Minor Arcana: The Suits of Wands and Coins

 

Ace of Wands – simplicity, because this disencumbers us to move forward.  To maintain simplicity do not allow details to snag or detain you, or the negative attitudes and opinions of others to deflate you or slow you down.  As both the aces and the suit of wands signify renewal, this card represents an intensely strong urge toward renewal, and maybe something quite different from what came before.  Adds to 5 on the level of 3, meaning a great enthusiasm (5) for reaching out to opportunities (3), or creating them for oneself.

Two of Wands – invention, surprising and exciting.  Breaking out of patterns, sometimes spontaneously and without your conscious knowledge that you’re doing it.  Breaking free of addictions.  Something purely new and original.  24 = 6 X 4, or Venus times Scorpio, appreciation (6) of creativity and transformation (4).   These wonderful insights emerge out of the silence, so going into the silence is a means of contacting creativity.  Renewing of our attunement to our own most creative and original part.     

Three of Wands – acceptance (of our life being guided by spiritual forces, and letting this happen).  Intuitively tapping into the workings of spiritual energy, and not letting questioning, reasoning and logic get in the way of that, for spiritual energy has wisdom that moves so fast it goes beyond these things.  Passionate idealism.  Negatively the Three of Wands can mean getting fired up about unrealistic fantasies or delusions, or fiery confusion that moves too fast and gets us into trouble.  It can also mean subtle, vague things which we need to focus on and take the time to experience so that we can learn more about their true nature and take in the subtle messages they may have to offer.  The Neptunian visions of the Three of Wands can be intensely vivid, inspiring and marvelous, which can manifest profound healing as we take them in.       

Four of Wands – Artfulness.  Ability to turn lack into advantage, because we see that we always have something to learn from lack and limitation.  Continually renewed enthusiasm and optimism.  Enthusiasm for growth.  Growth of creativity.  Renewal of optimism.  26 is 2 X 13, those numbers adding up to 15, meaning that limitation can induce spiritual expansion.  Negatively speaking the Four of Wands may mean too much fire, a tendency to overheat, which is why we need artfulness to control and direct the fire.

Five of Wands – Altruism –not just the giving of money, but of time and energy.  People often think that when they have enough then they’ll be able to give to others, but the truth is that whatever is given to others always comes back to ourselves in a greater amount than we actually gave. 

Giving our loving attention to others.  Attention is a healing force.  Containing and focusing of our creative energies.  Negatively speaking, the Five of Wands is the repression, limiting or holding back of our creative energies.  We need to Prevent the fire from getting out of control, but without repressing it.  Five of Wands is the furnace, which is a stove we use to cook up nourishing foods both material and spiritual, and make the things that will benefit us.   The deepening of one’s spiritual understanding.  9 X 3 = 27, so 27 is Leo times Libra – joyfulness in relating and the connecting of our self-expression to others.    

Six of Wands – Totality, spiritual purpose.  Renewed purpose and the refining of purpose.  Burning away those things which stand in the way of our self-esteem and self-worth.  The spiritualized ego, which causes our own self-love to help others find in themselves love of their own spiritual selves.  The realization that we are totally connected to everything, which ultimately results in joy.  28 is the second perfect number, so it is perfection coming into the realm of duality and physicality.  When we truly embrace totality we realize that we are everything and everything is us.  We are one with all.

On a more mundane level the Six of Wands is us getting fired up about our purpose.  We approach our life work with creativity and sparkling energy.

Seven of Wands – Commitment.  Taking spiritual based (Wands) action (Mars) is the highest commitment.  Renewal of purpose.  Never worry about falling off the wagon – just get back on!  Basing our self-confidence on our spiritual certainty rather than on what is going on in the outer world, which is ultimately fleeting and illusory.  Take the initiative to make magic meaning that you pour energy into creating joy and bliss and deconstructing your own negative thoughts and beliefs.  

Eight of Wands – Lightness.  Fiery desire, which, when we accept it we can learn from it.  When we overcome the tendency to create adversarial relationships, we grow light.  Lightness has much to do with acceptance.  Lightness is generous and accepting – it sees things for what they are without judging them.  Developing the ability to love things we would never have loved previously.  When we make mistakes and/or “fall off the wagon” we transcend guilt by loving ourselves and appreciating our process.  30 is the cosmic scale number of Pisces, the sign of letting go.  To lighten up means to let go.

Nine of Wands – Leadership.  Our own original way of expressing ideas.  Fast thinking.  Spiritualizing one’s communication.  The mind’s reception of spiritual energy.  Finding new and maybe inspired ways of saying things.  New ideas.  Willingness to embrace ideas that may seem irrational, but which are joyful and feel right.  Non-judgementalism.

Ten of Wands – Preservation.  Clearing traumas of the past.  Spiritual insight into one’s history and the burning away of negative emotions concerning memories.   A creative approach to everyday living.  Emotional fire, which is love.  Tracking with the fires of your emotions as they shift and change.  Renewing the energy of your home.  Revitalization through contact with nature.

Horseman of Wands – Mindfulness = continually bringing oneself back to the present.   Let your attitude be light and bright, the two ingredients of joyfulness.  Be aware of where your mind is going and where it is focusing.  Mindfulness is self-observation, inside and out.  Just be aware of where your putting your attention.  Do spontaneous rituals to bring creativity into the moment.  Mindfulness heals inertia.  Allow creativity to manifest.  33 = 3 X 11, those numbers adding to 14 showing that steadiness and stamina are needed to do these things, and that 33 is a type of alchemy, an easy and workable type in that it’s so simple.  33 adds to 6, and is 6 on the level of 4, or love taking tangible form.  Taking the initiative to love.   

King of Wands – Strength.  34 adds to 7:  To make a new beginning, as Aries does, requires transcending (7), and especially what we need to transcend is our attempts at “trying.”  We need to let our creativity and urges express themselves rather than attempting to push them by “trying.”  Strength is based on relaxation.  When we relax we find our center.  Strength lies in self-assurance.  The King of Wands is beyond the issue of trying – he just does what he does and never lets any lack of self-assurance stand in the way.  34 minus 13 (the number of the Major Arcana Card ruled by Aries) equals 21, showing that taking on the role of the King of Wands requires focusing on what is most important:  our spiritual awareness.  Do not worry about not being prepared.    

Queen of Wands – adventure.  (Dramatize yourself.  Be a mirror reflecting the spiritual light.  Know that your self-assurance comes from attuning to your spiritual self.  Use all that you have to express yourself – 35 = 8 = Capricorn, “I use.”  Express joy.    7 X 5 = 35, and 7 + 5 = 12, so self-expression requires letting go and letting your intuitive self take over.  Even if you don’t feel joy, expressing it can cause you to find it within yourself.  If self-expression is to be creative, it will always be an adventure.  35 – 19 = 16, so to take on the rule of the Queen of Wands you need to be assertive, to take initiative, to create.  The image of this hexagram is connected to a radiant sun.

Princess of Wands – Humanity.  This is about staying open, not shutting down.  If we remain open it encourages others to be open, and then we are contacting each others’ humanity.  Be the one who takes the high road, and do it with love.  36 is the first 8 numbers all added together, so this is about the completion of karma (8), and when karma is completed, transcendence (Sagittarius) is the result.  Generosity of spirit and reaching out to others, getting above and beyond barriers and obstacles so we can connect.  What’s important is what’s cosmic.      

Ace of Coins – equality, which is always achieved through flexibility, and which brings us greater  freedom (Uranus, for this card’s number is 37, and 3 + 7 = 10).  The difference between 37 and 22 is 15, signifying that the Ace of Coins focuses transformative (Plutonian) energy. 

Mental obsession.  Intensity of communication.  Experiencing a communication breakthrough.    

Two of Coins – Perseverance.  It takes perseverance to free the mind of its mechanical patterns and compulsions.  Inspired thinking.  Sudden or unexpected breaking or forming of connections.  Finding your own unique way of communicating.  Seeing two sides to things.  Breaking away from old ways of thinking.         

Three of Coins – Dynamism, which is uplifting energy that can release our blockages.  Negatively, the Three of Coins signifies murky, obscure, or unformed throughts, which can cause miscommunications.  Positively it signifies psychic, intuitive communication that is deep, clear and cosmic  .  The psychic communication is shown by 39 adding to 12, which is Pisces. 

Four of Coins – Resolve.  Expanding on ideas and following them through all the way.  Keeping thinking and communicating positive.  Not allowing ourselves to become overwhelmed with thoughts and ideas.  40 is the cosmic scale number of Aries, and so the expansion of communication requires the ability to continually take a fresh approach to it.

Five of Coins – Anticipation.  The ability to see where thinking and ideas are going, as well as to understand what they are really wanting and needing, and to guide them toward that.  Careful, slow, focused communicating and thinking.  Deep conversations.  Talking about difficult things.  

Six of Coins – Detachment.  The beautiful mystery is that we can be fully connected yet completely detached, which allows us to fully embrace our world without being suppressed or limited by what it seems to be demanding of us or expecting from us.  Letting go of our attachments allows us to be in clear communication with all aspects of ourselves.  Ideally we are connected to everything but addicted to nothing.  42 adds to 6, for true detachment is love, for when we are not attached we can appreciate things for what they truly are.  When it comes to communicating, the Six of Coins helps us to focus on what is most important.  The Negative side of the six of coins is egotistical communication, which tends to defeat and deflate communication, as it repels others and weakens their tendency to listen.

Seven of Coins – Insight.  Constructive communication.  Clearing negative or destructive connections and building positive, supportive ones.  We can’t make insight happen, it needs to come to us.  The Seven of Coins is about allowing.  If we allow insights in, we can use them to build constructive communication.  Arguments always call for new insights, and help us to see more about how our mind works as well as how the minds of others work.

Eight of Coins – Teamwork.  Love shared with the ones we’re meant to be with.  When we appreciate our connections we get more of the same kind of connections we are appreciating.  This is the message of the book “The Secret.”  Each one of us is a team, and learning how to love and appreciate the various aspects of ourself promotes team work and heals inner conflicts.

Nine of Coins – Synergy.  Individuals’ mutual and positive stimulation of each other.  Shared ideas.  Communication that clarities and stimulates more ideas and communication.  45 is 1 to 9 added, showing that it completes the Leo energy, meaning a fulness of self-expression.

Ten of Coins – Delight.  Completeness of connection, and tracking with the way in which connections flow and change.  Being in stimulating and enjoyable rapport with everyday life and each passing moment.  Negatively this card can mean ideas at a standstill, or communication that is stagnating.  When this happens we need to try new ways, and allow our instincts to take over rather than following mental patterns that are stuck, circular, and not working.

Horseman of Coins – Transmutation.  The forging of new connections, which is often fueled or triggered by adversity.  We make new connections by reaching out to others and to new opportunities.  Transmutation refines, which is shown by 47 adding to 11, the number of refinement.  Bringing more life and creativity into our communicating.   

King of Coins – Resourcefulness.   Connecting our depth to the depths of others.  When we approach others in an open-minded fashion we are more likely to bring forth their open-mindedness and have a richness of connection.  This is a card of diplomacy, which can keep relating on track.

Queen of Coins – Revolution, which always looks toward the future, and this card is ruled by Aquarius.  This card is about understanding what really does support us, and what doesn’t.  It’s about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of our survival strategies.  It’s about helping people to adopt a positive vision of the future, and about supporting others through friendship.     

Princess of Coins – Equillibrium.  Sharing information and ideas in a way that promotes dynamic balance rather than throwing things off course or diverting away from the most important topic.  50 is the cosmic number of Taurus, even though this card is ruled by Gemini.  This shows how much Gemini needs the Taurean stability and groundedness as an antidote to its tendency toward scattering of attention and chaos. 50 = 2 X 5 X 5, those three numbers adding up to 12, showing that a major key to communication is being in sympathetic rapport with whoever you’re communicating with, and that thinking needs to be grounded in one’s intuition.