4 of Wands

Against the fiery orange background of the Wands suit we see a bundle of 4 wands neatly tied together with a green ribbon. The wands are budding and at the sides of the cards are 2, ripe stems of golden wheat.

This is a card of harvest. It's a 4 so it's about rest and consolidation. This card says that the initial work has been done and it's been done successfully so now is the time to pat yourself on the back and take a well earned break. The potential for more growth and success is there as shown by the buds on the wands and also by the green ribbon. This is a time of celebration, for the work you've done and the good things that you've started and also for the anticipation of further success in the future.
It's a pause on the journey, a time to get your breath back and get ready for what's coming next.
Fire can't be contained for too long so this really is a short respite.

5 of Cups

A figure stands straight on but looks to his right or our left. His hands are held by his sides and in each hand is a golden goblet. In front of the figure lie 3 more cups in a row, one of them between the figure's feet, the other 2 just to the outside of each foot. These ones are upturned.

He almost looks as if he's managed to catch the 2 upright cups before they fall. He looks to the left and to the past; maybe he's still focusing on the upset that has caused the cups to spill, he hasn't had chance yet to focus on the 2 cups that he's 'saved'.

Fives are cards of upset and change. They're related to The Hierophant and Temperance (also 5s), so not only do they speak of upset and change but they also speak of learning experiences and of spiritual growth.
I like to think of the 5s in tarot as 'blessing in disguise' cards. They're awful to live through but without them we'd be stuck in the stability but also the stagnation of the 4s.
Fives are spiritual lessons.

So here we have the 5 of Cups. 2 Cups have been saved but I get the feeling that the guy who has saved them is still focusing on the cups that he no longer has. He will eventually realise that all is not lost.
This is not just a card of disappointment and loss to me, it's also a card which speaks of scattered emotions.

8 of Wands

Against the usual burnt orange background of the suit of Wands we see a stack of 7 horizontal wands.
In front of the wands is the figure of a man who is looking upwards and has his arms raised towards an eighth wand which he seems to be manouvering into it's place at the top of the pile.

The first thing I thought of when I saw this card was that things were falling into place. The man looks as if the wand is actually going to fall on his head if he isn't careful.

Eights are also about organising and sorting things out after the challenges of the sevens. They are about finding a balance again and this is also what this guy could be doing - he's sorting out the wands that were crossed behind him in the seven.

Often this card is about things speeding up and rushing to a close but I don't really get that RWS style meaning from this card at all, although if the wands were falling down upon him then that could give some impression of speed.

The Tower XVI

The dreaded Tower card.

I actually really like this depiction of The Tower, I find it very easy on the eye.

Once again we see the theme of symmetry that seems so prevalent throughout this deck.

Against a deep brown background we see a golden tower. Lightning strikes the top of it which appears to be blown almost completely off and fire emerges from what's left of the tower.
On top of the tower (the bit that's being blown off) is a small purple flag with the symbol of Mars on it.
Falling from the tower are a golden female and male form, their bodies are curved and their arms are outstretched towards the floor.
They are surrounded by tiny spheres of black, red, white and gold - maybe a meteor shower, maybe the rubble from the stricken tower.
On the side of the tower is a large cross which looks a little like one of those slits used to fire arrows from but the sign of the cross brings to mind the notion of divine intervention or a sign or revelation sent from God or the Heavens.

I find it significant that in this depiction of The Tower there is no door so I presume that the people who are now falling from it's battlements were in fact prisoners inside.
Did they construct the tower themselves? Is it a prison of their own making which now they are free from?
It's this notion that makes me see The Tower as quite a positive card.
Yes, the tower has been destroyed by something completely out of the blue and it's occupants are now plummeting towards the earth but maybe The Tower needed to come down so that they could finally be free of it's constraints.

This then is numerically linked to The Chariot (they are both sevens), yet The Tower seems to be the antithesis of The Chariot which is a card about taking control. In The Tower control is taken away and we are in the hands of the gods....
Maybe this is why it's seen as such a scary card, as being out of control is the utmost in scariness for many people.

Comments about the significance of the Mars symbol are appreciated as astrology is not a strong point of mine.
Mars is a planet of war methinks...

The Wand Court

As promised, I thought it may be a good idea to compare the court cards and see if we can see any progression through them
I've laid them out in a row and the first thing that I notice is that the Princess/Page and the Knight face each other yet the Queen and King face away from each other.
Looking at this another way, the two female courts, the Princess and the Queen look at each other and so do the two male courts, the Knight and the King.
I'm not sure of the significance of this or even if there is any significance but I did notice it straight away.

The female courts are decorated with sunflowers whilst the male courts have some bell shaped flowers, maybe fresias decorating them.

In my thinking the Princess becomes the Queen and so is a younger, less mature version of her and the Knight becomes the King so he has kingly qualities that maybe aren't yet apparent.

The king and queen are both pictured with dragons, maybe to symbolise their maturity whilst the Princess and Knight are pictured with lions heads, linking them to the astrological sign on Leo.

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on the similarities, differences and progression of these courts...

Queen of Wands

Well I thought that I'd take a look at the last of the Wands Court cards then maybe do a thread comparing the 4.

The keywords I tend to use for Queens are 'understanding, reflective, nurturing and balanced'
I think that in all of the suits, the queen is the most balanced of the courts. She has a deep understanding of her element and uses that understanding and knowledge wisely for both herself and for others.

Here we have the Wand Queen.
As usual with the Wands suit, she's pictured against a burnt orange background (fiery and hot).
Behind her are sunflowers - again making me think of heat and summer. Sunflowers are also happy looking flowers which grow to a great hight and so are strong and stand out from the crowd.

This lady holds her wand in her right (active) hand and her breast in her left hand.
She is looking closely at her want and I think that this reflects her ambitious and goal oriented nature.
I think that the hand cupping her breast is a very sexual gesture and makes me think that this is a lady who is confident and completely in tune with her sexual nature. She's a sexy woman and she knows it... Maybe this scares some men off - I'm sure it attracts plenty though.

She's pictured with a dragon who's tail turns into a flame.
Dragons are mythological creatures who are brave and daring and are closely associated with the fire element (due to them being able to breathe the stuff).
The little white book says this:
'Legends involving the slaying of dragons describe the triumph of the conscious mind over unconscious fears and behaviour patterns'
I like that and I think that it shows well the personality of this queen.

Princess of Wands

Against the burnt orange background of the suit of Wands we see a young fire spirit who could be male or female.

Behind her head at the top of the card are sunflowers which makes me think that she is a Princess who will later grow into a Queen (the Queen also has sunflowers decorating her card whilst the male Wands courts have bell shaped flowers that I can't identify).
Below her is a lion's head breathing fire - linking the card to the fire element and also to the astrological sign of Leo..

She holds a large 'wand' above her head with both hands and to me it looks as if she has just discovered the wand and is holding it jubilantly as if to say 'look what I've got'.

Pages and Princesses show beginnings so this could be the beginning of action or the thought that precedes the action - she's deciding just what to do with the wand she's found.
She could also indicate the beginnings of the qualities of the wands suit.
She is courageous, adventurous and quite fearless.
She's a child of action and probably enjoys the outdoors and gets involved in all sorts of active games and adventures.
Like all of the Fire courts, she has a short attention span and gets bored with things quite quickly.
I can imagine her to be popular but she has a quick temper - quick in that she blows up quickly but she'll quickly forgive and forget so doesn't hold grudges.
She's one of those children who can be a bit of a handful.