AnnaK Study: Two of Wands

Ah, what a poor, weary traveller! He sits at the side of the road a the crossing of two paths. They sky overhead is dark and gloomy, probably portending rain. The signpost poses a surreal challenge to the traveller - which way to go? The young man is obviously headed somewhere: he cradles his walking sticks and his pack lays at his side as he contemplates where to go. His head is resting in his hand and he wears an expression of dismay or weariness.

You have reached a point where you have a decision to make. This isn't an easy decision and you have so much trepidation about the choice that you are frozen in time. You will feel incomplete until you take those first steps. This could be about work or about your passion - your fire - and the indecision has dampened your spirits like the cold and rainclouds on the horizon.

But don't forget that rain nourishes the earth and a growth of ivy is climbing the signpost - the ivy is unaware that there is a crossroads at all - a decision is just a decision after all!

There is a huge feeling of dissatisfaction in this card. The guy in the image has come from somewhere, he has his belongings in his back-pack but now he must make the decision of which way to go next. The world is his oyster but he doesn't look as if he sees it that way.
This is a card about daring to make the leap. It's a two so it's related to the High Priestess.. It's the pause after the Ace where we look within and decide what to do with all that fiery energy we've just accepted.
This card says, yes, you've been successful so far but now you must make a move and say should I stay here or gather my courage and go somewhere new?

I see confusion in this two. The signpost the man has arrived at should show north, south, east and west in my opinion, but instead it points back to where he came from, and forward to the direction he's looking in. Then we have up and down. Heaven and hell? What's he scared of? Why don't the up/down arrows point to the roads like the left and right ones do?


All that aside, I go for the past/future answer for this card. He's totally unsure as to whether he's doing the right thing, or if he should go back to the life he's just left. Personally, I think the sign is telling him to go forward (straight ahead) because that's where his future lay and the upwards arrow's message is that things will pick up for him.

Left Right Up Down... the direction is irrelevant. Our guy is where he is, and being fire, will move.

I really love this particular 2 of Wands. The 2 and 3 of Wands have been difficult for me in the past, but this card really says a lot that's helpful. It seems to suggest something different than the 2 of Wands usually means, but it actually says about the same thing. He's still planning which way to go and in the RWS 2 of Wands, the man is also looking at his world sphere to plan where he wants to go. The sense of a decision needing to be made on where it's best to concentrate his efforts is what each card says but just using different imagery.