DruidCraft Ace of Wands' leaves

Horace

The book is really lacking in explaining the details on this card. Great colors and it does mention the stag as the totem animal of Fire. And it mentions the birch trees.

But I want to know about the leaves and their positions along the wand. There are 3 leaves on one side and 5 on the other. They are not attached at all. It looks as if they have been melted off the wand by the heat of the sun. There must be some meaning in druidry that has a say here.

Does anyone know why these would be drawn like that?
thanks Hh

and is that a path under the crag behind the birch tree?
 

coyoteblack

I think the leaves are the same asYods in a tradional deck. DruidCraft gets some of its teachings from the Golden DAwn.

As an aside and the reason I am restarting this thread, I am trying to find definitve meaning to symbols. This is wha I have so far. I think withthe monors it is real important so look at the symbols and relate them to every day life.

The birch itself is generally a symbol of renewal or beginnings
The Stag (Damh) brings us the qualities of grace, majesty, and integrity totem fire
 

tarot4fun

Horace said:
...and is that a path under the crag behind the birch tree?
It does look like a path worn in the rock. It makes me think of 'places to explore' and also the feeling of following an 'ancient path'.

I agree with Coyoteblack about the leaves looking like Yods ~ that's how I saw them.


Suz :heart:
 

6 Haunted Days

Since this a wiccan/pagan deck I am thinking...

3 leaves...triple aspect of the Goddess Maiden/Mother/Crone
5 leaves signifying the 5 elements (5th being the spirit of ether/the soul.

Pagan decks have 3's and 5's quite a bit in their decks forthe above stated reasons (Tarot of the Old Path is one).
 

tarot4fun

6 Haunted Days said:
Since this a wiccan/pagan deck I am thinking...

3 leaves...triple aspect of the Goddess Maiden/Mother/Crone
5 leaves signifying the 5 elements (5th being the spirit of ether/the soul.
Thanks Ms 6~ :D
Good point!
 

coyoteblack

Here is what I have so far.

Major Symbols:
The birch is a symbol of renewal or beginnings and Birth/Death
The Stag (Damh) brings us the qualities of grace, majesty, and integrity, and gentleness
Druid totem animal of Fire and the South
Sun: Source of creative energy, initiative, masculine force.
Yods: I am taking a leap (no pun intended here) of faith and if these are you they stand for the fire and the first letter in the Tetragrammaton

The aces are the “gift” of a giving suit/element
Gift of Ace of Wands you are becoming conscious
Of the energetic and creative potentials available to you, both
in your own soul and in the world around you

Element: Fire, Creative energy, will power, initiative
Season: Summer

Putting it all together
With the Ace, Sun and Stag I think of swiftness creative energy male force
With the Birch tree and new beginnings combined with the stag and sun I can see this card as a new beginning in many possible ventures but some thing you feel like anew calling and the Wand being a phallic symbol this can be sexual passion .

I see a lot of sexual energy in this card as well more the pagan view and not the repressed sexual desires as being a good thing point of view.

With the Stag and the Number 1 in the Ace and Birch I see this as a very fast card coming into ones life and leaving it at breakneck speed. So go with the flow it to shall pass.
 

WalesWoman

The Stag is virility, fertility, it is the prime driving force and without it there is no new life. The Stag ensures continuity and regeneration, so there is a lot of sexual energy to the Ace Wands. Or rather the drive to live and continue, to create new life, new beginnings. In some ways he is the Lord, but more primal, elemental so contains the seeds to germinate new life in the mother's womb.

I'm not an expert on old ways or paganism, but it seems like the Stag is integral in all the mother/earth worship things in Celtic traditions (most of my "knowledge" comes from the Avalon books from Zimmerman Bradley.)