The Nines Reversed

Nines signify earthly completion. That is, the most you can accomplish in this world, in the here and now--as compared to the Tens which are more spiritual completion. There's a sense of accomplishment with the Nines, a sense of maturity to the suit and a feeling that something is coming to a conclusion. Reverse the Nines, however, and that conclusion is either put on hold, reversed or derailed.

Nine of Swords

The "nightmare" card. This certainly is a card about having too many anxieties and worries, to the point where it haunts your dreams and wakes you in the night. Swords are hanging over your head. This is the "maturity" of the suit in that the mind is filled with ideas - the intellect can imagine and speculate too well. There is, however, the assurance in this card that one can wake up, and that such worries maybe overblown, and more in the head than in reality.

Assuming that the swords are attached to that wall, then turning the card upside-down does only one thing - tosses the woman out of bed. So instead of waking from sleep, she's getting no sleep at all. Total insomnia.

Either that, or going for the opposite, this person is sleeping like a baby - but only because they are totally ignoring their problems. "Ignorance is bliss" might be the motto for the opposite of this card. Rather than thinking too much about their problems, this person isn't thinking at all about them - which isn't going to make them go away.

Nine of Wands

The "last stand" card has a person putting their final reserves of energy into maintaining, guarding and supporting whatever it is they've built. There is the temptation to surrender, to give up, but if they just hold out, they will succeed. It's almost over.

Reverse this and we might well say to our poor soldier that the cavalry aren't coming. The reversed card signals either not having enough energy for that last stand, or a waste of energy. Like putting all your energy into an important sales pitch and succeeding, only to find that your bosses have changed their minds about the deal. Trying to save the fort wasn't worth the effort.

Nine of Cups

The "wish" card is really about the completion of family and Earthly happiness. It is a card about feasting with friends and family, the comforts of good food, good drink, love, friendship, cheer. This is why it's the "wish" card, because what more could anyone wish for?

Reverse it however, and you are not going to get what you wish. This is a card about a family (or friendship) falling apart; siblings, parents, friends and children are at best indifferent; at worst, they hate each other and want to cause each other misery and pain. There is vindictiveness and cruelty. Likely abuses, divorces, child custody cases, and indulgences (alcoholism) and/or psychological problems.

This might also signal a family coming apart; a family once close, having family gatherings, but disintegrating with each new generation until it's not really a family at all.

Nine of Pentacles

This is a card about creature comforts; about a modest but beautiful home of one's own; the completion here is that luck, health, finances are solid and comfortable, able to give a person a beautiful and happy retreat.

Reversed, however, can indicate that there is nothing comfortable about this place. Instead of comfortable solitude there is loneliness. Instead of financial security, there is a price to pay. If I got this card for someone, I'd worry that they might have married someone for money - that they weren't happy, and were always worried that if they didn't satisfy their husband or wife they'd lose that home.

The home is neither secure, nor is it one's own; this could also be read as someone's long time home being sold out from under them, stolen from them in some way - or perhaps they were tricked out if it. The home belongs to another and, at best, the querent is a kind of prisoner in it. At worse, they might well find themselves evicted.

Onto the next reversed Tarot card, the Tens...

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