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In tarot, there are a total of 78 cards; 14 of which make up the suite of wands.

Here are a few examples of some wands cards you may find in different types of tarot decks.

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The deck is divided into two main categories:

The major arcana, which is made up of the main 22 recognizable cards

and

The minor arcana, which is made up of four suites. These suites are the the suites of cups, wands, swords, and pentacles and each suite contains 14 cards.

Obviously there are many, many more cards within the minor arcana than in the major arcana, but today we are only focusing on 14 of those cards or one entire suite. This suite is known as the suite of wands.

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If you haven’t learned about the minor arcana as a whole, please refer to my post here before you continue on.

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Differences and Similarities

So, the suite of wands will have a total of 14 cards, which are: the ace of wands, the two of wands, the three of wands, the four of wands, the five of wands, the six of wands, the seven of wands, the eight of wands, the nine of wands, the ten of wands, the page of wands, the knight of wands, the queen of wands, and the king of wands.

The page, knight, queen, and king are all known as the court cards. One through ten, however, will take on a similar meaning as the other three one-tens in the other suites; because all of the numbers will carry a quality that is alike. It is the suites that will set them apart from the numbers and other court cards. On the other hand, all of the wand cards will have a similar quality and it will be the numbers that set them apart instead. You can look at it either or both ways.

The Wands cups are all about: Passion, creativity, drive, leadership, confidence, action, power, life force, determination, destruction, masculinity, willpower, courage, the ego, pride, spontaneity, desire, motivation, etc.

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Why Do Wands Mean These Things?

To understand this question, we must understand the symbolism. In the last tarot blog, I explained how water was a symbol of the emotional self. Meanwhile, cups in the tarot are filled with water. Therefore, cups are a symbol of both water and the emotional self.

Fire is the opposite of water. Instead of feeling, fire is doing. Water contains depth; whereas, fire destroys all that it touches. On a more optimistic note, everything that is burned down is purified; thus, leaving room for new creation to come alive.

Fire is passionate desires, flames of anger and resentment, the burning need to create something from nothing, romance and lust, animal instincts, being wild and untamed and without shame, confidence to move forward without fear or hesitation, being an unstoppable flicker of heat, masculinity and courage, destruction and the need to win at all costs (burning down the entire village), acting on impulse, building with your hands, playing sports, things that make you sweat, willpower and determination, competing, rushing, being egotistical or self-absorbed, having good intentions and a pure heart, being warm, friendly, and cheerful, etc.

Let the fires of passion rage on until we’ve been purified!

Wands = Fire = To Move

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Wand Card Meanings:

Ace of Wands: Spark of inspiration; initiating adventure; drive toward personal power.

Two of Wands: setting new goals; creating personal boundaries; integration of ego and soul.

Three of Wands: Having the courage to make lifestyle changes or accept opportunities.

Four of Wands: Unexpected means to celebrate; child-like wonder and optimism; freedom.

Five of Wands: Test of strength; disagreements and trifles that lead to irritation and stress.

Six of Wands: Finding relief and confidence; being prideful; seeking recognition; assertion.

Seven of Wands: Needing to go head to head to prove oneself; defending oneself; defiance.

Eight of Wands: Victory in sight; feeling the need to act quickly; feeling a bit on edge.

Nine of Wands: Opposition; needing to find strength; gut feelings warnings of danger.

Ten of Wands: A need to lighten the load; overwhelmed; exhaustion; ask for help.

Page of Wands: Creative opportunity; new passion emerging; messenger of primal world.

Knight of Wands: Falling prey to someone’s false charm; being impulsive and thoughtless.

Queen of Wands: Being mature and self-assured, but never cocky; highly independent.

King of Wands: Abundance of spiritual and creative energy; focused intetions and risks.

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From Within the Labyrinth,

-Lakin

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