3 of wands and 3 of pents

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 21 Aug 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Pook	21 Aug 2004
I have been taking advice from some of you here about tryingsome keyword associations....although, I can't seem to narrow it down to a keyword, it's been more like a key phrase. I feel like I have been successful thus far, but well, I have only made it to the 3's, and here I am a bit stuck. I've found that my feelings about the wands 3 and the pentacles 3 are very similar. From my Journal: 3 of pentacles - Seeing the beginning of success through labors of love........3 of Wands - My passion has been fed with much hard word and dedication, now its starting to pay off It just seems that if your passionate about something as in the case of the wands 3, you do what you have to to see it realized. Iwould constitute that as a labor of love. I wouldn't put in a lot of hard work or dedicate myself to a project unless it meant something to me. And in the case of the Pentacles 3, one book I read says that it means that you've reached the end of the educational phase and are working from there as an expert (or at least not a novice as I see it) in your chosen field. Well, I certainly wouldn't choose a field to study and become an expert in if I genuinly didnt love what I was doing. I know that wands are passion and work and other such ideas and that pentacles are earthy and physically manifestible (most of the time), but they seem connected. I would only put in the work(wands) necessary if something was going to manifest of it (pentacles) Can someone help me see my way out of this circle I'm talking in please? :( Wow.....that came out much more jumbled than I remember it being in my head!! :P

Nevada	21 Aug 2004
Just a suggestion: 3 of Pents = acknowledgment or recognition 3 of Wands = satisfaction (or, if you prefer an adjective -- worthwhile) In some systems I'd also see 3 of Wands as assistance Nevada

Pook	21 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Nevada Just a suggestion: 3 of Pents = acknowledgment or recognition 3 of Wands = satisfaction (or, if you prefer an adjective -- worthwhile ) In some systems I'd also see 3 of Wands as assistance Nevada So let me see if I have this right.... (and I'm incorporating my earlier thoughts here).....say I've "reached the end of an educational phase" and am now considered an expert....this is the acknowledgment you're talking about? Being considered an expert? (It works for me) And now the wands.....the hard work and dedication I've put into my passion was worthwhile...and I am satisfied.... I see...this makes sense. Thanks Nevada. One question though......they still feel very similar in that there is much hard work being done in both cards. Are they not both 'labors of love'?

Thirteen	21 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by MoonDreameR It just seems that if your passionate about something as in the case of the wands 3, you do what you have to to see it realized...And in the case of the Pentacles 3...I certainly wouldn't choose a field to study and become an expert in if I genuinly didnt love what I was doing. But you WOULD put passionate work into something that you might not get paid for--and you might NOT put passionate study and education into a field that wasn't going to pay you anything, right? Think of the 3's as a kind of "reward"--as that seed you planted finally popping out of the ground. You're seeing the first fruits of your labor. Now it's not whether that labor was a labor of love or not--it's whether those FRUITS are physical or spiritual. Pentacles = PHYSICAL. You EXPECT physical rewards for this work. Money, or if you go to a gym, a bit of weight loss or muscle tone. The whole purpose of the card being pentacles is to tell you what it's relating to--it's relating to money (tangable stuff), or physical action, or luck. So, if you were wondering about that lottery ticket you bought, the pentacles cards would relate to that. 3/Pents = you'll win something, likely something small. Wands = ENERGY/POWER. All you get back for doing whatever it is you're doing is energy--that could be spiritual energy, political power, or a sexual charge. When you do this thing you BURN. Now this isn't to say that you can't do something that gives you money and energy. We all hope for that perfect job that gives us both but we don't always get both. There's even a split sometimes in what we have to do--physical vs. creative work. Physical work are those papers to write, those weights to lift. Just think of what you do at home. Enjoy doing the laundry? Mopping the floors? Doing the dishes? You may not love that physical work, but you do it for the physical rewards. Wands, on the other hand, is pure burn--and you might not get anything else in return. Creative work like painting which MIGHT bring you money, but you don't do it for money. You do it for that creative charge it gives you. Working for a cause? Well, that rarely brings you money. Most causes ask for volunteers--but the feeling of righteousness, of making a difference, that's what you get in return. So you see, it's not whether you love what you're doing or not, it's what you're doing ("chore work" or "creative work") and, more importantly, what you're doing it for: Physical comfort or the "burn"? Not saying it can offer both, but when you get 3/Pents, the cards are saying that the rewards for the work, whether you love it or not, is going to be primarily physical this time around. With the 3/Wands, the reward is going to be that burn.

Pook	21 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by MoonDreameR One question though......they still feel very similar in that there is much hard work being done in both cards. Are they not both 'labors of love'? OK, Thirteen....I withdraw this earlier question. The rewards angle is very helpful for this comparison. I now have another question though. In my reading, I came across an explanation of the 3 of wands that basically says that I have gone as far as I can on my own and now could benefit a bit from a small trusted group of peoples' input. I just wondered if this isn't contradicting the whole 'paying off' thing. If it is indeed paying off (whatever creative project it is that your working on), then why do you need to bring in outsiders to help? It s almost like this would be a stalemate moment . I do understand that at the three level, were at a starting point....the beginning of the paying off, but I dont understand why the 'burn' needs help. If its there, its there....if its not, its not.

Thirteen	21 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by MoonDreameR I do understand that at the three level, were at a starting point....the beginning of the paying off, but I dont understand why the 'burn' needs help. It's not "help"--it's imput. FUEL. No fire can continue to burn without fuel. You can start with one stick, alone and isolated, but if you want to keep that fire burning, you need more fuel. Put it another way, no one can STAY creative in a vaccum. Feedback, brainstorming or just the energy of others keeps the creative juices flowing. Same with volunteer work or political causes. You may start alone in your home, and feel good when you succeed. But eventually you're going to burn yourself out, exhaust yourself, run out of ideas. If you get other people involved, you can keep the operation going, even expand it. Ditto if you think of wands as religious energy. A convert who finds a new religion (passion) starts it alone, working it out with the divine, reading the literature, feeling that spiritual energy. But eventually, that convert will seek out a congregation, a community, or just others that share their faith with not just to keep the fire burning--but to make it burn hotter! Hey, you came here for just that reason, didn't you? To get imput and fuel so that you could keep your creative fires buring? 3/Wands can indicate that aspect of our passion--the desire to share it, to get imput on what we've done so we can improve upon it and, so, continue to feel that burn. The fuel we get from others allows us to burn the brighter, and give energy back to them in turn.

Pook	21 Aug 2004
Well, I have to say that I'm glad I didnt keep this question to myself. I almost didnt ask because I thought it was kindof silly. Also, I would like to apologize in advance....there may be more of this type of thread and its possible that I may sound just as confusing in those.

Thirteen	22 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by MoonDreameR Also, I would like to apologize in advance....there may be more of this type of thread and its possible that I may sound just as confusing in those. Nothing to apologize for! We all started in the same place, making our way through the same cards, trying to clarify the meanings, figure out the differences. We all asked similar questions of each other. And believe me, none of us ever stops learning or figuring things out or asking the questions. Ask as many questions as you like and don't worry about the confusion, we'll work it out.

The 3 of wands and 3 of pents thread was originally posted on 21 Aug 2004 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.