Alchemical Study Group - Two of Staffs

Leisa

(from the book)

A hand holding a staff emerges from a cloud and lights the
end of its staff from an already burning staff planted in the
ground. At the base of the grounded torch is the symbol for
Venus; above the hand in the air is the symbol for Mercury, which
suggests the uniting of lovers. Fertility is suggested by the
flowers around the grounded staff. There is life springing from
this union.

Tarot wisdom: Like begets like; one torch lights another.
Your enthusiasm is contagious. The small branch on the grounded,
feminine staff that is aflame represents the offspring of the
union, whether it be a child or a result of work; this will take
on a life of its own. Alchemically, this represents the seed of
three, which is contained in two. Or, the small flaming branch
might represent something which has its own energy and chooses
not to join in the union.
 

sapienza

This is such an interesting card. I think it can also show that we can benefit from a new perspective. The grounded staff is already burning but stable, and fixed in it's position. The other staff comes in and provides a new perspective, new ideas, and it is the sharing of these ideas that perhaps produces the smaller 'offspring' staff. One message of this card could be to be open to new ideas and that sometimes doing things in isolation can limit our ability to create something new.

Is the little lizard a salamanda? Why do you think he's heading away from the staffs?
 

Kenny

sapienza said:
Is the little lizard a salamanda? Why do you think he's heading away from the staffs?
It could be. However why do you think it is leaving the fire? Why could it not be heading towards the greater heavenly fire of Mercury?

From I The Magician we know that Mercury is a trickster and likes to stir things up so maybe by adding extra fire he is stirring things up from the old view to something new. So our little salamander friend could be leaving his old, small, home and has decided it is time to see what is out there with a little help from Mercury.
 

Marchal

This card seems to deviate markedly from the traditional meanings of The Two of Wands/Batons/Staffs, doesn't it? Be it RWS or Golden Dawn or Etteila (as given by Huson). I always try (certainly a bit naively) to "reconcile" the different interpretations of a certain card even with different decks, trying to find some kind of common denominator, but here I fail. Are the common ideas of stability, boldness, mixed with boredom and sadness given up here exclusively in favour of the Two's numerological meaning of duality and union? Any idea why the marked change here with regard to "traditional" meaning? Or is there some idea that might help me "bring together" Waite and Place? :)

Kind regards Marchal
 

RexMalaki

Marchal said:
This card seems to deviate markedly from the traditional meanings of The Two of Wands/Batons/Staffs, doesn't it? Be it RWS or Golden Dawn or Etteila (as given by Huson). I always try (certainly a bit naively) to "reconcile" the different interpretations of a certain card even with different decks, trying to find some kind of common denominator, but here I fail. Are the common ideas of stability, boldness, mixed with boredom and sadness given up here exclusively in favour of the Two's numerological meaning of duality and union? Any idea why the marked change here with regard to "traditional" meaning? Or is there some idea that might help me "bring together" Waite and Place? :)

Kind regards Marchal

Huson's first sentence about 2 of Batons is, *Nobody seems to agree about this card.*

With that said, I see Place using the reversed meanings from Etteilla, Mathers, and Waite, *extraordinary surprise*, along with the numerological meaning of the number two to get his correspondence.

From the Place's LWB, *Hermes and Aphrodite - one lover lost in another.*

In the Alchemical Tarot, the Two of Staffs is the number two applied to the final stage of the alchemical work, the Reddening. The reddening brings about the culmination of the work in XXI-The World. One lover lost in another is the state of the Emperor and the Empress in XIX-The Sun which was the Yellowing. So here in the Two of Staffs the work of the reddening is just beginning, only that small shoot with a sprout of flame shows that any progress has been made at all.