Aries in the Druidcraft: The Two of Wands

This year I’m going to do the astrology in tarot thing a bit differently... I’ve been working with the Druidcraft, so thought I’d see how – or if – the astrological associations work with this deck.  The Druidcraft follows – obviously – Druid traditions, and was not created with astrology in mind.  Instead it focuses on the elements and the seasons.  Some of that may link to astrology – some of it may not.  We’ll see!

I’m starting off with a dip into the Minor Arcana.  In the astrological correspondence system that I follow, Aries is linked to the Two, Three and Four of Wands. Today I’m going to look at the Two of Wands, which corresponds to Mars in Aries, and to the first ten days of Aries – so from the 20^th–29^th March.

Aries is the first of the three Fire signs encountered in the zodiac, bringing drive and passion to the creative process.  It’s also thought of as ‘masculine’, or ‘active’ – ‘yang’ energy.  Aries is also the first cardinal sign we meet - so we’re looking at fiery active creativity, some new project that’s about to be initiated.  

Mars rules Aries, so is very much at home here.  Mars brings determination and drive to Aries – the love of battle, the need for challenge, the longing for adventure. The passion, the emotion – which could mean a certain hot-headedness or impatience!  The combination of Mars and Aries gives us the pioneer, the explorer, the initiator. It can also indicate a flair for starting a new business – the Wands are often associated with entrepreneurship. 

So how might this play out in the Two of Wands in the Druidcraft?  The imagery here is not unlike the more ‘traditional’ Rider-Waite-Smith-based decks – a man standing between two staffs (or is that staves?).  When I look at this image, it seems to me as if the figure is using the staffs to balance himself, much as walkers use walking poles.  Yet he’s upright, suggesting that he’s only at the start of his journey.  He’s in command of himself, in control – very Mars-like!

The two staffs/staves, or wands, are said to represent hope and fear – with the figure standing between them; we need to balance hope and fear so that one doesn’t override the other.  We don’t want to be swamped by fear, but at the same time, we need some element of caution as we set off! It’s about maintaining a sense of equilibrium.

So, yes, it seems to me that there is an element (oh, sorry, no pun intended) of Fire-y Mars in Aries here!

Druidcraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections