Seven of Wands

The Seven is defending what you won. Success attracts challenge, and this card is the point where you find out whether you will hold the position or hand it over.

Standing your ground. Defending a boundary, a position, a piece of work. You have the high ground and the advantage. Use it and do not apologise.

Overwhelmed by the number of challenges. Giving up a position you had earned. Or defensiveness where no attack was made.

Defending a relationship against outside pressure, or defending your needs inside one. Reversed, exhaustion from constantly having to justify yourself.

Competition for your role, your idea, your credit. Hold it. Reversed, burnout from perpetual defence, or conceding too early.

Protecting assets or income against a claim. Standing firm on price.

Conviction under pressure. The difference between principle and stubbornness, which the card asks you to be honest about.

Immune response, resilience, fighting something off. Reversed, defences worn down.

A man on high ground fends off six staves rising from below. He cannot see who holds them. Notably, he is wearing mismatched shoes: he came to this fight in a hurry and improvised.

Golden Dawn titled it Valour. The mismatched footwear is one of Smith's small deliberate details, widely read as evidence that the defender was not prepared and is winning anyway.