Exploring the Three of Wands

Welcome to Tarot Thursdays! This week we will be exploring the Three of Wands and how it can be used as a prompt or brainstorming in our writing.

Tarot is an interesting thing. It’s based upon symbolism and metaphors through imagery. With these images the subconscious mind is tapped into through the story provided. Not everyone gets the same thing from a piece of art. Each piece will influence each person in a slightly different way.

Introduction of the Card

The Three of Wands is card number 24 in the deck and the third card of the Wands Suit in the Minor Arcana of the Tarot.

Let’s take a look at the following examples of this card below.

Card Examples

Notice the similarities between them and take note of their differences. Do any of these move you more than the others? Take your time and allow these cards to tell you their story.

My Analysis of These Cards

In the previous set of cards it looked like things were being made ready, but now it appears things are being set in motion. In the Mythic Tarot, he is speaking to a king and it seems like a bargain is being struck. Meanwhile in the Dragon Tarot, the dragon here is making use of the flames. The man in the Universal Tarot appears to have changed locations while the man in the Tarot of Dreams is watching the arrival of a mystical boat.

It seems that now they have things ready, they are each taking the lead with their destiny by making the first steps in their plans.

Themes of the Card

Each card has a set of keywords associated with it that serve as themes for its image. These keywords will vary somewhat depending on who you ask.

According to the Learning the Tarot website, the keywords associated with the card are:

EXPLORATION
FORESIGHT
LEADERSHIP

You can learn more about what this site has to say about this card here.

According to the Biddy Tarot website, the keywords associated with the card are:

PREPARATION
FORESIGHT
ENTERPRISE
EXPANSION

You can learn more about what this site has to say about this card here.

What this Card Means to Me

This card is a direct extension of the Two of Wands. Now that you have prepared yourself and made your plans, you need to use foresight, leadership, and exploration to set everything in motion with an enterprising spirit. But the planning doesn’t stop there. Things will need adjustments as you go along and as your project expands. You will need to be willing to experiment somewhat to keep your project afloat.

This is why even when you have an outline for your story, it doesn’t always end up exactly as you planned by the time you’ve finished. An outline is more like a road map rather than a law carved in stone. Sometimes little side trips and detours are needed to make the story shine and come alive.

Even in the Mythic Tarot card the man and the king explored their options before coming to agreeable terms. The dragon in the Dragon Tarot is exploring a method to work with the flames. In the Universal Tarot it looks like the man is exploring a new location and in the Tarot of Dreams the man is preparing for a journey. In all of these cards they are willing to experiment with their experience through exploration.

So for this card, the key word I choose is: EXPLORATION.

Music Playlist

In this spirit of all this, these are the songs I have picked out for this card.

The Writing Exercise

This exercise is a free write. Permit yourself to write whatever comes to mind based upon the theme of this card. Choose a keyword or key phrase and run with it to see what you come up with.

I would love it if you linked or pinged back what you wrote so I could see where you went with this.

Happy writing!

Mythic Tarot by Liz Greene (Author), Juliet Sharman-Burke (Author), Tricia Newell (Illustrator) © 1989
Dragon Tarot by Terry Donaldson (Author), Peter Pracownik (Author) © 1996
Universal Tarot by Lo Scarabeo (Author), R. De Angelis (Illustrator), A. E. Waite (Designer) © 2001
Tarot of Dreams by Ciro Marchetti (Author), Lee Bursten (Author) © 2015