction
• Defending oneself
• Forging one’s path
• Warning signs
• Decisiveness

Reversed Keywords:

• Taking shortcuts
• Careless actions
• Mulling things over for too long
• Avoiding the trials before you

Sevens in Tarot Overview

Seven of Wands

This is the “stand your ground” card. You are being faced with a challenge and you have no choice but to defend yourself. Others may be vying for your level of success, and you may have to deal with haters. This card is saying to defend yourself and guard what is important and true. Do not back down.

Seven of Cups

Typically the image on the card shows several cups, each one filled with a fascinating temptation for you to try. This card shows the querent has the luxury of choice, or the illusion of choice. Sure, you can try everything, but will you? This card is often about questioning the true desires of the heart and the answer is always something more spiritually fulfilling, perhaps something more than what the cups have to offer.

Seven of Swords

Trickery, lies, deception–all attributes pictured in the Seven of Swords. This card can indicate there’s a fox in your midst, or perhaps gossip and lies are buzzing about you. However, sometimes life isn’t so straight forward. At times, this card can signal having to take a different, less obvious route to where you’d like to go. It’s important to understand the consequences associated with this action, too. The Seven of Swords can also mean flying solo in an endeavor.

Seven of Pentacles

Normally, a figure stands in front of his bounty, chin resting on his shovel, admiring but also looking over what his crops have to offer. Patience and reflection are hallmarks of this card, showing that your seeds are growing well but what do you plan to do with them in the future? This card often indicates you still have some more work ahead and it’s best to check in to see if you want to keep working on it, or give up. The Seven of Pentacles is about having long-term goals, so focusing your finite resources (time, energy, money, etc.) on the right things is key here.

Deck used: Ethereal Visions Tarot: Luna Edition by Matt Hughes