Two of Wands

ALTERNATE NAMES: Dominion (Thoth, Navigators); Preparation (Healing); Individuality (Blake); Dialogue (Celtic Wisdom); Convergence (Tarot of the Spirit)
BASIC DESCRIPTION: A man stands on a parapet between two staffs. One, behind and to his right, stands in a brace affixed to the wall. The other, in his left hand, is just a bit shorter and it's butt rests on top of the wall. Directly below it on the wall is a picture or shield of crossed roses and lilies. The figure holds a globe in his right hand, and contemplates either it, or the nearby sea.
FIRST THING THAT STRUCK ME: Did they even have globes in the era depicted on this card? How much wealth and status would one have to have to get one?

SOME UPRIGHT MEANINGS:Dominion, authority, sovereignty, the reigns of power and will, personal power through synthesis of abilities, success by understanding opposites, having the resources to achieve goals, having the world in your hands, wielding influence, directing those around you, commanding respect, resolving conflicts to facilitate a new enterprise or partnership. Claiming and validating the self; maturity, self-confidence, even temperament.
Boldness, daring, risk-taking, gambling, taking the initiative, confronting the situation, facing fear, seizing the day. Restlessness motivates the urge to travel, find new areas of expression.
Originality, vitality, brilliance, inventiveness, pioneering spirit and approach. Potential energy, fertility, the need for patience and maturity to see a thing through to completion. Education, learning, seeds of knowledge, ivory tower; secure environment enables higher learning, study, adventure. Temporary but necessary separations, waiting with all its attendant frustrations, power or ability temporarily checked.
ALSO: Fortunes, real estate, riches, remodeling.

SOME REVERSED MEANINGS: Accomplishment with no satisfaction, attention to mundane matters, projects on hold, lack of support, monomania, depression, sorrow, sadness, wasted energy, turning one's back on conflict, running away, AWOL.

BIBLICAL: "For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he is deceiving his own mind. But let each one prove what his own work is, and then he will have cause for exultation in regard to himself alone, and not in comparison with the other person. For each one will carry his own load." Galatians 6:3-5
HISTORICAL: "Waite compares his weariness to that of Alexander, who supposedly wept after he had conquered the known world because he then could think of nothing else to do with his life (his death shortly afterwards no doubt gave this legend an extra boost)." <Rachel Pollack>

LOCATION: Pillars of Hercules; Denmark (because it reminds me of "Hamlet")
TIME/SEASON: spring/summer
MUSIC: "It's Lonely at the Top" by Mick Jagger
FILM: The Godfather?
BOOK: Hamlet
PUBLIC PEOPLE OR EVENTS: Bill Gates
OCCUPATIONS: navigator, explorer, bowler (?!), entrepreneur
QUOTES FROM OTHER SOURCES: "The ideal and the genuine man is calm both in his joy and in his sorrow."--Johannes Brahams

PEOPLE OR SITUATIONS IN MY LIFE: I sit here in my room, on the computer, window open, overlooking the lake and (on clear days) the mountains and I kind of feel like, okay, I've seen it. I have had some bad experiences with people here in Switzerland, and not just the language but the cultural barrier makes me kind of isolated, watching the show of life.
PERSONAL THOUGHTS: Even the most beautiful views can get old.

FAVORITE REPRESENTATION: Ancestral Path
COMPARISONS TO OTHER DECKS: This seems to be a pretty varied card, from what I've read and seen. Lots of different divinatory meanings, but they all fit.
COMPARISONS TO OTHER CARDS: In the RW, the figure on the Two of Wands can be seen as progressing to become the figure on the Three of Wands.

SPECIFIC SYMBOLISM: What's up with that rose and lily symbol?

OTHER: The Two of Staves offers a combination of blessing and curse.

Blessings:	Curses:
heaven palace gilded... comfort security victory success big fish anticipation on top of the world	hell prison cage isolation restriction loss burden small pond frustration it's lonely at the top

voice	lady of shalott	vision
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