Lesson 7 -- Choosing a deck -- Suits/Symbolism -- Orientation of the people on a card -- the Two of Wands

Lesson 7 is interspersed in the breakdown of the Two of Wands. The lesson is about choosing tarot decks, paying attention to how suits are incorporated into a card, and noticing the orientation of the figures on a card.

To the left is the Two of Wands from the
Motherpeace Tarot. I bought this deck because it was ROUND and becuase it was multi-racial. Sadly, I really don't like the deck. The artwork doesn't speak to me at all. I personally don't think the artwork is very good. I am also not fond of the symbolism throughout most of the deck. The card backs are gorgeous, but this wasn't my best purchase.

This deck taught me to look at the quality of the artwork in a deck before I buy it. Before this deck, I really didn't know to do that. I bought a deck because of the title, the colors, and the concept. I simply didn't know a thing about art back then... not that I'm highly educated on art now! But you know what I mean. I so dislike this deck that I hardly ever read with it, despite it being wonderfully round and being quite delightful to hold in my hands. I couldn't read with it at all at first, but the longer I have it the easier it is to read with. I still don't like the artwork though.

Regardless, I chose to use this card as an example for the Two of Wands because it's such a non-traditional take on the card. A woman is imagining (or perhaps remembering) what she could be using her wands for. Wands are often seen as being of the fire element. They are also seen as representing entrepreneurs. Invention (of tools to create fire) isn't so far from entrepreneurial sprit.

So, what elements exist in this card that we can use an apply in a tarot reading? This woman is a problem-solver. She's someone who can use what she has available to improve her situation. She can envision ideas and she can implement them.

What if this card were reversed? Or what if you draw it and its more obvious aspects don't speak to you? What is the other side of this card? When I turn this card upside down I am less aware of the woman who is doing the thinking and more conscious of the woman inside the thought bubble. I'm more aware of her foot on the wand and the movement of her hands. When I turn this card upside down, it becomes a card that is less about ideas and invention and more about implementation of ideas and taking action.

The card to the right is how you usually see the Two of Wands. A man stands atop his castle, he holds a globe of the Earth in one hand. A staff in his other hand represents his power and success, the land around him represents his wealth, yet he wants more. At least that's one way to see it.

Yes, maybe he is holding the globe in his hand and maybe it represents how he feels like he owns the world, maybe he feels he's king of all he surveys. Or, maybe, the man holds the globe as a symbol of what he has not yet accomplished or experienced. Looking at it that way, he's now a man wistfully thinking about land he has yet to conquer.

Funny thing about tarot reading and intuition, you may see this card one way for one person and another way for someone else. It's good to explore every card and understand the multiple meanings one card can have.

Notice also that the wands are sprouting leaves (traditionally wands are alive). Wands are about growth, enthusiasm, and passion. In the Motherpeace deck the woman's wands aren't sprouting anything, but they are certainly being used as tools to create something--fire! And the wands also inspired thought in the woman. When you are reading tarot, remember to pay attention not just to the suit but how a particular suit is being used in the cards.

Let's talk about past and future for a moment. For Westerners, it's common to perceive the future as being to the right and the past being to the left. This shows up in our handwriting and in our body language when we are trying to remember something (our eyes drift to the left). Notice the woman on the Motherpeace card. Yeah, she's looking to her left but from our perspective she's facing the right side of the card--the future. She is thinking about what she is going to do. I see that card as a future oriented card. In the Universal Waite (above) Two of Wands the man looks off to the left side of the card. To me, he is wistful. He is thinking about what should have been or what he wishes for. He has so much, why is he so determined to have more? Something from his past driving him, perhaps? Which way the figures are facing on the cards you draw are something to factor into your readings. More on that later.

Lesson 8 -- Sample Reading

The last two cards weren't scanned in the order in which I drew them. I get easily confused when I scan a spread, I always get something turned around.

Alyssa asks: Will my relationship get stronger or fall apart. I’m not sure about the relationship being strong enough, although I do care for him.

The problem with this question is that the woman asking it doesn’t own the problem she’s asking about. She wants to know what’s going to happen. I consider it my job to empower her. Instead of asking the tarot what’s going to happen, I ask the tarot how she can improve the situation. I start by breaking down her question. I try to get as specific as possible.

What can Alyssa do to strengthen this relationship? Five of Cups

Look at the image on this card. The person on this card is grieving a loss. How does sadness figure into their relationship? Ask some questions. Is she grieving something? Is her lover grieving? Is she depressed? Is she addicted to drama? Does she create drama where it doesn’t exist? Does she know a relationship doesn’t have to be filled with pain? She may not know this. A lot of people don’t. If she clings to her pain, guilt, grief, and sense of loss she may not be giving herself an opportunity to enjoy life and love. This isn’t something she does on purpose, she may just not know better. I would probably draw a clarification card on this and ask the source of this pain.

What does Alyssa do that weakens this relationship? King of Rods

The King of Rods is an intensely enthusiastic individual. He can be kind of pushy, but only because he’s trying so hard to help those around him. He likes being involved, he’s very social. Alyssa is not a he, but this card could easily apply to her if her personality is very strong. So, the question is, does this card show what she does or what she doesn’t do. It’s such a positive card, I feel like this card isn’t showing her being overbearing but, rather, I think it’s showing what she’s not doing in the relationship. Perhaps she snubs the social stuff, doesn’t give into her passions much, and isn’t terribly supportive when it comes to work as well her man’s outside interests. Some questions I might ask Alyssa at this point is how she feels about his hobbies, his work, and his social connections. Is she jealous of them or does she support them? Does she try to get involved, or, at the very least, try and stay out of the way of her lover’s interest in these things?

But here is something else to consider. In the Hanson Roberts Tarot, this King looks rather sad. So, when you are doing a reading, listen to your intuition and consider what strikes you more powerfully about a card. Is it the emotion you see on the card? Or is it what you’ve learned about the card that comes to your mind? If you are more compelled by the figure of the King on this card who is looking down at the cups spilled over on the Five of Cups, well, this could open a whole new avenue of understand in this reading. Why does the King care about those cups? And how does this weaken the relationship? Because this really doesn’t take me anywhere, I don’t feel that it’s really pertinent, but it is something to be aware of. Sometimes something that just seems interesting at first, but doesn’t seem to apply, may have some meaning further into the reading. And I do feel, very strongly, that the King really is looking down at those tumbled cups.

If Alyssa does everything in her power to strengthen this relationship, what might the relationship be like in three months? Four of Cups.

Another Cups card!! This is a good sign that the tarot is working with me on this reading. Cups represent emotions and Alyssa is asking about love. Sometimes a card may not have any particular meaning except as validation that the reading is in sync with the question or with the person herself. In this case, I feel that even if Alyssa and her lover somehow manage to salvage their relationship that it still won’t be enough. The figure on the Four of Cups is surrounded by Cups and another is being offered to her, but it’s no good. It’s not what she wants. She is still sad.

If this relationship is still going in three months, what will Alyssa’s emotional state be like? Death

Notice that a man, woman, and child lie dead at the bottom of this card. The way I see this is that the couple is together, but there is no life in their togetherness. This card doesn’t hint that this relationship is going anywhere at all. At least not based on the current state of their relationship. This doesn’t mean that the relationship could never be successful, but things may have to be drastically different for the relationship to thrive.

What might Alyssa’s emotional state be like in three months if she backs out of this relationship right now? Nine of Pentacles

This is a very clear sign to me that Alyssa could be quite happy without this man in her life. The Nine of Pentacles depicts a lady of leisure. She is surrounded by beauty. She is alone but content. Her life is very very good.