The Two of Wands - Prioritisation in the Tarot
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The Two of Wands is a card about prioritization.
To give you a bit of context whilst you reflect on your own relationship to the card, here are a few key things to know about the Two of Wands:
In the Rider Waite Smith version of the tarot, the card is illustrated like this: A figure stands behind a battlement, facing the ocean - we see the figure in profile. They are framed by two branches or wands - one wand is held tightly in their left hand, positioned slightly forward, like a scepter. On the stone beneath the wand, red and white flowers are painted. The second wand is bolted to the walls of the battlement, slightly behind the figure on their right side. In the figure’s right hand, they palm a small globe - the world around them, but in miniature. It’s unclear whether the figure’s gaze is fixed on the globe, or on the real live landscape beyond it.
The many illustrated elements of this card, as well as its assigned number - 2 - indicate the theme of choice and prioritization. The figure has two wands, but had chosen to wield one while bolting the other one to the wall. The figure has two versions of the world, and it’s up to your interpretation to decide whether their sights are set on the small scope of perspective in their hand, or the big wide world around them - and it’s up to you to decide what that interpretation says about the figure, the card, and your own mindset.
What’s clear about this card, is that the figure has - and continues to - gauge their priorities, and train their attention based on what they choose. The bolting down of that second wand tells us that the main character of this card is not someone who tries to do everything all of the time. They make choices. They save some things for later. There’s virtue in this - the blossoms painted beneath the wand the figure is currently wielding symbolize a flowering of potential - a promise that the choice made will bear fruit.
As the second card in the suit of wands, this card offers insight into what comes after we are sparked by a new idea or passion - before we blithely chase down a new pursuit, we consider our priorities, we gain perspective, and we choose whether or not this new idea is the best use of our attention in this moment.
In your tarot journal, you’re asked to reflect on what this card means to you, now, in this moment, and what actions and thoughts it inspires in you. As you journal, pay attention to what you’re personally picking up in the card, but also consider what the key themes in the card might be telling you. How do you handle prioritization - are you a person who tries to do and see it all at once, or do you take in the big picture and assign priority and attention from there? What deserves your attention now, and what can wait?
This mini-tarot lesson was brought to you by me, Chelsey Pippin Mizzi, founder of Pip Cards Tarot. I hope you gained a little context to help you continue reflecting on the card in your own way, and I’ll see you tomorrow for another mini-lesson.