In classic Rider Waite Smith tarot decks, this tarot card symbolises a stubborn defensive energy. The Nine of Wands shows a wounded man with a bandage on his head (the battle from the Seven of Wands) who is determined to defend his position now. There is something proud about him and something bordering on mad extremism. He is traumatised. What is he defending? He is all alone, he has received his wands but no one is there. Is it Don Quixote fighting windmills? His eyes look deeply disbelieving and he grips the staff tightly with both hands. I think of Gollum with his obsession with his ring. But when the Ego is wounded, as for this man, one becomes easily distrustful. He feels alone, vulnerable and his gain has come at a cost. What the man defends is his honor, his dignity, his pride.