Skip to main content Skip to course navigation

4.3 Four, Five, Six

Activity

Spend time with each of the Wands below to generate your “tarot encyclopedia” notecard for each. I recommend the following process, which only takes ~10 minutes per card. You do not need to complete all (or any) card in a single sitting.

  1. Look at the image on the card and examine its details.
  2. Read the page in the companion book for that card.
  3. Read the description provided here.
  4. OPTIONAL: Read other descriptions of that card online or in other books.
  5. Reflect on the questions posed.
  6. Write down the details of the image that have meaning to you and the 2 or 3 interpretations (perhaps 1 heavenly, 1 upright earthly, and 1 reversed earthly) that resonate most strongly for you. Feel free to write down your own interpretations based on what comes to you!

Four of Wands

Name: Perfected Work

Astrological Correspondence: Venus in Aries

Position on The Tree: Jupiter of Fire. Mercy in the Archetypal World.

Notes to consider: How likely is it that this is the Cathedral from the Three of Pentacles seen from the outside? The process set in motion comes into manifestation, and the Creative Spark is well-ordered through the skill and teamwork of mind, body, and spirit. Notice the symbol at the top, Venus. Great Work completed to/of/for Love.

How strong must the foundation be to hold up this cathedral?
Now that this phase of the project is complete, what should we do next? Step 1: Celebrate! But what’s step two?

Five of Wands

Name: Strife

Astrological Correspondence: Saturn in Leo

Position on The Tree: Mars of Fire. Severity in the Archetypal World.

Notes to consider: So many hands. So many wills. No wonder it’s on fire. The intersection of these wills can be an inferno, but it can also be a force that creates something new and beautiful, hinted at by the ghost caduceus above the pentagram.

Think about times when confrontation arose in the wake of success or overcoming a challenge. Can you recall times when it blew up? Can you recall other times when the challenging conversations led to new and creative solutions?

We have to learn to be individuals in a group. Sometimes a firm stand and an open mind generate a beautiful result. Other times it devolves into petty disputes, lost tempers, and a refusal to learn.

Six of Wands

Name: Victory

Astrological Correspondence: Jupiter in Leo

Position on The Tree: Sun of Fire. Beauty in the Archetypal World.

Notes to consider: The Sun represents the nexus of our higher self, which can synthesize the competing forces of Mercy and Severity. In the Archetypal Realm, that means the hero who has persevered to Perfected Work through Strife. The star is rising.

Does that mean the Sun is setting somewhere else? How can we take pride in our successes and achievements without becoming arrogant and conceited? Perhaps all it takes is remembering that Life is a process, not a destination.