Two of Wands from the Rider Waite Smith Deck
Sometimes, when I’m reading for other people or at a party, I notice that the same cards come up. Two weeks ago, while reading an event for teachers kicking off their school year, one of the cards that kept popping up was the Two of Wands. I couldn’t help but wonder if the tarot was trying to tell me something through this card in addition to the message it had for others.
To tell the truth, the Two of Wands and I have never really gotten to know eachother. In fact, it is probably one of my more difficult cards to read. The description given in one of my go-to websites for card meanings, www.learntarot.com, says that the two of wands is about having personal power, being bold, and showing originality (among other things). While this definition makes sense on a basic level, looking at the Two of Wands in the Rider Waite Smith deck has never really prompted those feelings in me.
The man in the card seems distant. He is not only on top of a castle, looking down on the world, but he is also looking at a globe of the world. It seems as though he might be out of touch and seeing things at such a distant perspective that reality doesn’t even play a role. He may have the whole world in his hands (while simultaneously being on top of it), but it still feels like something is missing for this fellow… I haven’t been able to make the connections between the interpretation of the card and its images. As a result, reading the Two of Wands was very difficult. Without that connection, getting any kind of intuition from a card is nearly impossible for me.
Since I’ve been working on my own tarot deck on the side these days (for fun and introspection), I decided to make a new version of Two of Wands. I hoped to gain that necessary connection to the card as well as some insights into its possible interpretations. Here is my version of the Two of Wands:
Creating my own version of the Two of Wands shed light on the card's meaning. Copyright 2009, Cathy Hughes and Cathy Hughes Tarot
Working on the Two of Wands definitely helped me understand its message better. As I worked on the card, I realized that a few things from the RWS version had to remain in mine for the card to feel right. First of all, the color of the man’s clothes in the card had to match the color of the wands. Additionally, the color of the landscape beyond also had to be vibrant. The purple mountains needed to stay, as well as the red housetop, green fields, and blue water (though my blue was more intense than that of the RWS deck).
Realizing this connected me to the popular meaning of the card. Here, the man does not blend in by wearing the vibrant and varying colors of the world. Instead, he blends in with his goal. He is also not distracted by the beauty of the world, but focuses only on his goal. He is in a powerful position because his dreams empower him. They are not part of reality just yet, so a certain amount of detachment is required to see the future potential that lies in wait for him. While he does have a view of the big picture to support him, he chooses instead to focus on the journey (knowing that the big picture is there is enough). The two of wands is a person who is acting on their dreams. The time for speculation is over and he is striking out on his own. The world may beckon him with its beauty and vibrant opportunities, but he has chosen his path and is strong in his decision.
At the same time, the negative aspects that I have always seen in the card are also still present, but don’t feel as strong here. When creating the card, I also knew that he needed to be high up, just like in the Rider Waite Smith deck. Being so high, he is vulnerable, and he is also far from the day to day reality of life. The card warns of becoming too involved in making your dreams come true and not realizing how your actions may affect the world around you. It also warns of getting so high up that you lose your grounding and have a long way to fall.
In thinking about it now, I can see how this card marks the power and boldness of beginning of a new venture. Starting a project that you’ve planned and seeing your first successes is indeed a rush. You feel on top of the world and opportunities that you never dreamed of start popping into your head. At the same time, you must stay focused on your goals and continue working hard. The Two of Wands is about the tension between staying grounded in reality, with all of its concerns, and allowing yourself to work on a dream. This requires the faith of knowing the big picture is out there, coupled with the drive to continue and not get distracted with petty details.
For me, this card echoes my recent success in business as well as my fears of failure. I think the card was telling me that is is normal to respond to a success with mixed emotions and it reminds me that things are only beginning. While I may be on solid ground, like the Rider Waite Smith version of the Two of Wands, I am still exposed. The winds of change still reach the man on his castle-top. Or, conversely, in my version I am not on solid ground just yet, and am even more vulnerable.. but I am working my way to a greater destination.
Creating this card opened my eyes to the meanings held within the Two of Wands. It was an exciting experience that created a new relationship between myself and the two of wands.
If you find yourself having trouble grasping the notions of a particular card, you may want to try this technique and see what happens. Feel free to create an entirely new version of the card or to keep some elements and do away with others. Even creating an identical verison of a card can help you adjust your understanding and shed new light on the card’s meaning.
Feel free to share your own experiences with creating new versions of cards or card replicas. I’d love to hear about what discoveries you’ve made through this exercise!
Related posts:
- Self-Reading Technique: Revisiting the Past
- Holding Court with Court Cards
- Breaking in a New Deck
- Ask Cathy!
- Self-Reading Technique: Dialoguing
This is very cool. I love how you applied this to making your own card. I should do that. I bought a blank deck that I can work with. Oddly, I was pulling cards for myself while reading this post and pulled the two of wands.
Hi Celeste,
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I was pleasantly surprised by what I discovered when making the card.
Thanks!
Cathy
Thanks for the interpretation. Sometimes I’m confused with this card too. The deck I usually use though is the Deviant Moon and in that card, it is showing an action. In the picture, the character is using his efforts into one goal. The picture is very positive that it shows anything is possible.
I am glad you liked it! I haven’t seen the Deviant Moon deck, in person, but I have seen pictures online. It looks like a lot of fun!
Thanks and happy reading!
Cathy
an interesting web page indeed! specifically for the meaning of Two of Wands, what about the term “confined success”?
Hi Bosco,
Confined success is a very good term and very interesting not only for the Two of Wands, but I think also The World card in some ways. What do you think? I like this idea because it really calls into question notions of success. Very interesting!
-Cathy
Hi – just to say I actually learned/experienced a completely new relationship with Tarot simply by COPYING the Waite Deck …..I guess I am not imaginative or artistic enough to make my own deck……however by simply just copying each card I found myself looking much more deeply into the images than ever before even though I had used them for mediation etcl…..but working through the deck, copying and drawing each card made me look deeper and. rather rewardingly, I found/assigned ‘meaning’ to every single little detail on every card…….now I do not remember ‘traditional meanings’ for I have the ability to ‘read’ the image on the card, meaningfully and in context with surrounding card images…..feels good……just thought I would pass this on to others who may feel unable to create their own deck of new images…..just copying someone else’s may lead you into new understanding.
Well I don’t quite like the idea of a “confined” world, or why would we call the world “world” on the first hand? What do you think?
Bosco
His Bosco!
One way that I tend to view the world card is transcending limitations through acceptance, so you come to this new or greater understanding because of these limitations. But, I can also certainly see your perspective. Perhaps confined was the wrong word for the world card..?
Thanks for posting and I like your website!
-Cathy
Hi Tarotboat,
Thanks so much for sharing! This is a technique that I’ve done a couple times with the cards and it definitely brings out new imagery and thoughts about the card. I haven’t done it as much as I ought to, though, and your comment makes me wonder if this wouldn’t be a great way to get to know some of my cards better.
Thanks again!
Cathy