The Fiery and Passionate Tarot Suit of Wands

The Suit of Wands is a symbol of inspiration, ambition, and action. It fuels the creative spirit and drives personal growth, there is often leadership and entrepreneurial ability. Among the four Minor Arcana suits, Wands stands out for its deep connection to creativity, motivation, passion and the fiery element of fire.

Overview of the Suit of Wands

The Suit of Wands is commonly associated with the element of fire, symbolizing passion, energy, and enthusiasm. Fire represents the life force within us, inspiring us to take action.

The Ace of Wands is arguably the highest energy card in the Tarot. In the Thoth deck it is depicted as a flaming torch, signalling a burst of creativity and new beginnings.

Wand cards encourage us to follow our desires and take risks to realize our goals. It’s a suit filled with energy and ambition but can also reveal impatience and impulsiveness when out of balance. People influenced by Wands energy are ambitious, enterprising, and often competitive. They may excel in leadership roles or entrepreneurship, though they may struggle with follow-through.

Key Themes of Wands

·        Creativity and Innovation: Wands spark new ideas and motivate us to take action.

·        Passion and Drive: This suit is filled with energy and determination to pursue personal growth and success.

·        Ambition and Competition: Wands often reflect a competitive spirit and the will to succeed.

·        Desire and Inspiration: Wands fuel the pursuit of our deepest desires and help us take bold action toward our goal.

·        Intuitive: Wands are intuitive, going with the gut feeling, and impulsive. It’s the ‘aha’ experience of sudden insight and knowing what to do.

·        Passionate: Desire, passion, lust are all strong in this suit.

·        The shadow side: The negative side is impatience, hastiness, impulsiveness, anger, lack of perseverance, leaving projects unfinished.

Wands can show the way our inner spark expresses itself in our everyday life. The way to discover our Spirit with Wands is by taking action on our inspirations and living passionately.

While the Suit of Wands encourages personal growth and ambition, it also cautions against impulsiveness and unchecked aggression. Finding balance with the other suits can soften the fiery nature of Wands.

Wands needs the softening influence of Cups, for without water the fiery sun brings drought. All the Wand court cards are in a desert. Cups adds the ability to feel to the Wands ability to act.

Swords give planning and direction for that Wands energy. They also bring an awareness of sorrow and pain to balance the optimism and conquering spirit of Wands.

And Pentacles bring a sense of being rooted in the real world and the ability to enjoy life, complementing the ability to overcome it expressed through Wands.

Symbolism of the Wands

Wands are often depicted with flames, branches, or sprouting leaves, signifying vitality, growth, and movement. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the wands are shown as branches, symbolizing the potential for new beginnings and growth. Warm colours like reds, oranges, and yellows evoke feelings of passion, while greens represent growth and renewal.

The Tarot Minor Arcana Wands

Imagine you get up one morning with the impulse to do something completely different. Here's how that impulse works its way through the Wands

• Ace of Wands: Inspiration – A burst of enthusiasm and excitement to start a new project.

• Two of Wands: Choice – Deciding on the best way forward and who else to involve.

• Three of Wands: Take action – Starting out with optimism and confidence as you anticipate the coming adventures.

• Four of Wands: celebration - Enjoying the progress made, it’s a good start.

• Five of Wands: conflict - Facing challenges and internal or external debates on how to proceed.

• Six of Wands: Success – Achieving your goals and basking in the recognition.

• Seven of Wands: Perseverance – Overcoming opposition with your determination.

• Eight of Wands: Swift Action – Moving quickly to seize opportunities and advance.

• Nine of Wands: Battling On – Pushing through exhaustion and doubts, nearing completion.

• Ten of Wands: Overburdened – If each wand is an idea you’ve taken on too many of them, and you are burdened with responsibilities and commitments as you approach the finish.

The Wand Court Cards

The Court Cards—Page, Knight, Queen, and King—represent different aspects of action, energy, and leadership:

• Page of Wands: Enthusiastic, a new burst of creativity, a willingness to learn and sees life as an adventure to be enjoyed.

• Knight of Wands: Adventurous and action-oriented, driven by the pursuit of goals.

• Queen of Wands: A nurturing force that inspires and encourages others to grow. A powerful leader, motivator and networker.

• King of Wands: A visionary leader with the ability to guide and inspire.

These cards represent people in your life or energies you can channel. They’re dynamic, confident, and intuitive, and can accomplish a great deal. They also carry the potential for impulsiveness and erratic behaviour. There is a lot of energy, passion, strong drive and will power, but also a tendency to overdo everything. They can be great motivators, enthusiastic and inspiring. 

However the downside is they can be angry, vengeful, violent, erratic, hot headed, jealous, obsessive, fanatical, irritable, and destructive.

Interpreting Wands in Tarot Readings

In readings, Wands often point to ambition, action, and the pursuit of goals. If Wands predominate in a spread, the person may be ready for bold action, seeking adventure, or full of drive. However, it can also indicate impatience, hasty decisions, or overcommitting.

• In relationships, Wands signify passionate connections.

• In career readings, they point to drive, ambition, and leadership.

• For personal growth, Wands inspire us to go after our dreams with confidence and enthusiasm.

A spread based on Wands energy

Card 1 - Where you are now

Card 2 - What you aspire to

Card 3 - What stands in the way

Card 4 - How to get there

Card 5 - Outcome

Journaling Prompts Inspired by Wands

• What inspires you to take action?

• How can you direct your energy creatively?

• Where do you feel most passionate in your life?

• What goal excites you the most right now?

• What does your gut say?

The Tarot Element of Fire

Fire is one of the four elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science. In most traditions it is associated with the summer season, south, and midday. Fire is associated with Spirit, which is why we often light a candle before prayer or meditation. It’s the life essence that animates our bodies. The energy of fire can be helpful when controlled, but destructive if left unchecked.

Our ability to use fire separates us out from the other animals. We use it to heat our homes and cook our food. It brings comfort on long, cold nights, and lights our way in the dark. Without fire

in the form of electricity modern life would not survive.

The element of fire is connected with our creative spark and the Solar Plexus chakra, which is where our power, our ability to get things done is based.

The Salamander fire elementals

The fire fairies are the salamanders. These are not the amphibious Newts but are the same shape. The Page and Knight of Wands are wearing yellow tunics with a black Salamander pattern on them. The King of Wands has a black Salamander by his throne.

The fire salamanders are elemental spirits that can also work through our emotions and strongly influence those with a fiery temperament. Treat them with respect and gratitude for any help they give because Fairies are big on good manners.

Fire releasing ceremony to release your Tarot blocks

This is an effective way to release blocks you may have with the Tarot, such as being frightened you’ll get the card meanings wrong

You can use this ceremony, devised by Flavia Kate Peters, to release other fears from your life.

Write a word or a short phrase on a piece of paper that summarises what you want to let go of. For example you might write ‘Fear I’ll get the card meanings wrong’. You need a candle and a fireproof bowl or pot with high sides to safely contain burning paper. Light the candle and say:

“Salamanders I call upon you,

To eliminate in my life all that’s not true

Devour and destroy my guilt, fear and blame,

Set them alight in your bright solar flame.”

Gaze at the candle flame, you may even sense the Salamanders dancing within it. Now light the paper from the candle and drop it into the bowl as the Salamanders transmute the negativity in your life through the power of fire.

Conclusion: Embracing the Energy of Wands

The Suit of Wands invites you to embrace your creative passions and take bold action toward your goals and grow. Whether you’re starting a new project, pursuing a career goal, or looking to grow personally, Wands encourages you to act with enthusiasm and drive.

Share your thoughts or experiences with the Suit of Wands in the comments below and let’s ignite our creative journeys together.

References

Fairies by Flavia Kate Peters in the Hay House Basics