TAROTTwo of Wands
Upright
Making decisions for the future. Moving out of the comfort zone. Personal ambition and ego.
Choosing a direction at an important crossroads.
Making plans to expand, possibly from a fortified comfort zone. Travel to somewhere new is a possibility.
Aspiration and the will to succeed. Ambition and ego
Intuition
Some Tarot cards liken the man depicted on the Two of Wands to Alexander the Great. This time it is Alexander the Great.
We see Alexander on the battlements of a castle and looking out to an early morning red sky, denoting early planning for the day ahead.
This card is similar to the Major Arcana Magician card. It represents the start of ‘making things happen’.
Reversed
Fear or trepidation in making the first step. Rushing without a plan. Wanting too much.
Viewing the prize or goal from afar then quickly moving towards it without planning.
Restlessness or lack of contentment with the current situation.
Conflict with the older generation through greed of the younger generation.
Astrologia
Strong and independent, impulsive. A born leader. Taking the initiative. Independent. Courageous with bold planning. Can become overconfident and aggressive, leading to reckless action.
Two of Wands
The Two of Swords represents making plans and forming a strategy whilst in a position of safety. These plans usually relate to either a leadership role or very much a passion project, as seen by the Astrologia section (Aries in Mars, representing boldness, competiveness and passion) - this person is more than capable of fighting for what they want!
The person holds a world globe in his hands and one of the two poles (wands) is a flagpole with a red flag. This denotes big plans and much emotion and passion. This passion leaks into the air itself via a red sky.
Yet the character himself is not passionate yet. They are carefully considering what to do next. They have started (or inherited) part of a working plan or are starting from a position of some power in an organization (the castle) but seem to be contemplating or desire more. To further their lot they either have an either-or decision to make or the task itself is ambitious.
Remember the ‘Aries in Mars’ part. This will come in good stead when we consider the next card (often seen as a very similar card), the Three of Wands which is a less aggressive Sun in Aries.
The setup almost feels like a great warrior prince setting out from his ancestral homeland to better his mother and father and take over the entire world. Seems far-fetched perhaps, but one man came quite close.
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon inherited the throne at the early age of 20, 336 BC. Before that, he had been tutored by some of the great names in ancient history, including Aristotle.
Upon riding a horse that nobody could tame, Alexander’s father Philip II, was overjoyed at his son’s early skill and determination, and is said to have emotionally exclaimed ‘My boy, you must find a kingdom big enough for your ambitions. Macedon is too small for you!’
‘… you must find a kingdom big enough for your ambitions …’
By the age of 30, Alexander had spent most of his time conducting military campaigns and creating a very large Empire that far exceeded the kingdom he inherited. He died undefeated in battle but killed by disease or subterfuge.
Description and Symbology
The card depicts someone who has great aims in mind. The person already has a position of some power or influence and is already in a stable and safe position. This could (depending on the question being asked) be a facet of your own ambition, a family/group head, or a leader or manager known to you. If the subject of the card is not your own ambition, the subject has plans that may well affect your future.
The figure on the ramparts
We see a great general with a wand in one hand (representing his ambition) looking out from the castle. He has a world globe in one hand, suggesting he has big plans. He is well dressed and already successful.
The Red Flag
The second pole has a red flag on it and suggesting strong passion. The man is passionate in what he believes.
The man holds one pole himself, giving us two wands. This suggests two sets of thoughts (one is more about emotion, and the other is more about planning). A decision has to be made between them. Only one path can be chosen
The Red Sky
We see a low sun and a red morning sky. The day is young and the man is making early plans that will come to fruition later. Like the red flag, the red sky represents passions are in the air. There will either be big changes or a reckoning later in the day.
Tips for Readings
The following table shows the upright and reverse meanings for general questions. The last row ('Yes/No') is useful when you are picking a single card to decide a yes or no decision.
Upright
Reversed
This card can be viewed in two ways.
If the relationship is very strong or in a very early phase then it can mean moving forward together.
If there are problems in an existing relationship then the card suggests opposing directions or life goals that may break the relationship unless addressed.
There may be important sticking points or even one person beginning to look elsewhere. For the single person, this could mean more than one love interest on the horizon.
You are struggling to make decisions because of a lack of priorities or simply confusion on where you stand in the relationship.
There is a need for the person asking the relationship question to be clear on the above before moving forward.
You are reaching an important point in career. There has been some success so far but now face an either-or option in front of you. This may involve moving or pushing for promotion. If you don’t do either you will become bored and listless in your current position.
The card may also represent a person in power who will affect your career.
Stagnation or avoiding making decisions. Lack of ambition.
This card may denote a plan or business that has gone well in its early stages but this success may get harder or even reverse.
Rushing forward without making plans. Are you sure you are ready?
You have a desire to better yourself and will become passionate about it, making it achievable.
Setting bold targets and routines may be preferable to starting slow. Otherwise that passion will dissipate.
You have a desire to better yourself but something is preventing you getting started.
You may already be in decent health and not seeing any sense of priority in increasing health, or may just not think it is important.
Make sure your decision is the right one!
A time for forging ahead and making changes in the way you see things. Your ambition is strong and this will push away previous self–defeating ideas about yourself.
Be wary that your ambition does not push away things you hold dear.
A time to reassess your beliefs. Are they even yours?
You may have fallen in with the orthodox views and such beliefs do little to add or subtract to your life.
It may be time to rethink and be a little bolder on how you see your place in the world.
Taking hold of your finances and making bold changes will work well especially if your money is earning steadily but you feel it could be working harder for you.
You may be making bold moves without proper thought or are leaving your money in low earning accounts because your fear of losses exceeds your ability to take any chances on gains.
Either reassess your plans or get an expert opinion.
Yes through passion and ambition.
A weak ‘yes’. Your heart may not be in it enough to follow through with the work.
Reading the Card
Both the upright and reversed card represent ambition (or its lack) leading to a decision. There are two routes. One that is high risk and has the potential for great gains and one that suggests remaining in a position of safety.
The upright card
The upright card represents the character on the card planning to ‘leave the castle and seek their own fortune’. They are moving from a position of comfort towards an even better position. This move is driven by passion, obsession or ambition.
This is a significant decision requiring courage as they may be risking the original safe starting position of the castle. However, not following this route would also have repercussions later, as staying in the castle would in hindsight be seen as a lack of ambition and lost chances for great success.
The reversal
The reversed card is essentially the character on the card ‘staying in the castle’ for whatever reason. Lack of motivation, being happy with their current lot, or fear of failure.
In any of these cases this is a decision that may well be regretted in the future. The real reason for the actions will be remembered as lack of ambition and drive.
The card can also represent wanting success for the wrong reasons, including to be better than your parents or peers, or believing that any dissatisfaction of your current life can be fixed by simply owning more than you currently do.
Card Design Process
This was a very straight forward card to create although there was a significant underlying problem that changed the way the deck was created via the question ‘how do we differentiate between the Two of Wands and The Three of Wands in a way that is immediately obvious?’
One of the ideas considered was showing the astrological meaning of the cards, illustrated as an easy to read archetype based on an astrological reading of the planets. This resulted in the Astrologia section for every card.
Final Words
The card represents a prince or general looking over the battlements of a castle and deciding whether to forge out and seek their own fortune, or stay put in the safety of the castle. This is an important ‘either-or’ decision, and the thing that will decide is how passionate and ambitious the question-asker is.
