The Two of Wands is a powerful card, but like all Twos, suffers from ambivalence and doubt.
Card meanings can be a source of frustration to readers, particularly beginners still trying to make sense of the cards and the various ways of reading them. Although there is a set of more-or-less agreed-upon meanings, there is enough variation in interpretations to cause confusion.
The Two of Wands is no different: interpretations range from “power in balance” to melancholy. Why?
Maybe we should look at where the interpretations of all the cards come from. This post will discuss the most commonly used elements that go into the divinatory meaning of the pip cards, with the Two of Wands as example. (The court cards and major arcana cards have a different mix of elements.)
A follow-up post will draw these elements together in a format similar to this post on the Ace of Wands.
Components of an interpretation
Personal power perplexed: Two of Wands (Part 2) — synthesis [coming up]
The components of an interpretation
In Western Europe and the UK, the most influential sources of divinatory meanings are those of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and its (sometime) members Aleister Crowley (the Thoth Tarot) and Arthur Edward Waite (the Rider-Waite or Rider-Waite-Smith deck).
While Crowley’s interpretations are closer to the Golden Dawn’s, Waite tried to merge meanings from several sources, often ending up with interpretations differing substantially from those of Crowley and the Golden Dawn.*
So where do their interpretations come from?
Astrology
Planetary and zodiacal attributions in most decks follow those of the Golden Dawn. The Order assigned a decan to each pip card (excluding the Ace), and based their interpretation of the decans on a 14th century book on astrological magic called the Picatrix**.
A decan is one of the 36 divisions of the zodiac. Astrologers divide each zodiacal sign into three 10-degree arcs, ruled by the sun, the moon, or one of the five planets recognized by earlier astrologists.
The decan assigned to the Two of Wands combines the fiery resourcefulness and desire for exploration of Aries, with the drive, vitality, and focus of Mars.
Picatrix describes this decan as one of boldness, fierceness, resolution, and shamelessness.
The Golden Dawn therefore interpreted the Two of Wands as “dominion,” which also implies wealth, mastery, control, and strength.
“Tradition”
French 18th-century cartomancer Jean-Baptiste Alliette (known as Etteilla) was, as far as we know, the first person to assign divinatory meanings (upright and reversed) to all 78 cards. His work, and that of his students, is probably the closest we can come to “traditional” card meanings. They had a strong influence on the Golden Dawn and Waite.
Etteilla’s divinatory meanings for the Two of Wands include sadness and melancholy, as well as anger, temper, spite, and dark thoughts—a strikingly different view from that of the Golden Dawn.
Waite correctly notes that “Between the alternative readings there is no marriage possible,” but he tries anyway. His solution is “the sadness of Alexander amidst the grandeur of this world's wealth.”
The suit
Pip cards (Aces through to 10s) often derive meaning from the combination of number, suit symbol (usually Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles or Coins), and element (Fire, Water, Air, and Earth). Following the attributions of the Golden Dawn, the divinatory meanings of the Two of Wands are influenced by the associations of Wands, Fire, and the number 2***.
A wand is a phallic symbol, denoting will, intent, control, and power (particularly transformative power, as an occult tool). (This post discusses the wand as symbol.)
Fire is associated with warmth, nurture (food, home fires), survival, energy, growth, regeneration, the spark (of life, of inspiration), illumination (including spiritual illumination), power (again, transformative power as it transforms what it touches), purification, divine energy (gods are often associated with fire: think of sacrifices, divine appearances, the fire stolen from the gods, the descent of the Holy Spirit), inspiration (including “infused with spirit”), sexual passion, and destruction.
The suit of Wands therefore has so-called “masculine” qualities: energetic, active, powerful, assertive, and even aggressive. The suit is characterized by passion, courage, and perseverance, but also restlessness and impulsivity. Wands are commonly associated with creativity, business and career matters, sexuality, and spirituality, although the energy of the card can manifest in any sphere of life.
In the Kabbalah, Wands are associated with the first of the “four worlds,” the World of Emanations (or Causes). This world signifies pure ideas and divine will. Brought closer to the practical world, Wands carry the connotations of will, willpower, intent, creative impetus, and spiritual insight.
This suit is the most exuberant of all the suits and, as happens with exuberance not tempered with discipline, can lead to trouble.
The number
Number associations in Tarot derive from more than one source.
“Common sense”
The “common sense” or instinctive associations with the number 2 include balance, harmony, cooperation, and reflection, but also duality, opposition, conflict, and indecision.
Pythagorean number mysticism
Pythagorean number mysticism regards all odd numbers as masculine, and even numbers as feminine. The “feminine” characteristics include emotions, passivity, dependence, and submissiveness. Quite a contrast to the essential masculine energy of the suit!
The “feminine” qualities ascribed to the number do complement the “common sense” ones, in that femininity is associated with harmony and cooperation, and masculine-feminine is a basic duality (and often the cause of conflict).
According to the Pythagoreans, 2 is not a real number—that honour belongs to 3. One explanation for this belief is that geometrically, 1 is a point with location but no boundaries or dimension; 2 extends the point to a line; 3, represented by the triangle, is the first number with a tangible form and surface.
The number does, however, express the principle of expansion, and in contrast to 1, 2 has dimension (length).
Kabbalah and the Tree of Life
The second sephirah on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life is Chokmah (or Hokmah), the sephirah of wisdom.
Although 1 is the number of creation and unity, it has no boundaries, and it cannot “know” or “see” itself. For that, it needs the “other.” Two is the number of reflection, of the one seeing itself for the first time. This brings wisdom.
In contrast to the Pythagorean view of 2 as feminine, Chokmah is masculine, called the “supernal father.” It is more complicated than this, however: Chokmah also has feminine associations. The Greek word for wisdom is Sophia, personified as the goddess of wisdom (Athena-Minerva), and made feminine in texts such as the Bible****. Moreover, as divine energy moves through Chokmah to the third sephirah, Binah (the “supernal mother”), the second sephirah needs to contain the potential of the third. In addition, wisdom and understanding (Binah) have close ties and are often used together.
Finally, the word chochmah comprises two Hebrew words: koach and mah, meaning “potential.” Chokmah is an idea waiting to be developed.
The image
The image on a card can evoke metaphors, clichés, and meanings not necessarily intended by the designer.
Some associations evoked by the image in the Rider-Waite deck could be:
- having the world in your hands
- looking at the big picture
- wondering “have I done the right thing, made the right choice?”
- “what the hell happened?”
- “have I arrived? am I where I want to be?”
- taking the broader view
- gaining perspective
- planning the next move
- planning a trip
- eye on/off the ball
- gathering thoughts
- at the threshold
- grandiose ideas
- a new outlook
- waiting for your ship to come in
Synthesis?
These are not the only elements that inform the card’s meaning, but they represent the most commonly used ones. The next post will put it all together.
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* Just to confuse things, the images in Waite’s deck do not always correspond to his divinatory meanings! The Seven of Swords is a good example.
** According to Paul Huson in Mystical origins of the Tarot. I have also seen references to Agrippa.
*** Most decks follow the Golden Dawn’s association of Wands with Fire. Most of those who don’t, assign Fire to Swords (and Air to Wands). Because both Wands and Swords are phallic symbols associated with power, control, and aggression, the card meanings usually ascribed to Wands + Fire and Swords + Fire don’t differ much. Both Wands and Swords are “masculine” symbols. The greatest difference between Wands and Swords is that Wands are associated with growth, while Swords have destructive, hurtful (yet potentially healing) associations. Fire, however, is also associated with life (and hence growth), which again means that the divinatory meanings of the two combinations are almost the same.
**** See for example Proverbs 1:20 “Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square” and 4:6 “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.” (Emphasis mine.)
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