You can really tell this is a collaborative deck by the way that some minor arcana cards represent goddesses, some represent actions or states of being, and others represent concepts or keywords for the card.  However, most of the Nines have some connection to the underlying concepts of the traditional cards, just expressed in different ways.

Nine of Pentacles – Malama.  On this card, a Hawaiian woman sits comfortably beneath a coconut tree, with lush tropical flowers and plants all around.  She has flowers in her hair and a garland of leaves, and a large gourd in her lap.  One hand rests on her ample belly.  She appears very contented and relaxed.  She wears only a flowered skirt.  This woman exudes the sense of peace with herself and her surroundings that is associated with the traditional Nine of Pentacles, and also the beautiful outdoor setting.  However, the meaning of this card goes in a somewhat different direction than usual, away from material abundance, at least when it has been earned through modern means.  Malama is a Hawaiian word meaning “to take care of, preserve, care for each other”.  It adds the idea that the abundance she feels is based on what nature can provide, and on sustainable community living.

Nine of Flames – The Wanderer.  The Nine of Flames shows a travelling woman pulling her wagon, which is a little house on wheels.  The house has garlands of herbs hanging from it, ladles and other kitchen implements, and a drum.  Attached to the house are eight flaming torches, and she holds aloft a ninth torch to light the way.  She travels down a long and winding road, through green hills, as the setting rays of the sun shine red in the distance.  The feeling of this card that connects to other Nine of Wands for me is the sense of self-reliance, of having all the resources one needs to deal with whatever comes, and to face the future unafraid, even if there are battles to be fought.  Travelling like this, she must know that she is not entirely safe, yet she prefers her solitude and self-reliance to another lifestyle.  Her house has little curtains on the windows and is painted in a friendly way, and you can see that she has put a lot of love and work into it.  She may be a traveling wise woman, dispensing herbals and advice in the villages she passes through.

Nine of Cups – Kuan Yin.  This card shows the Buddhist Bodhisattva Kuan Yin, worshiped in throughout Asia as the Goddess of Compassion.  She hears the cries of mortals and relieves the suffering and pain of those who call out to her.  Her voice is heard in running water, in the wind sighing through the trees, and in wind chimes.  Here she sits beside a rushing waterfall, in which nine golden cups sit like stones, with water rushing into them and overflowing to the next level below.  This card is different from the traditional Nine of Cups in some ways – it still represents your wishes coming true, but more in the sense of being relieved of pain and trouble in your life.  Here is a sense of contentment and fulfillment, harmony and balance.  There is a depth of emotion and compassion that is missing in the traditional card.

Nine of Blades – Criticism.  This card shows two opposing faces, in some ways mirror images of each other, but with different coloring.  Their mouths are open and brows furrowed.  Nine arrows converge on a central shape, forming a nine-pointed crystalline shape that seems off-center because it is not balanced.  If you imagine yourself at the central point, it could be similar to the traditional Nine of Swords, where it just feels that all your worries and negative thoughts are driving you crazy.  Yet, in this card, there is more a feel of two people arguing and criticizing each other, and communication that is coming to a head in some way.  This could work out positively, if both sides use tact and care in their words and are each open-minded, or negatively, if the criticism is not delivered constructively or the recipient is not ready or capable of hearing it.

Thrysse