Four of Wands in the 5-Card Spread with the Rider Waite Tarot

Four of Wands as second card : Challenge / Obstacle
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

In contrast, the Four of Wands reveals a difficulty in feeling stable or fully celebrating achievements.

The consultant may find it difficult to recognise what is going well or to anchor themselves in a situation that is nevertheless favourable. Despite positive external conditions, there may be a form of dissatisfaction, emptiness or a lack of integration of the happiness experienced.

This card can also signal conflict in the immediate circle: family, couple, community — a tension or division that prevents harmony from settling in.

Sometimes, the Four of Wands in opposition highlights underlying instability: what seems solid may not be as deeply rooted as it appears.

There may be a fear of committing to a lasting dynamic, or, conversely, an overly strong attachment to a rigid structure that prevents movement.

In some cases, the person seeking advice may feel a disconnect between themselves and their environment: they don’t feel like they belong, or connected to those around them. The message is to look at what is blocking access to shared joy, and to reintegrate the energy of celebration as a conscious act, not an expected outcome.

Four of Wands as third card : Advice
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

As advice, the Four of Wands invites you to ground yourself in gratitude for what is already there, to celebrate your progress, however modest, and to open up a space for shared joy. It is time to build on solid foundations, valuing cooperation, mutual support, and family or community roots.

This card advises you to connect with those around you and create rituals or simple moments of shared happiness.

The advice here is also to stabilise what you have started: don’t look any further for now, but settle down, enjoy yourself and honour the path you have travelled.

If you are in a transitional phase, the card tells you that you are approaching a point of balance — stay centred and be open to signs of stability.

It is also a call to welcome joy without guilt: allow yourself to experience lightness, to share, to connect with others in a spirit of peace. The Four of Wands also tells you that you are supported, even if you cannot see it clearly yet. Now is the time to build something lasting, together.

Four of Wands as fourth card : Outcome
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

In the outcome position, the Four of Wands heralds collective success, a period of stable fulfilment, a moment of shared celebration, or the consolidation of a harmonious foundation for life.

This outcome may take the form of a marriage, a stable union, professional success shared with others, or the creation or strengthening of a home.

It can also herald a happy move, a significant festive event, or simply a deeply soothing state of balance.

The outcome here is joyful, reassuring and constructive. It is not a dazzling success, but a fertile, peaceful and stable foundation on which the consultant can evolve serenely.

This card heralds a time of gratitude, quiet harvest, and strong connection with one’s values and those who share the journey. It is a promise of lasting happiness, if one is willing to receive and cultivate it. The outside world will reflect the inner harmony that has been achieved. It is a beautiful card for coming home — symbolically or literally.