The suit of Wands is associated with daily life.
- Ace of Wands
- Primordial Fire, birth, a fresh start, significant news.
- The key to understanding this card is to know that something is changing; more than that, something new is about to happen.
- It’s important to look at the other cards to determine in what manner these changes take place and when. This is true of any Tarot card though.
- Two of Wands
- Beware of a proud man; partnerships could improve; success with renovation projects.
- When this card comes up, expect an element of competition; factor others into the equation.
- Three of Wands
- Relationships look good; travel in connection with work; a fresh start; new job.
- This is a great card and even when it doesn’t appear to get on well with the other cards in a reading; at most it indicates delays and frustrations. It can’t be stopped.
- Four of Wands
- Can indicate either a business related or romantic related meaning. A great card that focuses on issues of security. At worst, there may be delays before things come good.
- Five of Wands
- Challenges, delayed travel plans.
- Six of Wands
- Success, victory, legal issues will go your way.
- Seven of Wands
- Opposition from others, don’t give up. Can also indicate minor things going wrong on a day to day basis that seems to take way more energy than it should to resolve.
- Eight of Wands
- Travel, ‘arrows of love’, communication and things changing rapidly.
- Nine of Wands
- A defensive approach is needed. This card can also indicate that the person’s sense of security may be threatened.
- Ten of Wands
- Burdens and responsibilities.
- Court Cards
- I actually view the Court cards as separate from the Pip cards, in terms of function, but I thought it would be easier to categorise them together.
- Page of Wands
- Communication, restless youngster, easily distracted, travel. Good news will be on its way. Perhaps this person writes for a living.
- Knight of Wands
- Travel, somebody enters the client’s life suddenly. A home move.
- Queen of Wands
- Good at business, a good talker, good company. Indicates luck, usually in business.
- King of Wands
- Confirmation that things will go well.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
“Beware of a proud man” : while I did have a brief chuckle at this one on the first read, I do like it. Are you inferring that meaning from the RWS image? And I have to ask, have you ever given that advice to a querent where it proved to benefit him or her later?
It sure is a bit cliched, and to be honest, I smile every time I utter those words.
The RW deck does give the impression of a ‘proud man’, but I arrived at that definition from both the Element and the number. Twos are all about partnerships, and Fire (Wands) are all about negotiating with other people. There tends to be a degree of self-interest with this suit (this is not a judgment; nor am I implying an ethic). However, in certain readings the client can be fragile so I like to discuss, or ‘get it out into the open’, the idea of a ‘proud man’. It allows them to think through any insecurities as a sort of preparation.
I do tend to limit this definition to events that involve the client negotiating, in an explicit rather than an implicit sense, with somebody else. This, strangely, can involve their current partner; or more often than not, their family or employer – basically, anybody that can rule them.
Oh, two of wands … how you wish to conquer the world …
I like thinking of the twos as partnerships, but this might be pure self-interest (nicely phrased, Douglas). The fellow seems bored. And restless. And potentially quite proud.
Hi Tabitha Dial,
I agree with you! Frequently, I can see the “twos” as representing partnerships of some kind
One of the interesting things I find about the 2 of Wands is the difference in interpretation some decks bring to the card. For instance, the Thoth deck is a much more dominating force in comparison to the Rider Waite. I wonder, do you think both interpretations hint at some underlying truth about the 2 of Wands; or are both interpretations mutually exclusive. This is something I’ve been thinking about quite a bit lately
I think every deck has its own personality. Each deck is another facet of the intent of each card. Each deck is seen through another person’s eyes (its creator, really).
I’m very interested in readers who use cards from various decks, cobbling them together for what they feel is the closest representation, perhaps, of their own thinking. Readers who may make their own majors and use the minors from a published deck. You have to respect their innovation.
I think it proves that readers know what they want/expect from particular cards in the decks they are familiar with.
Hi Tabitha Dial,
I agree. In fact, I remember reading how members of the Golden Dawn had to create their own Tarot deck. I think that process must have really helped them cement a lot of their knowledge, both conscious knowledge and irrational, intuitive knowledge.
I think people who spend the time creating, and designing their own Tarot deck will be opening themselves up to a very enriching and transforming experience. I was recently reading an interview, at Tarot Elements with the creator of the Gaian Tarot, Joanna Powell Colbert, and you can really get a sense of this ‘transformation’ process at work.
Thanks for the interview link, Douglas. It’s a great source for inspiration and got me back to sketching my own Tarot. I have another person to look to.
Cheers.
Hi Tabitha Dial,
Awesome! I’d love to hear how you get on with sketching out your own Tarot deck