Let's talk about the Ace of wands. I love how the wand in the original card looks more like a club than a chopstick. sometimes you need a club to beat your way through. a skinny little stick just isnt going to cut it.
The suite of wands is ruled by the element of fire which to me is the first magic, the element that created society. i'm willing to bet that the first wand was a torch in the hand of some prehistoric person hundreds of thousands of years ago. that is exactly what the wands, and particulary the ace of wands is about - creativity, ingenuity and determination- moving forward and creating our own destiny through force of will, Although, in this case, the road is clear for you and the time is right, you just need to make it happen!
Wands are fascinating things and even those among us who are not of occult leanings unconciously use a wand of some form be it a pen or a computer mouse, or a screw-driver.
a wand is a tool for focussing energy. it shows us the way forward. As an artist, the wand is of particular interest to me and I have quite a collection, each one a memory and calling for a different purpose.
My ace of wands is more closely related to that ancient humanoid's burning branch than it is to the rider-waite's club.
The Protea flower is named for Proteus, the son of Poseidon, a sea god and a shapeshifter who knew all things from all time but did not like to disclose what he knew. If someone wanted an answer from him, they would need to bind him while he was asleep otherwise he would change shape to escape. This inspiration is reflected in the phenomenal diversity of shapes and colors in the 1500 species of protea plant, a living fossil dating back more than 300 million years. it is considered one of the oldest flowering plants and it's most important link to the wands suite- it is pyroclastic - a natural burning torch, it relies on fire to spread it's seed. The Protea is a true wand of fire in every aspect.
On top of the protea sits a praying mantis, a creature that combines calm intuition and guts. Mantis in greek means prophet or seer and they are renowned as lucky omens. The ability of the seer to predict the future allows one to create their own luck and this as well as myriad of forms that the mantis takes link back to Proteus.
In the mythology of the San people, the first nations people of Southern Africa, Mantis is the first man, a fantastic trickster being who not only was also a shapeshifter, but who stole fire from Ostrich to give to man. These parallels in story makes mantis the perfect inhabiter of the protea.
I actually don't remember the dream that led to this card, I just remember waking up with the image in my head, and that is enough. As has happened with the other cards, I actually had no idea about most of these details and stories before creating the card which proves to me how powerful the link in the the trancework and dreaming process is.
I am working with the Minor arcana slightly differently to the major.
The four suites have recognized associations with each of the suites are each linked to one of the elements - air, water, earth and fire as well as it's symbol - wands, pentacles (or coins) swords and cups. rather than creating each one as a distinct entity as with the major arcana, I am working within these elemental relationships so that the suites will be recognisable as a whole.
My final card in the three card reading is The magician. He who brings all the elements together. The wielder of the wand!
For more details and influences on this card, please see my video here: