4 of Wands: Chesed of Atzilut

The 4 of Wands is one of the “happy” cards of the Tarot deck. We all love to have it show up in a spread because it shows happiness, joyful relationships (sometimes marriage), celebration, and overall joy.

Interpreting this card Kabbalistically means looking at the number and suit and how they correspond to the Tree of Life and the Four Worlds. Doing this gives you an even deeper understanding of the card.

Let’s first look at the number: 4. On the Tree of Life, 4 corresponds to the sephirah of Chesed—loving kindness, mercy, and goodness. It is the “feel good” energy on the Tree of Life and often represents love, both of self, of others, and of and from God.

So when any of the 4’s appear in a spread, we know we are in the midst of Chesed energy, the very energy that Spirit used to create the world. Psalm 89:3 “The world was built with Chesed.” This Chesed is the very source of love and goodness that God wants for each and every one of us.

Now let’s look at the suit: Wands. The suit of wands corresponds to the Kabbalistic world of Atzilut. The realm of emanations, also known as the realm that is closest to God/Spirit. So close in fact, that this realm has never forgotten it’s connection to Spirit. This is the world of desire, intention, and will.

Desire means something a little different in Kabbalah than in does in our everyday use. Desire is one of the most spiritual aspects of our soul, and it goes far deeper into the mystical realms than our emotions and intellect can follow. Desire just is. We often don’t know why we want what we want. We just want it. And we aim for it with our intention. How we go about that, well that puts is in the lower worlds of the realms of intellect/emotions/actions. In Tarot those are the suits of Swords/Cups/Pentacles.

In Atzilut, the realm of Wands, our Desire is our deepest soul connection to God, the intent/desire that propels us throughout all of our life in this physical incarnation. It is related to what we often today call “our soul’s purpose.”

Now we put the Sephira and World together and get that the 4 of Wands, also known as Chesed of Atzilut asks us to explore our joy and purpose in this lifetime. Most importantly, are we on a path that leads to a deep-seated joy and satisfaction. Often our minds cannot answer this question and we must ask our emotional soul; we often must “feel” our way to the answer.

How would you answer the following Chesed of Atzilut, 4 of Wands, questions:

1. Am I living the life that I know I’m supposed to be living?

2. Am I satisfied with all areas of my life? Note, I’m not asking if you are happy with them. Happiness is a strong emotion and that would be a 4 of Cups, Chesed of Yetzirah question. Atzilut is deeper and more profound than mere happiness. It’s the satisfaction of a desire, a sense that all is in place as it should be.

3. What do I truly want out of this life I’ve been gifted with?

4. Am I experiencing any joy in life? If not, what do I need to do to allow joy into my world?

One of the best gifts from God is that we are not just allowed joy, but actively encouraged to be satisfied and joyous. When the 4 of Atzilut shows up in a spread, it’s time to dig deep with yourself and get to the deeper levels of purpose and true satisfaction.

These are not always the easiest questions to ask and answer. But they are opportunities to ask God to show you where you are supposed to be at this stage of your life journey.

The answers you receive will show you your choice points, which are your unique soul gateways for growth.