Druidcraft study group: Princess of Wands

Fulgour

I was going to post on this earlier, but wanted to wait
and see if I still saw this similarity after reconsidering,
yet ~ there is really an uncanny resemblance between:

Princess of Wands and VIII Strength

Whether this was intentional, or just my unfamiliar way
of getting to know the cards, I think I'll always see this.
 

WolfSpirit

Yes, Fulgour - they do look a lot alike. They are probably sisters ;)
Their eyes are a different colour though.
I don't know if it is intentional - going through the deck I always get the impression many people in the cards share some resemblance. As if they are all part of the same clan.

The princess of wands is one of the few cards in the deck where the person stands out in the open. On many cards the people stand near a tree or in lush surroundings. I see this open space as the princess going out of her safe confined surroundings looking for something else; she is going somewhere, she is walking on a path. There is nothing in the card that pulls the attention away from her.
 

Sulis

Wow, what more can I add?

I love the insights you're all bringing to this card. Wolfspirit, I hadn't really registered that she's out in the open, she's the only court who's actually on a path.

Orange to me is a colour of courage, confidence, success and communication.
Green is for fertility, new growth, Earth energy and prosperity.

Starsongs, I hadn't noticed that we can't see the top of her staff either - I like your take on that.

Can anyone tell what type of tree that is behind her to the right? (The other trees look more like a general collection whereas that one has a very distinctive shape). I'll bet the type of tree has some sort of significance.

I'm really pleased that this deck has used Princesses instead of Pages, I like the courts to have a good gender balance, I like this feminine energy.

Love

Sulis xx
 

starsongs

I also love all the insights shared here so far. There is SO much in these cards and together we can uncover all the aspects..:)

Sulis, I agree with you about the trees having significance (throughout the entire deck)..think the one on the right may be a Red Maple and the other on left Birches (with the white bark?) but am not sure...

Great incentive to intensively study trees and their significance in Celtic lore...:D. I'm not sure about either of these...

Wolfspirit, take a look at the Queen of Wands comapared to the Princess..looks like the same person, only older...

starsongs
 

TygrEyes

I see her orange dress as representing the fire element, but it’s softer. It’s not as strong as red, because she’s just developing her own identity. She’s walking on a well worn path, one many have traveled before, but this may be her first time traveling it on her own. It looks to be mid day & she’s probably been walking for a while. She’s far enough away from home that you don’t see any sign of a home, village, or another person. I’d equate it to a young adult going to college & being on their own for the first time. They are going to have to make decisions for themselves & have the confidence to do so. To me it looks like she’s jutting her chin forward, or “leading” with her chin like she’s willing herself to be that confident.
I think her cloak is green because it’s a nurturing/calming color & I see her cloak as being a bit of a security blanket on her trip. Notice she’s grasped the side of the cloak & her hair appears to be blowing in the wind. A nice cool breeze can be invigorating & can coax life out of embers. That’s how I’d describe the color of her dress, the color of embers!

It's great that everyone has seen so much in this card, one of the sparest. Can you imagine all the things we'll see in the "busier" cards? :eek:)
 

WolfSpirit

About the trees

Birch trees stand for new beginnings and vitality - so that would be fitting here.
I am not sure about the tree on the right - could it be a yew ? When yews are old - and this tree is old, look at the trunk - a new tree grows from inside the tree, and the old and new become one - maybe that is what is happening here.
The tree stands for rebirth, renewal of spiritual strength while building on old wisdom, a new soul sprung from ancient roots.
I could be wrong, but I like the idea behind the yew anyway.
 

TygrEyes

Does anyone else think the position of her fingers on the hand holding the staff is strange? The index & pinkie fingers are pulled back. That's not how I'd hold my walking staff. Also, on the hand grasping her cloak the same two fingers are in almost the same position except the pinkie is extended. The 1st paragraph of the link below is interesting & then scroll down to the paragraph just above the photo. Hmm?

http://www.blueroebuck.com/glory_twigs.htm

Does anyone know of Ogham hand signals used today or recorded from the past?
 

Moonbow

That is very interesting TygrEyes...

Do you think perhaps that she is giving a secret hand signal? Where's my friend Google.......

I have to say that it would have been informative to have seen reference in the book to some of the Druid customs, particularly in relation to aspects of the cards... unless this is pure accident.....
 

TygrEyes

Moonbow* said:
That is very interesting TygrEyes...

Do you think perhaps that she is giving a secret hand signal? Where's my friend Google.......

I have to say that it would have been informative to have seen reference in the book to some of the Druid customs, particularly in relation to aspects of the cards... unless this is pure accident.....


I thought maybe I was looking too hard or maybe Will W. just wanted to do something more interesting/difficult than four straight fingers w/ lines separating them. On the hand holding the cloak I thought it was just a dainty way to hold her hand w/ the pinkie extended like when you drink a cup of tea, but then I noticed the index finger was in the same position as it is on the other hand. So far I've only seen reference to the thought that Ogham started out as a signed language & no diagrams/pictures of what it might have looked like. Do any of our study group members actually study Druidry? I'm hoping they'll start a study group over at the OBOD board so after we come to our own personal conclusions we can take a peek over there & see what insights the followers of that path have into the cards. I think that'd be very interesting.
 

TygrEyes

Oh, Geez. Just realized the recording of the hand signals (if that's how it started) IS the Ogham! Doh!