Dec 15 20
Two of Wands
18. Work on what has been spoiled [Decay]
46. Pushing Upward
Petite Reading:
Someone somewhere said “if you find yourself in the valley of the shadow of death, keep going.” The same is true if you find yourself in the gorge of stagnation or the arroyo of meh, keep going. “Without haste and without rest” manage your pain and fear, to carry the precious cargo of your head — into the unknown.
Complete Reading:
This week we pulled the Two of Wands. The scene depicted on the card is particularly charming; and we feel its symbolism can be read in two ways. The image is of a person on the rampart of a castle, with the full breadth of land and sea to view. In one hand, a globe; in the other a staff (or wand). Their image is one of safety, stability and wide awareness. Does it mean that safety, stability and this awareness are only achieved from the protection and safety of some sort of fortress? Or is it a call to action, that the person though sophisticated is too stable — their powers are theoretical and untried; and must ultimately leave the sanctuary to test the outlook/stance in the wild world beyond the wall?
Our first hexagram, which we partner with our tarot to describe (or further detail) the current situation, is #18, Work on What has Been Spoiled (Decay). “What has been spoiled through one’s fault can be made good again through one’s work.” Here the talk is of stagnation; that it is only through work and pointed effort that this state can be overcome. The changes this week are specific to a certain type of person, those that stay out of topical life for a more meditative existence. It says “such withdrawal is justified only when we strive to realize in ourselves the higher aims of humankind… For although the sage remains distant from the turmoil of daily life, they create incomparable human values for the future.”
The second hexagram, the one that suggests how best to meet the challenges (or the changes) is #46, Pushing Upward. As we have said before this hexagram contains our favorite aphorism of the I Ching: “wood in the earth grows upward without haste and without rest” — the emphasis here being on “without haste and without rest.” The entirety of the text of this hexagram is about proper, healthy, durable growth. Beautifully it states that this type of flourishing “is made possible not by violence but by modesty and adaptability.”
Someone somewhere said “if you find yourself in the valley of the shadow of death, keep going.” The same is true if you find yourself in the gorge of stagnation or the arroyo of meh, keep going. “Without haste and without rest” manage your pain and fear, to carry the precious cargo of your head — into the unknown.
Complete Reading:
This week we pulled the Two of Wands. The scene depicted on the card is particularly charming; and we feel its symbolism can be read in two ways. The image is of a person on the rampart of a castle, with the full breadth of land and sea to view. In one hand, a globe; in the other a staff (or wand). Their image is one of safety, stability and wide awareness. Does it mean that safety, stability and this awareness are only achieved from the protection and safety of some sort of fortress? Or is it a call to action, that the person though sophisticated is too stable — their powers are theoretical and untried; and must ultimately leave the sanctuary to test the outlook/stance in the wild world beyond the wall?
Our first hexagram, which we partner with our tarot to describe (or further detail) the current situation, is #18, Work on What has Been Spoiled (Decay). “What has been spoiled through one’s fault can be made good again through one’s work.” Here the talk is of stagnation; that it is only through work and pointed effort that this state can be overcome. The changes this week are specific to a certain type of person, those that stay out of topical life for a more meditative existence. It says “such withdrawal is justified only when we strive to realize in ourselves the higher aims of humankind… For although the sage remains distant from the turmoil of daily life, they create incomparable human values for the future.”
The second hexagram, the one that suggests how best to meet the challenges (or the changes) is #46, Pushing Upward. As we have said before this hexagram contains our favorite aphorism of the I Ching: “wood in the earth grows upward without haste and without rest” — the emphasis here being on “without haste and without rest.” The entirety of the text of this hexagram is about proper, healthy, durable growth. Beautifully it states that this type of flourishing “is made possible not by violence but by modesty and adaptability.”