Representing discipline, delay and supreme effort, the Nine of Wands is aligned with Sun in Sagittarius and is also known as the Lord of Great Strength.
The Sun is the ego, our consciousness and presence in the world, and Sagittarius brings expansion to these areas and so there is a sense of restlessness, impatience and even a certain bluntness to be moving and creating and reaching your desired destination.
We can smell victory here, but we have more challenges to overcome when this card turns up - just when we thought we could turn our thoughts to celebrations and congratulations, one more hurdle appears before us. This has not been a short journey, there have been many ups and downs, trials and tribulations as well as small successes.
And just when it appeared that you were approaching the end you need to summon more strength, ability and enthusiasm to see it all done. It is important to remember your focus and what you are wanting to achieve, and not get distracted by side issues or feelings of frustration that things are taking longer than you anticipated.
You need to draw on your courage and belief in yourself to see it through, and not be discouraged by what others would call failures or setbacks. You can't see it yet, but you are just about to make a break through and it would be a mistake to give up now.
There may be a lingering uncertainty, even being so close to your goal, and this may stem from feelings of unworthiness, or worries about what could go wrong.
The advice here is to not waste needless energies on worrying about what has not yet occurred and instead get on with getting over the finish line, which if you look you will be able to see. Remember that this is a card of success, but inattention or lack of focus on the goal still has the ability to trip you up.
Keep your energy and intention strong, and you will succeed.
Image from "Tarot of Delphi" © Janet D.H. Hinkel