Tarot Diary | the Two of Wands
The Two of Wands, Pagan Otherworlds Tarot
Tarot Diary is a weekly series in which I pull a card and contemplate its meaning in relation to my creative journey. Perhaps some of what I share will be of service. As always, take what resonates and leave the rest.
This week’s card initially felt very impersonal - the Two of Wands as a reflection of one’s creative practice feels a little “on the nose.” But as I began to write, it became clear that there is a deeper message here about overcoming fear and limiting beliefs, embracing my creativity as a way to retain a sense of balance, and allowing myself to open to the expansive potential that this card holds.
Generally speaking, the Two of Wands represents the moment when we take the gift of creative fire that is handed to us in the Ace and begin to plan our journey. In terms of one’s creative life, this could mean brainstorming new project ideas, dreaming into all of the ways our creativity can and wants to be expressed. The two wands create a portal through which our passion projects become a possibility.
In the Tarot, wands are associated with the element of fire - with creativity, magic, and intuition. Two’s represent balance, duality, alignment, and equilibrium. The Smith Rider Waite tarot deck shows a person holding a wand in one hand and a small globe in the other. They are holding the world in their hand - where will they choose to go? Where will the journey take them? The possibilities are endless. In this image, the second wand is connected to the wall, acting as a sort of anchor - we can carry one wand with us to ensure our creative fire remains lit and trust that the second wand will anchor us, lighting our pathway when it’s time to return home.
As I contemplate the idea of balance, together with the notion of planning a sacred, creative journey, I’m struck by a feeling of conflict - of paradox. We need to remain balanced while also allowing ourselves to become unbalanced long enough to allow new creative ideas to flow. Fire needs air, but give it too much and it burns out of control. How can we gently guide our fire down new pathways?
This dance of our creative fire is powerful and balance plays an important role in maintaining this process. The idea of beginning a journey that has endless possibilities (if we can only step out of our own way) may feel scary. Sometimes, letting ourselves open fully to the expansive ideas that are coming through can be overwhelming. In those moments, we might begin to shut down - it’s so much easier to play it safe and stick with what we know, rather than allowing ourselves to e x p a n d. It’s so important to find ways that we can remain balanced (or regain our balance) as we move through the planning process and begin to take our next/first steps.
The duality - the dance between expansion and contraction, balance & instability - is necessary for the creative project to be successful. This is the message of the Two of Wands.
When I consider this card in relation to my personal creative work, I’m reminded of the fear that sometimes comes when dreaming up new creative projects. It’s so easy to fall into patterns - to stick to what we’ve done before. It’s familiar - and maybe it’s something that others have expressed interest in and appreciation for (that external validation can feel so alluring, can’t it?). Perhaps the new projects that want to come forward are edgier - maybe they’re not “pretty” and maybe they won’t make sense to others. They might even be something that turns others off from our work. This is something that I’ve been meditating on lately - the idea that my work needs to be palatable is really coming into conflict with the intuitive knowing that I need to allow these new creations to come forward.
This is a time of huge growth for me, creatively and emotionally. I am moving through the profound portal of midlife (something that I would love to share more about and likely will, in future journal entries). I find myself deep in self-reflection as I contemplate where I’ve been and where I’m going. Not surprisingly, this change is flipping everything upside down, shaking out all of the dust from the corners of my being. This loss of control feels scary at times. Instead of fighting it, I am choosing to open to these seismic shifts in the very core of my identity - and my creative practice is not immune.
My creative fire, my intuition, is coming up against a lot of fear - fear of rejection, fear of not being seen, fear that my work will no longer resonate with those who previously engaged with it in a meaningful way. The Two of Wands is asking me to be a portal for the creativity that wants to come through. To put aside any notion of control over the product of my creative fire - and simply let my creative fire flow. The balance can be found in the very act of creating. Channeling my fire, using my hands to bring forth new spirit beings from the ether, makes space and creates the balance that I need to continue forward on this path. Once again, I’m reminded to trust my intuition and to trust that Spirit will guide my work toward those who will resonate and benefit from it.
Some questions I’ll be considering this week:
What hidden beliefs are behind my fear of creative expansion?
What would I create if I wasn’t worried about external approval?
How can I create more balance in my creative practice?
Two: balance, alignment, equilibrium, duality, union.
Wands: fire, passion, creativity, ego, will, the magical self, creation/destruction, intuition
