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Ace of Wands

Key word: creativity

The card depicts a large oak wand. Though it has been cut from the tree, it still bursts with life, and greenery grows from it. The Ace of Wands is the root of the powers of fire. The wand is the magical tool of the south and appears in various guises as the staff, the arrow and the spear. It comes from the magical city of the south, Finias. Fire rules creativity, life energy and the spirit. Fire is the illumination within, the force of the spirit. It is the glow of the candle flame, the warmth of the hearth, the burning heat of the desert, the incandescence of the sun: the fire which both purifies and destroys. Fire is the power of inner sight and creative vision, directing it and controlling it to make it manifest in the world.

Divinatory Meanings:

Aces always represent powerful bursts of raw energy. The Ace of Wands appearing in your spread indicates a powerful new cycle of creativity and inspiration. This usually manifests as a general feeling of restlessness and dissatisfaction with things as they are; you feel that new and better things are possible. This card is advising you to trust your vision because your life is about to open up.

Reverse Meanings:

You that you are not giving reign to your creative potential; you have plenty of ideas but you do not see them through. Depending on the surrounding cards the Ace of Wands reversed can indicate problems of a sexual nature. Sometimes too, this card can mean the inability to conceive a child.

Two of Wands

Key word: courage

The card shows the chalk hill figure of the Long Man of Wilmington, who holds a long staff in either hand. He is a 230 foot high chalk figure, carved into the turf of Windover Hill and is said to be the largest drawing of a human figure in the world. Locally he is called ‘the Green Man’. In folklore tales the giant was once a living person who battled with another giant. They fought by throwing huge boulders at each other.  Eventually the Long Man was killed and laid out on the hill, where his outline remains.

Divinatory Meanings:

Have the courage of your convictions. Your ideas have a lot of potential, but will need hard work to bring them to fruition. This is not without risk, but if you choose cosy but boring security, you will never have the chance to know what you are really capable of.

Reverse Meanings:

You are tempted to use unscrupulous means to achieve your ambitions or gain money, despite the fact that this would be a betrayal of your principles and might hurt others. You will derive no pleasure from things achieved in this manner, and you will lose the respect and friendship of others.

Three of Wands

Key word: foundation

The three rods, which represent creative ideas, were planted in the ground and have now begun to blossom and fruit.

Divinatory Meanings:

You are entitled to celebrate the initial success of a project. Things have gone well so far and you were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. However, though the foundations have been well laid, you will now need to put in a lot of hard work and creative energy. Be flexible, as it may become necessary to modify or improve the original idea. Depending on the surrounding cards, the Three of Wands can mean that a long engagement to one person will suddenly end, to be followed by a swiftly arranged marriage to another.

Reverse Meanings:

A venture which looked promising fails, causing you disappointment. You refuse help when you need it through misguided pride.

Four of Wands

Key word: development

The four wands of this card join together to form an eight pointed wheel, which spins. This is the symbol of the ever turning seasons from seeding to harvest to seeding again in the Eternal Return. The eight points represent the eight major festivals of the Pagan year.

Divinatory Meanings:

You have put a lot of hard work into a project and are now starting to reap the rewards. However, pay attention to detail and make sure you have enough support and financial backing to see things through to completion. On a personal level, this card indicates that the demands of a relationship will ease off and will become happier and more harmonious. For the unattached, romance is in the air.

Reverse Meanings:

Though the completion of a project is delayed by various obstacles, there is no need to worry as it will soon come to a successful completion.

Five of Wands

Key word: grounding

The five spears of the picture seem to point towards the mountain tops. They hover above the ground, not touching it. They represent aspirations out of touch with the earth or reality.

Divinatory Meanings:

You are in danger of becoming carried away following a dream and not noticing what is actually going on around you - reality is about to intrude. It may be that your head has been in the clouds and you have not noticed the bills mounting up, that necessary work has been neglected or that your family and friends resent being ignored.

Spiritually, this card indicates that you are ungrounded. You are ignoring mundane matters and people who need you.

Reverse Meanings:

You seem to be angry with the world in general, provoking unnecessary arguments, making cutting remarks and indulging in unnecessary competition with others. You are hurting inside and you are trying to hurt others.

Six of Wands

Key word: success

The six spears of this card have finished with battle, the fight has been won and they are no longer needed but lie tied up with a garland in token of victory. Their owners have left the battlefield to go back to their homes and families, confident that the conflict is over.

Divinatory Meanings:

The Six of Wands is a good news card and indicates that after a lot of hard work and difficulties you are now beginning to achieve the success you dreamed of- one which is recognised by other people. This can mean that you have gained some qualifications, a promotion at work, have won a race you trained for, had an exhibition of your paintings or have performed your music in public to general acclaim.

Reverse Meanings:

You will receive some bad news. Perhaps a rival is promoted over you, or your projects are delayed by red tape.  Take comfort in the lesson of the swallow:  pleasure and happiness will come from your home and family. Make an effort to settle quarrels and to understand the needs of those close to you.  

Seven of Wands

Key word: rivalry

The seventh wand of this card is the large club of the Cerne Abbas Giant which threatens the six spears before it.

Divinatory Meanings:

You will face stiff competition in the area of creative endeavours or business projects. Be firm but diplomatic if you want people to listen to your ideas and accept them. However, the Cerne Abbas Giant is a fertility figure and heralds the flow of creativity.

Reverse Meanings:

You are losing opportunities through indecisiveness, or perhaps you are too ready to give up in the face of opposition when with just a little more effort you would win through.

Eight of wands

Key word: action

In this card eight arrows fly above the circle. The many flint arrow head that are found around Britain are known as elf bolts and were believed to be the fairy arrows of the Little People, the people of the mounds.

Divinatory Meanings:

The Eight of Wands marks the end of a period of inactivity. Your imagination will now flow freely, and any creative blocks you have experienced will be broken through. You will be able to make rapid progress. A message or a letter arrives which will call for a quick response, perhaps necessitating a journey. The Eight of Wands are often called the arrows of love, and romance is in the air. Be bold and seize the opportunity.

Reverse Meanings:

You have done something very foolish on impulse. Unfortunately this is going to have some far reaching consequences. You may receive some bad news.  If you have plans to travel be prepared for unexpected delays and cancellations.

Nine of Wands

Key word: recovery

The card shows a defensive barrier, constructed from the nine wands of the human will.

Divinatory Meanings:

Just when you think that you have exhausted all your reserves of strength and you are tired and despairing, from somewhere you find a last gasp of energy and triumph against all the odds. This card can indicate recovery from a debilitating illness or release from a frightening and worrying situation.

Reverse Meanings:

Your obstinacy has put you in the position of having to defend something which is really indefensible. Depending on the surrounding cards, the Nine of Wands reversed can indicate ill health.

Ten of Wands

Key word: force

Wayland's Smithy is located only about a mile from the Uffington Horse, a chalk hill figure.  Wayland or Volund was a Saxon smith god. Blacksmiths were akin to magicians; working with metals was a magical process.

Divinatory Meanings:

You have taken on far too much, and a sense of oppression weighs you down. Any excitement or satisfaction that you once had in your enterprise has been stifled, and you have no energy for personal creativity and pleasure. The Ten of Wands demonstrates the use of pure brute force, detached from any spiritual or moral reason.

Reverse Meanings:

You are playing the martyr, taking on responsibilities and doing things that could easily be accomplished by others, just so that you can show how hard done by you are. Too bad they can all see straight through you.

Page of Wands

Key word: potential

The Page of Wands represents the first impulse of the element of fire, the first glimmer of light. He is dressed in flame coloured clothes of saffron and red and has just lit a torch from the small fire at his feet. With it, he sees a little way through the darkness that surrounds him.

Divinatory Meanings:

You have creative potential which is as yet undeveloped. While your results may be rather clumsy and immature at present, your talent is worth nurturing. Do not let others deter you because your first efforts are not perfect.

Like all of the court cards the Page of Wands can indicate a real person who will be influential in your life.  The Page likes to be the centre of attention and often is because he is attractive. He is warm hearted and makes a very good friend if you can put up with him telling you how to live your life when his own is in a mess. He is easily hurt and if he is makes a very bad enemy.

Reverse Meanings:

Beware of flattery from a false friend. This person is shallow and is only using you to achieve as much as he can as quickly as possible.

Knight of Wands

Key word: adventure

The Knight of Wands represents the mutable power of fire, volatile and changeable. The Knight of this card is on a quest, he stands on the threshold of an adventure and strides out boldly over the twilit hillside. The torch he holds represents the power of his own inner fire to light his way through the darkness.

Divinatory Meanings:

Invoke the fire within. Where is your sense of adventure? Perhaps you lost it somewhere along the way? The world is full of new experiences, places to see and people to meet. Stretch and challenge yourself as you are on the threshold of exciting times. The Knight heralds a time of action.  

As with the other court cards, the Knight of Wands can represent a real person. He is an extrovert, brimming with restless energy. He loves a challenge and is virtually fearless, thriving on the stimulation of danger and risk. He is a philosopher and a seeker after truth, hating any kind of unfairness. The Knight is a warm, generous, loveable character who makes a wise and loyal friend, though his temper is quick to flare up if he thinks anyone is abusing his generosity. Romantically he is a difficult proposition. Responsibility is not a word he likes, he need the constant stimulation of new experiences, new horizons and new ideas and settling down does not appeal to him.

Reverse Meanings:

Beware of a narrow-minded person who loves to provoke arguments for their own sake. This person doesn’t have the courage to go after the things they want, and envies those who do.  They try to belittle your achievements and those of others.

Queen of Wands

Key word: illumination

The Queen of Wands represents the stable dimension of the element of fire. Hers is the hearth fire which lies at the heart of the home, warming, welcoming and nurturing. With her spear she is prepared to defend her domain with the ferocity of a vixen defending her cubs.

Divinatory Meanings:

The fire of the Queen of Wands nourishes and sustains as it inspires. It is time to develop the qualities of independence, creativity and warmth.

The influence of the Queen of Wands may make itself felt in your life in the form of a woman. She is friendly and warm but forthright and even a bit bossy. Her home is always warm and welcoming and she rules it with a tireless energy and practical skill. Those whom she takes to her heart will find her a loyal and loving friend who provides both a strong shoulder to cry on and practical help in a crisis. She can be passionate, impulsive and quick tempered, though her rages never last long and she is incapable of holding a grudge.

Reverse Meanings:

You will come into contact with a jealous woman. She is domineering and likes to keep a tight control on those in her sphere of influence by any means possible; she is mistress of the art of emotional blackmail and no amount of rational argument will dissuade her from her position.

King of Wands

Key word: fire

The King of Wands represents the Lord of the Powers of Fire. The element of fire is concerned with creativity, life energy, the spirit and the strength of the will. Fire takes on many forms from the gentle flicker of the candle flame, the warmth of the hearth fire, the light of the beacon and the burning incandescence of the sun. It is the illumination of the spirit within.

Divinatory Meanings:

In this card we meet the quintessential powers of fire in the guise of the King of Wands. Fire is regarded as the most spiritual of all the elements, with the flame the material manifestation on the material plane of the element itself. This card calls on you to develop the fiery part of your nature, the part linked to altruism, idealism, warmth of being, impulsiveness and originality. A leader will sacrifice many of his own needs for the good of his followers. A leader needs to be strong enough to carry his decisions through.

The influence of the King of Wands may be felt through a person in your life.  He is a mature man who is a larger than life character, dynamic, lively, energetic and a born leader. He has noble ideals and believes that human beings can and should be more than they are. When individuals fall short of his expectations he is intolerant of their failure. Good causes and ideals are more important to him than material concerns or even personal relationships.

Reverse Meanings:

You have too much fire in your nature, causing you to be impulsive, irritable, autocratic and completely intolerant of the attitudes of other people. You could be acting with unreasonable jealousy or being just plain vindictive.

Sacred Circle Tarot Suit of Wands

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