Interesting how different packs interpret the energy of 2 wands. In Wildwood tarot (where wands are bows) there is a far more active, fiery image that gives the impression of full-on confrontation rather than the reverie-like Rider-Waite.
I tried active imagination for the first time this year. I left it until very late at night/early hours and wrote down the conversation between myself and a rat who had appeared in a troubling dream. It was difficult to overcome fear, not that the content could be overwhelming, but that the whole exercise was a 'box of woo'. Nonetheless, the conversation that emerged was surprising, not least for the rat declaring 'Down here I am king. It is my domain. I am a lord of the underworld. A denizen of the depths. I rule down here.' Re: your suggestion of subsequently working with the active imagining by doing something creative - I was once told to paint only with my non-dominant hand. I get that she was thinking this allows creativity to come through, but I find it more engaging if I put my best efforts into the painting/drawing. Do you have any thoughts on that? Thanks again for a helpful and thought-provoking post.
The Wildwood is very different! Although I see it uses the keyword "decisions". And in that, I see a similarity to the 2 of Wands of RWS. I think the card is interesting because we have begun tapping into the fiery creative energy from the Ace, but hover on that point of what we are going to do with it, how it makes us feel, if we are ready, etc. I like how the Wildwood version plays more into the fire element. It's much more subtle with RWS - there are never any actual fires shown in those cards.
Box of woo - haha, I like that. It can feel all a bit mystical and strange. One thing I hear often is, "How do I know this isn't all in my head, just making it up?"
I have heard that instruction as well, usually with free writing. I personally don't think it is necessary, although some find it helpful. It's a bit of a trick, I feel. If you're not using a dominant hand, you may be more likely to create the psychic environment for non-dominant thoughts/insights, etc to rise to the surface. But leaning into our dominant hand may allow a flow state to engage. That's what I find happens in states of creativity if I am not handicapping myself. And that is a very fruitful space to be in.
Thanks, that's helpful. I like the idea of focussing on the psychic atmosphere where the unconscious can come through, perhaps using essential oils, light, non-vocal music while doing the artwork, rather than wprrying about which hand I'm using.
Creating the container via aesthetic and atmospheric factors is such an important part for me. At the very least, I am usually playing instrumental music. I built that habit from early practices with shamanic journeying that used drumming to help facilitate the trance state.
Accompanying that with oils, candles, etc that symbolically link to what you are working on is another interesting exploration. It taps into some of the typical "magical" practices - like burning herbs that symbolize Venus or doing your inner work on Friday, etc. It creates ritualistic continuity and concentrates some of the psychic atmosphere thematically in certain directions. I find it to be really useful!
Liking the connection of the herbs/oils to the themes of the particular ritual, and particularly your idea of continuity. This is helpful, I will be thinking about the 'container' in more seriousness now. Thank you.
I've always thought about the thresholds of attention and creativity when it comes to the Two of Wands, too (what we know vs what we can imagine, what we can give our energy to vs what has to wait, what we can approach vs what we feel separated from). Bringing Pandora's Box into the conversation adds a whole new layer. I never considered a relationship between this myth and this card, and now I can't unsee it - thank you for this.
It's funny cause going into the write up, I hadn't decided to bring Pandora's myth into the fold. It happened spontaneously while writing, and then really struck a chord with me. I feel I could do a whole article on that idea alone!!
Have you noticed others struggle with this card, or experienced it yourself? The 2 and 3 of Wands tends to be tricky for students of mine and I also felt that when I was first learning. The RWS imagery is a bit abstract at first and it can be difficult to locate what the major themes are. Connecting them to these other archetypal ideas and especially to the creative (and Heroic) journey has been really helpful for me.
Love hearing how you interpret it as well, thanks for sharing that :)
When I began engaging with active imagination practice, I was keeping it up regularly and feeling like progress was being made. But a few months ago something changed - in the visualisations I was doing, multiple times in multiple different scenarios, I was faced with figures I had previously interacted with telling me to leave, and the implication that I felt was that I had work to do in the conscious world, and that I would not be ready to continue my inner journey until that work had been done.
But lately I've been feeling a massive creative block, similar to your paid subscriber. Not only have I been hesitant to pursue active imagination out of the belief that I am not ready to take the next steps, but I've also found myself completely stuck on the novel that I'm writing (I'm currently on the 6th redraft). I know I've reached a point in the novel where some significant re-writing needs to take place, and I feel the need for an entirely new energetic impetus to enter the work and bring it to life again. I can't help thinking the two blocks are interlinked.
I have been trying to integrate the lessons I believe I've learned through my active imagination, but after my last few attempts I seem to have developed a slight fear of progression and a sense of my own unworthiness which is manifesting as a hesitation at the threshold.
Thank you for another great post, and for opening up a space for these kinds of conversations to happen!
Have you considered incubating a dream or seeing if themes in your dreams may be speaking to this issue?
I find dream work to be a great intermediary between active imagination and regular, waking consciousness. It's a gentler way to re-engage with unconscious material, might provide some insight or help you get things moving again.
And you're very welcome! Appreciate you sharing your thoughts and experiences as well!
Hey Alyssa , once again I like so much your heart offerings & your gold .
They are inspiring , aspiring & up to date with the Collective on my end .
To be honest I like to read this gem more than once cause I sense it’s kind of a map 🗺️ empowering which takes me instantly to a dream I received a few moons back .
Oh the Threshold , this in between space when fear cripples my knees yet somehow I’m starting to believe in my dreams , intuition & symbolic language !
To me is helpful creating and active dialogue with my inner teenager , ask her how she wants to be received rather than perceived. .
How does she want me to hold her ?
Acceptance & staying with the terror of a new birth is empowering , meditation , journaling , nature & animals are trustful companions .
The wands tarot hold another symbol for me which is the spear , number five & number 22 .
Some authentic & gentle sharing from my world wishing complementary narratives ...
That's so kind of you, thank you so much. I strive for these offerings to be a kind of map, to help us orient in an otherwise disorienting psychological landscape.
Your interactions and dialogue with the inner teenager sound so beautiful. That question is key for these figures, how they want to be held, how they want their needs to be met.
Interesting how different packs interpret the energy of 2 wands. In Wildwood tarot (where wands are bows) there is a far more active, fiery image that gives the impression of full-on confrontation rather than the reverie-like Rider-Waite.
I tried active imagination for the first time this year. I left it until very late at night/early hours and wrote down the conversation between myself and a rat who had appeared in a troubling dream. It was difficult to overcome fear, not that the content could be overwhelming, but that the whole exercise was a 'box of woo'. Nonetheless, the conversation that emerged was surprising, not least for the rat declaring 'Down here I am king. It is my domain. I am a lord of the underworld. A denizen of the depths. I rule down here.' Re: your suggestion of subsequently working with the active imagining by doing something creative - I was once told to paint only with my non-dominant hand. I get that she was thinking this allows creativity to come through, but I find it more engaging if I put my best efforts into the painting/drawing. Do you have any thoughts on that? Thanks again for a helpful and thought-provoking post.
The Wildwood is very different! Although I see it uses the keyword "decisions". And in that, I see a similarity to the 2 of Wands of RWS. I think the card is interesting because we have begun tapping into the fiery creative energy from the Ace, but hover on that point of what we are going to do with it, how it makes us feel, if we are ready, etc. I like how the Wildwood version plays more into the fire element. It's much more subtle with RWS - there are never any actual fires shown in those cards.
Box of woo - haha, I like that. It can feel all a bit mystical and strange. One thing I hear often is, "How do I know this isn't all in my head, just making it up?"
I have heard that instruction as well, usually with free writing. I personally don't think it is necessary, although some find it helpful. It's a bit of a trick, I feel. If you're not using a dominant hand, you may be more likely to create the psychic environment for non-dominant thoughts/insights, etc to rise to the surface. But leaning into our dominant hand may allow a flow state to engage. That's what I find happens in states of creativity if I am not handicapping myself. And that is a very fruitful space to be in.
Thanks, that's helpful. I like the idea of focussing on the psychic atmosphere where the unconscious can come through, perhaps using essential oils, light, non-vocal music while doing the artwork, rather than wprrying about which hand I'm using.
Creating the container via aesthetic and atmospheric factors is such an important part for me. At the very least, I am usually playing instrumental music. I built that habit from early practices with shamanic journeying that used drumming to help facilitate the trance state.
Accompanying that with oils, candles, etc that symbolically link to what you are working on is another interesting exploration. It taps into some of the typical "magical" practices - like burning herbs that symbolize Venus or doing your inner work on Friday, etc. It creates ritualistic continuity and concentrates some of the psychic atmosphere thematically in certain directions. I find it to be really useful!
Liking the connection of the herbs/oils to the themes of the particular ritual, and particularly your idea of continuity. This is helpful, I will be thinking about the 'container' in more seriousness now. Thank you.
You're welcome!!
I've always thought about the thresholds of attention and creativity when it comes to the Two of Wands, too (what we know vs what we can imagine, what we can give our energy to vs what has to wait, what we can approach vs what we feel separated from). Bringing Pandora's Box into the conversation adds a whole new layer. I never considered a relationship between this myth and this card, and now I can't unsee it - thank you for this.
It's funny cause going into the write up, I hadn't decided to bring Pandora's myth into the fold. It happened spontaneously while writing, and then really struck a chord with me. I feel I could do a whole article on that idea alone!!
Have you noticed others struggle with this card, or experienced it yourself? The 2 and 3 of Wands tends to be tricky for students of mine and I also felt that when I was first learning. The RWS imagery is a bit abstract at first and it can be difficult to locate what the major themes are. Connecting them to these other archetypal ideas and especially to the creative (and Heroic) journey has been really helpful for me.
Love hearing how you interpret it as well, thanks for sharing that :)
When I began engaging with active imagination practice, I was keeping it up regularly and feeling like progress was being made. But a few months ago something changed - in the visualisations I was doing, multiple times in multiple different scenarios, I was faced with figures I had previously interacted with telling me to leave, and the implication that I felt was that I had work to do in the conscious world, and that I would not be ready to continue my inner journey until that work had been done.
But lately I've been feeling a massive creative block, similar to your paid subscriber. Not only have I been hesitant to pursue active imagination out of the belief that I am not ready to take the next steps, but I've also found myself completely stuck on the novel that I'm writing (I'm currently on the 6th redraft). I know I've reached a point in the novel where some significant re-writing needs to take place, and I feel the need for an entirely new energetic impetus to enter the work and bring it to life again. I can't help thinking the two blocks are interlinked.
I have been trying to integrate the lessons I believe I've learned through my active imagination, but after my last few attempts I seem to have developed a slight fear of progression and a sense of my own unworthiness which is manifesting as a hesitation at the threshold.
Thank you for another great post, and for opening up a space for these kinds of conversations to happen!
Have you considered incubating a dream or seeing if themes in your dreams may be speaking to this issue?
I find dream work to be a great intermediary between active imagination and regular, waking consciousness. It's a gentler way to re-engage with unconscious material, might provide some insight or help you get things moving again.
And you're very welcome! Appreciate you sharing your thoughts and experiences as well!
I have probably not been giving my dreams the attention they deserve to be honest, thank you for the reminder!
You're welcome :)
Hey Alyssa , once again I like so much your heart offerings & your gold .
They are inspiring , aspiring & up to date with the Collective on my end .
To be honest I like to read this gem more than once cause I sense it’s kind of a map 🗺️ empowering which takes me instantly to a dream I received a few moons back .
Oh the Threshold , this in between space when fear cripples my knees yet somehow I’m starting to believe in my dreams , intuition & symbolic language !
To me is helpful creating and active dialogue with my inner teenager , ask her how she wants to be received rather than perceived. .
How does she want me to hold her ?
Acceptance & staying with the terror of a new birth is empowering , meditation , journaling , nature & animals are trustful companions .
The wands tarot hold another symbol for me which is the spear , number five & number 22 .
Some authentic & gentle sharing from my world wishing complementary narratives ...
Thank you for your gold 🪲🤍
That's so kind of you, thank you so much. I strive for these offerings to be a kind of map, to help us orient in an otherwise disorienting psychological landscape.
Your interactions and dialogue with the inner teenager sound so beautiful. That question is key for these figures, how they want to be held, how they want their needs to be met.
Thank you so much for sharing!
A pleasure , you are nailing it and I’m modelling a part of you 🪲🤍 inspiring aspects of the self ⭕️🤍🌹
❤️ I appreciate you and your support!