5 of wands...

witchywomyn

I was studying this card today and I read this card as the need to work together as a team - it seems everyone here is trying to get to their goal their own way - one fey actually has reached the top and looks as if she isn't even helping anyone else...however, the book says this card represents friendly competition - I just don't see it -

thoughts...
 

RiccardoLS

They are not trying to reach the top (they have wings after all).
It is a game... two teams... they pull in two different directions...
 

witchywomyn

ok - you are right they do have wings - they can just fly to the top if they really wanted to -
 

widar

Hello witchywomyn,

I think the fey are playing tug-of-war (i hope this is a correct translation of the German 'Tauziehen' - if not, would someone please correct). The rope has some cloth knotted around to show the 'middle' of the rope. They also look very young. So this might be some kind of game with the referee sitting on the branch. Would be unfair if they hat a 2-fey and a 3-fey team, wouldn't it ;)
Of course this is a game of force and energy - so it fits into the wands suite. And as they are feys and not some 'earthlings' - they won't just stand on the ground and toss - they use the branch so that they can use their weight (see the blue fey to the lower left) - or their wings' impulse (see the violet one on the left)...

Imho that card is an absolutely ingenious representation of the traditional rider-waite meaning of the 5 wands. Playing a game; finding out who is the strongest - the primus inter pares (first of equals). You can see on their faces that they enjoy the game - its not a *serious* competition. In the end *all* feys will be a winner as they had a lot of fun...

Btw: A friend of mine once showed the RW-5-wands to her 5 year old daughter and asked, what she'd see on this picture. The daughter *immediately* replied: 'They are playing'. Absolutely no thought about fighting or battling out as we older ones tend to see the card... Greetings to mimi - perhaps you now can understand, why I'm sooo interested in your daughter's storys ;)

Blessings

Widar
 

mooncat2

I drew this card when doing my first Dream, Joy, Magic spread in the Joy position.

My first impressions that I wrote in my journal were - ' playing, having fun. Joining with others, sharing, having a good time. The competitiveness and struggle foremost in the RW interpretations is lessened - its there but its not the most important thing.

For me it was getting out there with others and participating and having fun.