And so we continue the theme of choice begun last week with The Lovers and apply it to that most fiery of suits, the Wands. Here is where the spark of creativity is kindled and tended, where it catches, and where it eventually blazes strong and bright before burning itself to ashes (check out the Ten of Wands if you want to see what that kind of exhaustion looks like).
The Two of Wands is choice in action, or rather, it is the necessity of choice and action (which we've explored in the past: here and here ). The figure on the card has yet to actually choose. Of sure, maybe he knows what he should do. Maybe he knows what he really really wants to do. Maybe he has surveyed the landscape, consulted his crystal ball, collected all the information he needs to decide.
The thing is, it's not a choice until he actually moves forward with it. A or B? Left or right? Forward or retreat? Our choices are rarely this binary. They are usually very complex and involve hierarchies and subsets, changing dynamics and new data, deadlines and timelines. Tick tock tick tock.
Last week we discussed The Lovers. and the necessity of choosing your work, of making it a priority. This week the Two of Cups recognizes how that choice may not always be yes or no. Of course we choose our art, yes yes yes! But how do we do that? Do we write query letters or edit first pages? Finish the chapter or research the villain's occupation? Keep working through a challenging project or scrap it and move on with something more interesting? Those questions are not so simple.
The Two of Wands is here to remind you that creation is all about energy, and that the tension of choosing enhances the wattage of that energy. So go ahead. Ponder. Observe the untapped energy arcing. And then choose. The options are open before you. The only choice you don't have is inaction.
Choose. And watch the power of the Universe rush to that choice like flame bursting from a struck match.
I often tell people that the skills I use for tarot reading are the same skills I use for mystery writing -- the ability to tease a narrative from what may at first appear to be dissimilar pieces.
In writing, the human imagination seems to generate the pieces, but really, we can only pull from what we experience. We're exposed to hundreds of thousands of sensory bits and data bites every day -- our brain selects which ones to pay attention to, which ones to file away in either the subconscious basement or the conscious information desk. It chooses these in the same way that the tarot querent pulls cards from the deck. Both tarot reading and writing involve selecting parts from a larger, chaotic whole and then connecting the dots into order and meaning.
So what have we to herald this week? The Two of Wands, a card of beginnings, especially in creative endeavors. A card of choice. It's come up before -- you can read that original post here -- but the tarot is a tool of context. A card doesn't mean the same thing every single time it shows itself. Its signature, its energy, remains the same, but the influence of time and place create subtle differences in the expression. Just as they do with us. We are different minute by minute. And so is the tarot.
This week, the Two of Wands feels very conflicted to me. The Wands are the suit of energy and passion, of moving forward. The Two, however, suggests a hesitation, a pause, a moment of stillness completely at odds with its nature. Move forward? Wait until the perfect moment? Is there such a thing as a perfect moment?
The tarot has no answers. But it does let you hold the questions up to the light and consider every facet.
This week, what is pulling you forward? What opportunities shimmer on your horizon? What is holding you back? Is it uncertainty? Fear? The need for more information?
The Two of Wands suggests that you ponder all the possibilities, but not for too long. Ponder too long and the choice will be made for you instead of by you. Flip a coin if you must. And trust that as it spins in the air, heads over tails and heads again, your heart will reveal what you hope the answer will be.
Ah, decisions decisions. Choice is a fantastic problem to have, one of the finest, but it does come with challenges. Such is the energy of the Two of Wands.
Wands are the suit of fire and passion and soul purpose (get used to seeing them if you seriously pursue any creative endeavor). As such, they are expansive, direct, and somewhat chaotic. Twos, however, are cards of balance and union. Which makes for a peculiar tension in this particular card.
Luckily, we writers know that tension is necessary -- it's the building block of conflict, and it adds a fine singing tone to our work, much like the properly adjusted strings of a violin create its rich soulful music. Real life tension can be a little more nerve-wracking, but it is just as necessary, and just as useful.
Think about your work in progress, your abilities in progress, your creative purpose in progress: what options are you holding? What ideas are you weighing? It's good to be patient, to ponder, to take the long view -- as the Steampunk Tarot explains, "A wielder of fire does not chant 'eenie-meanie-miny-moe.'" But do not dither. You've got some powerful energy at work. Choose and move forward.
(Pro Tip -- sometimes a choice is not either/or. Sometimes the choice is to hold the two options in tension . . . and walk between them).
