Two of Wands
from Oak, Ash & Thorn Tarot
by Stephanie Burrows with art by Adam Oehlers
December 6, 2021: Am I partial to Tarot decks that feature animals? A case could be made!
However, what inspired me today to swing back to Oak, Ash & Thorn was learning that this lovely deck and its designers--Stephanie Burrows and artist Adam Oehlers--just won all five of the 2021 CARTA (International Tarot Foundation) awards for which they were nominated!
- Best Tarot Deck
- Outstanding Artistic Achievement
- Best Self-Published Tarot Deck
- Aspiring Debut Artist
- Aspiring Debut Author
Very cool! Congratulations to Stephanie and Adam!
For this deck, they designated foxes for the suit of Wands to signify "creativity, inspiration and passion" as well as the spirit of bold adventure. Residing, though, in the lower numbers of this suit, the Two of Wands, today's card, shows a fox resting on a shore beneath a flowering tree, gazing towards the left edge of the card. This sweet being might be caught up in memories of past occurrences, a traditional interpretation of a figure's leftward orientation. In any case, our fox is not currently in motion. Adventure has come to a pause or is at a very early, possibly uncertain or ambivalent, stage.
You're counseled to take a moment, take your time. Have you done what you can to prepare to move forward? Or is there something left unexamined, left undone, left unresolved?
One wand, short or broken, rests on the ground behind the fox, parallel to its tail. As a symbol of energy--Tarot's Wands are governed by the element of Fire--this wand appears to be completely spent. Contrast it with the other wand behind the fox's back. Rising perpendicular to the ground, it is tall and still bears a few sprigs of leaves at its top. It appears to be rooted. Some of the fox's energy (the spent wand) has been used up, but the fox has good, sufficient reserves for the journey ahead.
Perhaps you've been through something that has left you feeling worn
down or winded. It's fine to hold back some effort for now. Eventually,
you'll be okay.
Taking a pause to be sure of yourself, the situation you're leaving and the one you're facing, is not the same thing as falling hopelessly behind. It's part of a necessary process. Have confidence that you will rally when it's time to be on the move again.
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