Shadowscapes Tarot - Two of Wands

[crazy raven]

Two of Wands... http://www.shadowscapes.com/Tarot/ca...525bd85659bb93

From the image of this card we get the idea it is either from a more ancient time in a mountainous region or maybe gifts of the past in a world beyond our senses which have been (re)awakened and their awareness coming to light. Our spirit is restless, it hears the future calling.

When I looked at this card set in the mountains, the first thing that came to mind was how this young man/woman and his beast-lion could hold their position perched precariously on top of that large boulder (elevated consciousness) in the heat of that scorching sun! But then I asked myself, are they even there or have they stepped into another world by projecting their spirit there? Cats (2nd chakra) are very sensitive to the astral realm, perhaps the artist was aware of their power.

The young man’s (woman’s) red headdress (desire, passion, motivation) gives us a clue of his intent and focused determination. His white garb below the waist suggests his sexual energies of fire, passion, lust and attraction (sacral chakra) are in sync with the beast and have been redirected up inside the body creating an electrical charge in the higher chakras (elevated consciousness, active power). It is our animal energy that drives our lives and surges within us. The wand in his hand too may direct and elevate this energy to a higher level of expression (uniting opposites) giving us flashes of intuition. Perhaps the 2 wands and the Cat both help to keep us focused, watchful and vigilant. It is in this creative space we can receive inspiration and discover the ‘potential’ of unknown, untapped resources.

**At the bottom of the card are what looks like two siamese cats. These cats are extremely sensitive and just like siamese twins, there is usually an unbreakable with each other. The same is true of the rider and the lion-beast in this card, they cannot escape the colors, qualities and characterisitics of the other...what one wills or deisres will impact the other. If they don't agree, a struggle will ensue until they compromise or one or both surrender to the other.

[Marlo]

To me, the human figure is female because of the top of the cleavage (not sure of the right words to express this) that can be seen, the rest of the breasts being hidden by the arm.
The shape of the belly and the thin features of the body and face too, make me think of a woman.

The fact her skin is dark and the presence of a lion depicts a scene from another country, where the sun is powerful and the weather can be rough like in Africa.

This can be related to the idea of travel that is found in the RWS where the male character holds the planet earth in his hand.

The woman and the lion are standing in a high place, sizing up the area before them, like they were about to conquer or embrace a new land, a new adventure.
Some imminent action can be expected by the way the lion is not completly rested on the rock, his forelegs are ready to move. But they are waiting for the right moment.

This card looks like the strength one, the symbol of balance between the male and the female essences, that is, in the two of wands, the shiny lion with his long horn, quick to jump, and the dark skinned woman, sat on the lion and aware.

What is really amazing are the many contrasts in this card. Like i said before, the lion is about to get in motion while the woman looks quieter and patient. However, both are working together finely, the reason and the instinct unified to reach the same goal.

We can think the woman is also wild though. She is half dressed, a red turban that expresses her passion and fiery heart, freed from some material matters and linked to animal energies but in a peaceful way. A wild wisdom... that gives a complete new dimension to what we usually think about it.

Another contrast is the color of the sky, yellow, dry, with some windy shapes, and the color of the bluish grey rock and bottom area, cloudy, where you can see three cats. And this is what you said in your post, crazy raven, a reunion between the consciousness and the subconscious.

We all have to handle the different levels of our spirit, mental and body and that's not exactly an easy daily job to do.

The cats here look curious and focus on what is happening around. There is this ball of fire that the lion and two of the three cats seem to scrunitize. The ball itself seems to look back at the lion. Right now, i don't exactly know what meaning to give to this.

But for sure, cats mean a subtle blend of wildness and domestication, a mix of sensibility and drive. In the two of Wands, they moderate all those opposite elements.

Regarding the other paradox, there is this one between the woman's turban floating to the left direction and the piece of red tissue around the second wand floating to the right direction. The wind can be strong when you go up high, so i wouldn't be surprised if this particularity meant that some conflicting entities have to get along.

Here, a real self-control shows us how to control our humanity, animality, instinct, wisdom, needs, urges but also the way we anticipate the future and the way we judge our past.

The last contrast i will notify is the shape of the two wands. They could have ended straight but they don't. They are curved at the end, like meanderings of a river.

They reveal the complexity of our soul and all the aspects of a same thing.