Another first! Finally, a look at the inspiring 2 of Wands.
At the Ace, we get an inkling of a calling. Now that the 2 shows up, we’re getting a sense of where in the world we’re going to express that inkling.
Our inner enthusiasm, our inner drive, is seeking its outer counterpart.
Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Notice, in the Shadowscapes image, that our persona, accompanied by a whole tribe of fanciful fur family – the instinctual selves – is very removed from the rest of the world. In the Rider Waite Smith image, it’s the same situation: looking out at the world, holding fast to our Wand – our growing sense of purpose – considering possibilities from a distance.
So, where in your life are you feeling the call to express an inner ambition? Shadowscapes says we don’t have to be realistic at this point – let all of your inner voices have a say.
Now’s the time to look around to see where the possibilities are. Get a sense of how you and the outer world match – or don’t. If there’s tweaking to be done for a good match, do some brainstorming and planning.
Settle in with the match and the meaning that bring you the most enthusiasm. You don’t need to roll with anything yet; just get used to the possibilities.
And keep your big picture eye out for opportunities!
You know those times when something you really believe in suddenly seems like a lot of work? Welcome to the world of 10 of Wands.
Sometimes our values, passions and beliefs are a heavy encumbrance. We’ve looked at that energy before. In the Crystal Tarot, we have shapes and structures to consider in relation to the 10 of Wands.
As always, there are many layers and many points along the “good-bad” spectrum.
We’ve got 4 of the 10 wands in the Crystal Tarot image making a pathway from rocky earth to a light-domed sky. Building on the belief structure we already have, we can find our way to a life with meaning. Or is the pathway narrow and restrictive, with the reflected triangles obstacles on our way?
Those triangles add up to a diamond, one of our western cultural symbols for precious value. Has mundane ambition supplanted values based in spiritual truth? Or does the diamond indicate pure values that have been tested under pressure?
They’re also alchemical symbols for fire above water. If we place our values above our emotions, we live true to our more lasting self. But we need to work through our transitory emotions to discover our values.
Do the structures on the image lead you forward to the re-evaluation of the weight of 10 of Wands to find the higher Ace that will encompass the entire group? Is the wand structure a gate to pass through to a higher level or a barrier to keep you out?
What would be the response of the Page of Wands, were she to find herself encumbered by the 10 of Wands? How does her fiery, youthful energy help her to move forward to the Ace? Does it hold her back in any way?
What if you, personally, found yourself embodying the 4 of Cups, with 10 of Wands demands being made on you? With more fire than water, how do you keep from turning to steam?
How would the three 0 The Fools we met recently respond to 10 of Wands? Does 0 The Fool naturally follow or lead into the 10 of Wands? Or neither?
Back to your life this week, how can you use the 10 of Wands to support you or move forward?
But this Princess of Wands doesn’t look playful or sedate. She’s got her club of fire, so she means business. She’s wielding passionate belief as a tool or weapon. And did you check out her other hand? She’s actually got it in the fire! This one’s a super hero.
What’s with the strange armour? There’s no breastplate. Her heart isn’t guarded or protected here. She doesn’t have to worry about skinning her knees, and she won’t be bashing her shins on the furniture, like the rest of us, but her normally vulnerable heart is stronger without guards and barriers.
The tiger-skin cape is another indicator that we’ve got a force to be reckoned with. This is not a humble Page or ineffectual Princess. This is youth unleashed. (And am I the only one thinking Calvin and Hobbes?)
When do we want to see this Princess?
How about those days when you’re dragging your sorry butt out of bed, wondering how you’re going to make it through yet another 14 hour day? It’d be great to have Marvel or DC on your side.
Or what about the times when you need to make a presentation to the boss or to potential clients? Passion and belief with unguarded sincerity is a powerful tool.
Robert Wang and Israel Regardie’s Golden Dawn Tarot is just one of several based on the traditions of the mystical organization, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn grew out of the flowering of Freemasonry traditions in the mid-to-late 19th Century. Tarot figured strongly in the Order, based on the Kabbalah. It’s an earlier tradition than the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot, but just barely. A.E. Waite was a member of the Golden Dawn.
Bring the Princess of Wands into your own life this week: Where have you already passed trials by fire, where does your passion serve you to get things done?
What if all you had to do to feel passionate about life was to step into a flow of passion?
Well, Ace of Fire, also known as Ace of Wands, is that flow. It’s the seed, the potential for the complete development of values, goals, the desired lifestyle (Tarot . . . It’s Easier Than You Think). Each Ace, each new passion, each beginning contains an entire lifespan with all its promise and eventual completion.
Our job, when we meet an Ace, is to open to the possibilities of the suit, in this case Wands. Aces are the most potent and pure of the minor arcana. Here we’ve got the ultimate in fire (Tarot 2: We’re Not in Kansas Anymore).
Rider Waite Smith Tarot
The Japaridze image gives us the fire within a diamond, the internal fire of a tempered, high-value gem. It’s a blossom of fire. The Rider Waite Smith image is of the Divine hand offering a new wand.
Story time . . . TIETYT, what happens when the wealthy 9 of Pentacles encounters the Ace of Wands flow? T2WNIKA, what’s the relationship between boundless fire and a lot of earth? And how does the 9 get on with 1?
Where are you feeling the passion, a renewed enthusiasm for life?
Jump into the flow and let it carry you away!
Tarot can help you focus and follow a new beginning; get in touch for a session. Follow your tarot passion with the next Berkeley County Adult Ed classes on 20th March and 1st May. Call 304-267-3585 for info and to sign up.
Now here’s a Page of Wands that looks like enthusiastic fire energy! The last time we looked at this Page, it was with one of the older, much more sedate decks.
Jump right into your life with this Page (you know you want to!). Where are you ready to play with life and its stuff? Where are you a loose cannon? When do the sparks fly in your life? And how about the high energy stuff that doesn’t quite fit yet, but you can’t help but wear it anyway?
There you are, being all Page of Wands. Parties and temper fits. Frolicking and tearing it up. Maybe still learning how it all fits into real life, but having fun at the same time.
Remember (Tarot . . . It’s Easier Than You Think), Pages are the youthful, fresh energy of any suit. Wands are all about our values, our lifestyle, our goals. We’re discovering new goals, uncovering important new values, putting youthfulness back into our lifestyles.
In other words (Tarot 2: We’re Not in Kansas Anymore), we’ve got the element of Earth (Pages) meeting Fire (Wands). What happens then (as if you didn’t know! Kaboom!)? It’s the passion behind the practical elements of your life.
So TIETYT, let’s tell some stories . . . . What happens when the Page of Wands is corralled by the 9 of Pentacles? How about when all that playfulness meets a 2 of Cups situation?
T2WNIKA, get a little deeper: knowing that Wands are stronger with Pentacles and weaker with Cups, how does that dynamic control the TIETYT stories? Remember, the higher the number of the suit, the more of the element. A LOT of Earth with some Fire? A little Water with some Earth and Fire (oh, we just needed Swords for Wind!)?
And when you’re done with your stories, head on back to your own life.
Knight of Wands is the most adventurous and forceful of the Court Cards: the most active card in the most aggressive suit. He may signify someone crossing your path or he may be rushing you to encounter that aspect of yourself.
Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Brian Williams’ Renaissance Tarot representation is much more subtle than the Rider Waite Smith image, but we can still find the indicators for the Knight who’ll take us quickly in the direction of our ambitions.
For starters we’ve got a few of the different names for Wands: Staves and the Italian Bastoni, which translates as Batons. Sometimes we’ve got slender staves or wands, other times heavy batons or clubs. All the same suit, under different family names. This one’s got the crown of spirit on it’s slender stalk.
Going basic, we’ve got a man on a horse. That immediately ups the speed and distance available to the Knight. His armour is light, a compromise necessary for speed. Perhaps he’s arrogant about defenses, perhaps he’s ignorant, perhaps he’s just a very good fighter. And perhaps he’s just able to out distance or out maneuver his adversaries.
He keeps a loose hand on the rein, an indication that he’s got a trusting relationship with his steed, letting his spirit take the lead. The wings on his helmet refer to the swiftly moving air element that’s associated with all the Knights. Knight of Wands’ flight is motivated by passion.
The red cloth of his dress is the colour of fire, with a yellow amulet, the colour of air. Emotional blue contains his passionate red. Although blue is most often associated with water, we all recognize it as the colour of clear skies . . . clear sailing.
Up in the corner, we’ve got an angel with a scroll – the Torah, the law. That’s one of two references to Hermes, the winged messenger. The other is the winged helmet. In the other corner we’ve got 2 men, indicating masculine energies (NOT male: you already know we’ve all got a masculine and feminine side); another descriptor of the activity level, the dynamic nature of the Knight of Wands.
The countryside through which he rides is fertile and green, growing. The water behind him – again a symbol of the subconscious and of emotions – is calm. The city is in the distance with mountains even further behind. Is our Knight passing by, or has he come from those distant places? It’s hard to imagine the city containing him but his fiery spirit could easily conquer the rugged mountaintops.
So, this week, identify the people in your life who are moved by their passions. And find the ways you yourself embody the Knight of Wands.
Fire away!
If you’re looking to learn more about Tarot, I’ll be teaching level 1, Tarot . . . It’s Easier Than You Think, on Wednesday, 5th November, and level 2, Tarot 2 . . . We’re Not in Kansas Anymore, on Friday, 12th December, through the Berkeley County Adult Ed program. Call 304-267-3585 for more information and to register.
And you know where to find me for phone, email, or in-person tarot counseling.
What if someone said you were about to attain your most meaningful goals? Pretty exciting stuff, eh?
That’s exactly what we get when we put the victory and stability of 6 together with the values, goals and lifestyle of wands.
6 of Wands is passion at its best. It’s ambition in service to your personal calling. All the passion kept you going when the going got, well, you know.
Rider Waite Smith Tarot
And now that you’ve achieved what you were after, you can inspire others. Enjoy the recognition, but don’t lose sight of your values.
Like Icarus, you’ve never flown so high. But unlike him, you’re going to keep the heat under control so your wings don’t melt.
Six of Wands examples include the achievement of long-term career goals: you’ve finally been promoted to that position you’ve worked so hard for. Or you’ve been working in the realm of social or economic justice and the legislation has finally passed to make your vision of a better world reality. Or you can finally afford to give up the homestead and take up the world traveler lifestyle.
And, if you’ve been looking for more passionate relationships, or just more passion in your life, in general . . . . give a spirited welcome to the 6 of Wands.
It’s going to take more than one pair of hands to manage all this!
Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Here we have the minors in Wands at their most passionate and enthusiastic. Is our Rider-Waite-Smith character someone who’s taken on as much as he can carry? Or it he someone who’s taken all the toys and is going home with everyone’s stuff? Or is this just someone who’s happily carrying all the resources he needs for his current project?
The 10 of Wands level of passion can lead to any of those scenarios. We can be so ambitious about getting something done that we forget we’ve only got so many hours and so many hands. Or we can believe so passionately in our agenda that we steamroll others or press them into service. Or we can be so involved in what we’re getting done that we recognize almost anything around us as a resource for our aims.
As with all the 10s, we’re being pressed to recognize who we really are on some level. With Wands, it’s all about recognizing our purpose. What is it that really holds all those wands together into a cohesive bundle? What directs all those hands in the Golden Dawn 10 of Wands toward a single end?
It’s time to focus at 10 of Wands and find the unifying factor. The big questions to ask are, What are my values? What’s really important to me right now?
And then make sure you’re not hiding behind those values — or projects — to avoid interaction with the world around you.
The good news with all that enthusiasm, when it’s focused and based on meaningful values, is that the goal will be attained, the values will be realized, and the resources will be there.
Page of Wands is eager to get going on your next exciting adventure!
Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Elementally, Page of Wands is earth of fire, So, we can expect actions that come from passion. We’re ready to do something!
Of course, when we’re driven by our passions, we’re not always thrifty. Or, even, sane.
If we’re using the kind of wisdom that comes with being connected to our higher purpose, we’re more likely to take action in the right direction. So our temporary lack of prudence will pay off in the long run.
If we’re not . . . . well, the Page doesn’t take us very far into the experience — Page is more about beginning — so we will have an out not too far down the line if we need one.
Like, if we found an RV to try life on the road and found out we still had to pay bills. Or, if we were mad enough to try fire eating and found out, yup — and big ouch! — we could get burned.
If you’re still reading and not already off on your adventure . . .
enjoy all the expansive, enthusiastic energy this week!
You deserve enthusiasm in your life! I can help you find it if it’s missing. Find me here.
We’ve had another look at the playful Page of Wands.
Whatever is in process is moving quickly now. Obstacles get swept aside as it moves. And that includes you, if you don’t stay out of your own way.
It’s important to remember purpose when 8 of Wands appears. Your purpose — your vision, your goal — has the support of the universal flow. Any and all of the details pertaining to your purpose will be up for attention; if you get caught up in them, instead of keeping focus on the point of the details, you’ll find yourself tumbling arse over tea kettle in the strong currents.
Since 8 of Wands is in motion, travel can be connected. Sometimes it’s the metaphoric creative journey with its secret insights, other times it’s literal, geographical travel, with all the whirlwind spontaneity and sense of adventure that comes with fiery Wands.
What would you say about a combination of 8 of Wands with 8 of Swords? What about 8 of Wands with XIX Sun?
Connect 8 of Wands with some of your favourite cards to see what high-spirited motion lends to them.
You’re in service to spirit this week: enjoy the ride!
The beautiful card at the top of the post is from the Winged Spirit Tarot by David Sexton.
