2 of Wands -- Who knew he was about boundaries, too?

Morgan Greer Tarot 

I drew Chariot yesterday and found that there was a quite literal interpretation for it -- my train home was cancelled! So I had to walk to the bus station and pay AGAIN and take the bus, which took 45 minutes to cover the ground the train covers in 6 minutes, and cost me twice as much. There were only two people on that bus, me and one old man. I often forget to consider the most literal interpretations of the cards.

Today I've drawn 2 of Wands from Morgan Greer Tarot. It's an interesting one because there is a second person depicted in it. In the traditional RWS, the figure has one of his wands bolted to a wall so that he can hold the globe, but here there is clearly a second person, wearing ornate yellow gloves, accompanying the main figure. They do not appear to be atop a tower, nor is any water in sight. They seem to be moving through green hills, and the wands are like walking staffs. The main figure carries the rose and lily emblems on a shield, but they do not seem dressed like warriors. Maybe they are some sort of pilgrims. The figure has a feather in his cap, which is an English idiom for having earned some sort of success or achievement that may help you along in the future. His apparent wealth and his well-dressed companion could both be feathers in his cap. Maybe he owns that green land, and that could be a feather in his cap. And the glowing orb might represent the bright future that is also a feather in his cap.

I have to admit that both the 2 of Wands and the 3 of Wands are difficult for me to interpret on their own. It's important to have a context and surrounding cards in order to pick up on what it's getting at. Do you find that?

James Ricklef, in The Soul's Journey: Finding Spiritual Wisdom in Tarot, says that it represents domination over others, conflicts about personal power, and decisions about where we should direct our passion. I don't really see that in this card, as there seems to be a real spirit of cooperation here, and certainly no discernible signs of domination.

On the other hand, the Thoth tarot gives this card key word 'Dominion', a different kettle of fish entirely, in my mind. Dominion is your power or right in governing or controlling, and to govern is not necessarily to dominate by force. Ricklef points out, your dominion could be as vast as an army or as small as a schoolyard. I don't agree with him, however, that dominion is an illusion. Surely there are times when assessing those things over which we do exert some influence and control is a healthy and good thing to do. It is useful to assess where your sphere of influence lies. And sometimes it is good to survey your 'demesne,' as this chap appears to be doing. Maybe he is walking the borders of his patch, contemplating what is his. This is not a bad thing to do, as long as we realise that borders are abstractions and maintained only by agreement with one another. In that sense, perhaps it is illusion, but observing these sorts of illusions is what creates a civil world. Without them, there would be anarchy, queue jumping and all sorts of madness! :)

Today, may I take care to observe my own sphere of influence, and be careful not to overstep the boundaries laid out by decency and expectation, so that I may cooperate fully with those on this journey with me.