Going back to Gail Fairfield’s geometric analogy, Two is two points connecting to form a line. Remember back to Geometry class, the abstract notion that a line extends into infinity in both directions, and you have an idea of the potential of the Twos in Tarot — especially the most prominent Two in the deck, the Papess or High Priestess.

As keeper of the Akashic Records, the Collective Unconscious, the knowledge of past, present, and future, the High Priestess’s secret knowledge extends into infinity — but not in all directions. Her number is two, so her scope (or at least what she’ll tell us about it) is limited at any given moment to the course of a single line, and perhaps that is why she seems so secretive. Perhaps in any given instance her wisdom extends only from one point in the unconscious to one point in the conscious, or from one point in Heaven to one on Earth, or from one point in the Past to one point in the Future. At any given moment, perhaps she only connects one point on the Other Side to one person or moment on this side of the Veil. (She is sometimes portrayed with a kind of curtain or veil draped behind her.) She is the line of knowledge from the waters of the great sea of unconscious and intuition, or the dark side of the Moon, her planet, into the light of day. She is the epitome of the Oracle called Tarot. Her knowledge can be as mundane as a single person’s entry in a dream journal or as far-reaching and esoteric as the unknown fate of a people, a nation, or the world. She is the antithesis of the Magician’s conscious known. She is the Unknown, the vast, ghostly sea of the Past, the revealed and unrevealed Present, and the possible Future.

I’ll write more about the High Priestess, as well as the other instances of Two in the major arcana (Strength, Judgment), later. Today my focus is on the Twos of the minor arcana.

The Twos are important cards to us because we live in a world full of duality. At least in a physical sense, we’re tied to duality in this life, to the divisions of day and night, male and female, up and down, right and wrong, life and death. Yes, there are gray areas, but the Twos are at a point in the path where two extremes may not have been bridged yet.

Each of the elements acts on us and our surroundings in dual ways through wet and dry, hot and cold, motion and stillness, hardness and softness, magnetic polarity or attraction, and so on. Though these forms of duality aren’t always absolute, they’re with us all the time to one degree or another, in connection or disconnection, in flow or resistance, in some state of balance or imbalance, for good or ill.

Opposition is something that the smallest child is aware of. Conflict is one way that it manifests, but it also manifests as contrast, complimentariness, and in both positive and negative forms of tension. The saying, “Hunger makes the best sauce,” provides a good example of the range of positiveness and negativeness inherent in any two-ended spectrum or two-sided relationship, even in conflict. Hunger can be deadly, or it can make a meal the most pleasurable event in one’s day. Ice can kill, or it can refresh one in an ice cold drink after a summer day’s work. Some of the most dangerous objects, substances, and experiences in the world are also those that make life worth living, and how they affect our lives depends on duality, combined with perspective.

Of course there are other forms of conflict and interaction than pure duality, and we explored some of them in the Threes. But considering duality can set us on a path of learning about the nature of everything — ourselves, our fellows, and our world.

The ways in which two can work together are every bit as important as the ways that two can work in opposition. We have two eyes, two ears, two hands, opposable thumbs, two legs, two feet. Each pair works in unison to improve exponentially one’s ability to perceive and act in the world. A tree grows limbs above the ground and balances itself with equivalent limbs — roots — beneath the ground. In this way the Two are bridged, a path between them provides cohesion, unity, and support. The limbs alone are without support, the roots alone serve no purpose. Unless they can grow new limbs, they die. Together there’s strength, support, and life. Male and female come together with great tension in a sexual union and then (in many species) they unite as one complimentary force to protect, nourish, and guide their offspring. It might be said that the dual nature of our world, the physical plane, and the bridges that form between opposing forces, are what create the fabric of life. They’re what hold our Universe together. Everything else is built upon that.

The Tarot’s minor arcana Twos divide some of these interactions into categories for our consideration, based on their suits or elements:

Two of Wands (Fire)

The Two of Wands in the Haindl Tarot shows what appears to be the forecourt of a ruined stone palace. A palace or other seat of power ruined by time or war can symbolize the dominion of one powerful force over another, weather opposing stone, or two armies opposed in battle, even a leader opposed by his own subjects. The forecourt of such an important building is often the nexus of activity and interaction with other forces — a place to greet other leaders who visit or send emissaries, or the leader’s own subjects may gather there in protest. In any relationship between two powerful forces there’s equally powerful unity or opposition. Only in special circumstances can two energetic forces remain in balance for long, because their great energy creates great tension. Through attraction or opposition, tension is created that without perfect equality and balance will eventually wear one side down or overwhelm resistance, attraction, or peace.

The Twos in all the suits have to do with relationships between people, things, actions, or forces. The Two of Wands reminds us of how we exert our power over others in relationship, how others exert power over us, and whether we balance that power somehow through equal application of force, or whether one side is likely to dominate the other. It can be competitiveness or cooperation. Because Wands are all about powerful energies, this is the Two that is most likely to indicate conflict. But it can also indicate a powerful union of two. The choice is often ours. For instance, in business, one party can only be concerned with what the other can do for him or how he can profit from the relationship, which can result in conflict or a win-lose result. Or he can be equally concerned about what he’ll do for the other, resulting in an equal, productive and mutually satisfying relationship, one that is likely to last or to be repeated, a distinct win-win result.

Two of Cups (Water)

Water tends to flow in the same direction, usually due to gravity, and sometimes due to deliberate channeling. It can be dammed up or its flow controlled, in constructive ways, or in damaging ones. Conflict in our inner selves or in our relationships with others can bring about a lot of turbulence in our lives, both inner and outer, and make us feel as if we’re submerged, unable to surface. A lot of the most energetic conflict in our emotional lives has to do with dammed up feelings, those held in check so long or which have such great intensity that they eventually break through their barriers — just as water needs to flow. Water also tends to seek itself out, as well as to seek out its source — the ocean — just as we humans tend to seek each other out in relationship, and to seek our spiritual source. As individuals we tend to seek our whole inner self, to flow toward wholeness, balance, and integration of our internal opposites, toward individuation.

In the Tarot of Transformation this card is titled “Authentic Connection”. It portrays two people having a balanced, direct conversation. In an authentic relationship, with our Self or others, feelings are shared or acknowledged in a balanced way. The positive and negative feelings are at some time or another brought into the light and acknowledged in a compassionate, honest way, and at appropriate times, so that they don’t build up that intense force that penetrates helpful and healthy barriers. Helpful barriers are those that protect our innermost secrets and dreams, our self-esteem, our personal space and privacy. They may also be those barriers that govern our considerate or compassionate behavior toward others or help us keep confidences and maintain trust. They can be barriers that keep us from saying hurtful things in anger that we’ll later regret.

Relating to others takes time and a willingness to listen without judging. It takes acceptance, cooperation, or flowing together. Supporting each other’s feelings as valid helps us work together through difficult times as well as pleasant times. It’s also important in any relationship to be honest in pointing out when we think the other is about to fall or do something regretful, or needs healing that they can’t see right now. It’s easy to love someone when they’re healthy, strong, and when things go well. But true love and friendship work equally well during tough times.

Two of Swords (Air)

Swords are sometimes about communication, thoughts, intellect, ideas, and sometimes about things governed by electricity, electronics, airwaves, weather, or technology. I can also see them as indicating the atmosphere of a situation. There are times when we speak of the air being tense with a particular mood, and if one looks at the images on the Swords cards in many decks, they do appear rather moody. Our frame of mind on any given day can influence a lot in our lives, including our work, our ideas, our decisions, our relationships, and our communications.

The Two of Swords in the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (RWS), and in decks based on the RWS, usually shows a situation that appears to be a stalemate. Differences have been set aside, but only in what appears to be a temporary way, by closing one’s eyes to them or by putting decisions off. Sometimes it indicates a stubborn resistance to talking things out. Avoidance is indicated rather than a truly satisfactory compromise or agreement.

This Two can also sometimes indicate thinking a situation or process through carefully before moving forward, which is a more positive form of delay or resistance. Or it can indicate a need to conserve energy by focusing on fewer things for the time being.

In some situations this is about a fork in the road, sometimes a pivotal divergence of paths. One idea takes two different courses, each veering off until they’re two separate ideas. Who originated those two ideas? The person who started out on one path, or those who carried that idea in different directions? In this sense this card could indicate the genesis and subsequent evolution of a situation, even of a belief system or religion, or a systematic way of thinking, such as Freudian and Jungian psychology, the divergence of one political party into two parties, and so forth. This can lead to conflict. An argument about cleaning a closet becomes an argument about cleaning the garage or entire house, about buying too many clothes, needing a larger house, and so forth. An argument, or an international conflict, can escalate in this way, leading to a war that no one remembers the reason for. For that reason sometimes it’s best to leave some arguments and side issues for later — to ignore or avoid getting sidetracked by them for the moment — and to focus on the matter at hand. This helps to resolve one conflict and leave the others to be resolved one at a time. Otherwise things can quickly get out of control. In this way Two of Swords can be about timing, knowing the right time to pursue an argument, or picking one’s fights.

Two of Disks (Earth)

The Two of Disks is about balance of physical things, activities, energy, time, and even pleasure. Everyone has two or more priorities in their life — work and home, exercise and sleep, vacations and paying off debt, hobbies and those things that pay the bills, spiritual life and practical life. The illustration on the Two of Disks in many decks shows a person juggling two objects on shore while in the background ships toss in a rough sea. Juggling requires focus and attention that shuts out all else. We sometimes get so caught up in juggling one set of obligations, and possibly the conflicts between them, that we don’t have time to see how the rest of our life is getting out of balance. Practical matters seem to override all else these days. The boss insists we be passionate about the job — juggling our obligations to his business — so the kids’ soccer practice, or the fact that an anniversary is coming up — the business of personal life — falls by the wayside. Sometimes we aren’t even aware of how our activities are causing us to miss other important things. It’s all about balance, though, making sure we pay attention to the “big rocks” as time management expert Steven Covey teaches in his “What Matters Most” course, and letting the sand fit in between where it can. The trick to this is in deciding up front what’s a rock and what are the pebbles and sand in one’s life, and ensuring that one isn’t juggling someone else’s rocks instead of one’s own. That’s setting our values and prioritizing, and it may be the most important meaning of this card. It’s difficult to plan our time perfectly because we don’t know what’s coming, what’s likely to throw our plans off. But if we determine up front what’s truly important to us — what we value — and then keep clear in our minds at all times what’s truly important, we’ll be sure to take care of that no matter what, and be happier people for it.

In some decks, such as the Crowley-Thoth Tarot, the Two of Disks is Change, and that’s another important aspect of planing and prioritizing conflicting obligations. Any plan or set of priorities needs to be flexible. What’s important to us one month, for instance making sure Tommy does his homework or gets to band practice on time, may change next month when Tommy goes off to summer camp and we have a big organizing project at home that we want to finish before he returns. Sometimes our values change drastically, such as our beliefs, our political identification, or our major relationships. If we don’t find a way to stay in balance in spite of these “big rock” changes in our lives, disaster can result. So this card is also about flexibility in how we value and prioritize the various parts of our lives. It’s important to glance up and check the horizon now and then and keep our relationship to it adjusted in appropriate ways. If ships are tossing out at sea, there’s a good chance that storm will hit shore soon, so we’d better keep an eye on it, not just go on juggling things the way we would on a sunny day.

Copyright © 2009 Barbara W. Klaser. All rights reserved.

2009 Tarot Study Index

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Post tags: Crowley-Thoth Tarot, Gail Fairfield, Haindl Tarot, High Priestess, Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot, RWS, Tarot, Tarot of Transformation, Two of Cups, Two of Disks, Two of Swords, Two of Wands

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I’ll start this time with a glimpse at some precursory artwork for my own Tarot. These images may or may not become part of an entire Tarot deck in the future, and if they do it will likely be for my personal use. (Click on the thumbnail images for larger views.) (Images updated to most recent versions on 03-28-2009.)

I’m conceptualizing, at this point, playing with some of my older scanned artwork and digital photographs, manipulating them in a paint program. The reason for the heaped on copyright markings is that some of my poetry was coopted from this blog a while back, so I’m leery now of posting creations without copyright notices, regardless of their quality or my future intentions for them. I’ve made the markings small enough that I think you can still see the artwork fairly well.

Threes and The Language of Tarot

According to Gail Fairfield in Choice Centered Tarot, a good way to think of the first three numbers in the Minor Arcana is to see them geometrically. One is a point, Two is two connected points forming a line, and Three is three connected points forming a triangular plane. When we move from the one-dimensional One and Two to the two-dimensional plane of the Three, something recognizable begins to take shape. Ideas, feelings, urges, or seeds of effort begin to develop into definite plans that seem to seek a solid form or shape.

Two can be seen as balanced polarities. That balance is frequently wrought with tension, conflict, struggles for dominance, or a stalemate between unresolved concerns. When we come to Three, things change, usually for the better, if only because that prior tension is released. Sometimes the change of the Three doesn’t appear to be for the better. The energies that built up in the Twos can move forward in a cohesive way at Three, or at Three they can fall apart, or merge or dissolve back into One.

The Threes in Tarot are mostly perceived as positive, and perhaps that has a lot to do with their relationship to the Empress of the Major Arcana, whose number is III and who is usually seen as benevolent, loving, prosperous, creative, nurturing. Even she can have her bad days though, and the negative side of the Great Mother archetype can be very bad indeed. For that reason it’s important to keep a balanced frame of reference when considering the Minor Arcana Threes.

In my opinion no Tarot card is entirely positive or negative. Each represents a spectrum of possible meanings that can be perceived as either positive or negative depending on the situation and point of view.

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s sometimes difficult to delineate the meanings of the cards’ suits, numbers, and correspondences in any clear-cut way, even to differentiate one card completely from others. Meanings and symbolism overlap, throughout the Tarot.

Sometimes the Swords are watery, and we all know the air can be quite humid at times. Sometimes the Cups are empty, or in other words dry. Wands and Disks can go either way as far as moisture content. Earth requires moisture in order to be fertile, but a flood is a problem, and most people know about the triad that makes fire (Wands), which requires oxygen (Air), heat (Fire), and fuel. Fire produces smoke (Air) and ash (Earth). Water can put out a Fire, but it can also cause it to produce steam, releasing potent energy. When hydrogen is burned, the resulting byproduct is Water. Seldom in Nature do we see the elements in their pure forms. But it’s sometimes useful to try to separate them out in order to understand a situation. That’s what happens in a Tarot reading.

The Tarot numbers may be more interdependent and overlapping than the suits and elements, if that’s possible. Threes relate to III The Empress, which in turn relates to all four Queens, as well as numerologically to XII The Hanged Man and XXI The World. One can think of IX The Hermit, as well as each of the four Nines of the Minor Arcana as equivalent to 3 x 3. See what I mean? What about XIII Death? The Empress represents gestation and birth, and in turn the Death card with its digit ending in Three, completes the cycle of life. Six, which numbers the Lovers card as well as all four Sixes of the Minor Arcana is the sum of 3 + 3. This begins to make sense when we consider the Three of Swords, the Six of Swords, and the Nine of Swords as a group and think how they might represent a situation as it develops.

A great way for a beginner to get to know the cards is by considering their suits and numbers in all these different combinations and variations. By sorting the cards first by suit and then by number, we can see they begin to reveal their full spectrum of meaning.

All this means that we have to be on our toes and adaptable when assigning meanings to cards in a reading, and we need to keep in mind that their meanings can shift and flex, sometimes dramatically, from one reading to the next. Not only that, they can have multi-layered meanings within the same reading.

One of my recent favorite Tarot spreads is called the Dynamic Hexagramme. It can be found at FourHares.com. In this complex spread, which I’ve found can provide deep, profound readings, the cards are read in groups of three, somewhat like the trigrams in the I Ching. Instead of having moving lines, the trigrams in the Dynamic Hexagramme Tarot Spread overlap, showing the development of a situation from one stage to another. When reading a card as a clarification of the opening card it can carry one meaning, but it can take on another meaning altogether when viewed as part of the next trigram.

A significator in a reading works in a similar way, since when one is used every other card in the spread relates back to the significator, but each in a slightly different way. Reversals, when used, provide yet another dynamic in relation to other cards.

Does all this make the Tarot overly complex? Yes and no. It is a good reason to limit a reading to a spread of a few cards, just enough to answer the question or concern at hand or to get a feeling for what’s happening now.

Some people think of the Tarot as a symbolic language. Just as a word changes meaning with context or syntax, a card does as well. The word “blue” can represent the color of the sky on a bright, sunny day, or it can indicate depression. Even a sunny day can seem cheerful in most instances, but in a drought it can be negative. Language is tricky, too. Meanings can be subtle and hidden, or they get distorted or turned around, or we can fail to understand because we’re looking for what we want to see or hear. Sometimes, when we’re overcome with emotion, words escape us.

It can take years to build one’s Tarot reading vocabulary. But just as toddlers begin to talk up a storm as soon as they learn a few words, and manage to say quite a lot with those few words, it’s possible to start reading Tarot as soon as one begins to apply meaning to the cards.

The Threes in Three Different Tarot Decks

In order to share card descriptions, this time I’ll use one deck with pip cards based on the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (RWS) scenes, which most Americans who read Tarot are familiar with, and two decks with non-scenic pip illustrations. Non-scenic pip decks are, as I understand it, less popular here in the US than in Europe. TheTarot de Marseille and many other older Tarot decks originated in Europe, where Tarot was and is used to play card games such as Tarock, French Tarot, or as far back as the fifteenth century, Trionfi. Some modern European Tarot decks, such as the themed decks published by Lo Scarabeo, are scenic but don’t use RWS-based symbolism. Then there’s the Sola Busca, a much older European deck, in fact the earliest known deck of 78 Tarot cards (dated approximately 1491), which was used as a basis for many of the Rider-Waite-Smith cards.

Today I’m using as examples the Threes from the Crystal Tarot and the Crowley-Thoth Tarot, both with non-scenic pips, meaning that the Minor Arcana numbered cards don’t show the elaborate human scenes that the RWS and its derivatives do. The RWS type deck I’ll use is the Golden Tarot by Kat Black. We tend to call such decks RWS-style, but that doesn’t seem right, since the Golden Tarot is not at all in the same style of artwork as Pamela Colman Smith’s. But the symbolism and structure of the scenes follows the RWS. Maybe a better term is RWS-structured.

The Thoth is steeped in esoteric symbolism and painted by Lady Frieda Harris in a crisp yet luxuriant Art Deco style.

The Crystal Tarot is in some respects more elaborate than the Thoth or the Tarot de Marseille, and in some ways less so than the Thoth because it lacks the more obvious esoteric depth. But there is a subtle depth to the Crystal, and one could call some of the Crystal Tarot’s illustrations almost scenic. That can limit or expand the possibilities for interpretation, depending on the reader. The Crystal differs from most decks popular in the US in that its Swords suit corresponds to the Water element and its Chalices (Cups) suit corresponds to Air.

None of this matters, or has to matter, in how one uses a Tarot deck. One can read the Crystal Tarot using Swords for Air and Chalices for Water. I do, and I’m throwing the Crystal Tarot’s Swords in with Swords from other decks further on in this post. It’s entirely up to the reader. I’m offering my thoughts on meanings here, but another reader can assign any meanings they want to the cards, and they need not change the meanings they use when switching from one deck to another. There are readers who call their method intuitive and derive meaning from what stands out in the images for them in a given reading rather than using traditional or book interpretations. When reading this way, meanings change constantly and are always in flux. This is because in one reading the tree in the 3 of Wands (Crystal Tarot) will stand out, while in another reading the dog will seem most prominent, and another time the snakes/caduceus, and so forth. Some readers use different meanings for different decks depending on the deck creators’ intentions. Some use a combination of traditional meanings, intuitive image reading, and deck-specific meanings — or any combination of these as they see fit in a particular reading. Again, it’s all up to the individual. There’s no right or wrong when it comes to Tarot.

Three of Wands

The Three of Wands in the Crystal Tarot shows three batons superimposed over a picture of a round shaped tree. A caduceus with two spiraling serpents forms the tree’s central trunk, reminding one of the Tree of Life, the symbol for Mercury/Hermes (and the medical profession), or of Kundalini rising through the chakras. Above the tree is a dog’s head in profile. He gazes sweetly to the left as if with love toward his master. The colors are greens and teal blue, with the batons golden and copper brown. The batons are arranged in an upward pointing triangle. The two upper batons each have a knob at one end with the knob pointing upward. The third baton forms the base of the triangle. It has two knobs, one at each end, which reminds me of someone burning the candle at both ends.

The Crowley-Thoth Tarot’s Three of Wands shows three crossed yellow wands each with a lotus blossom at the upper end. The lotuses are like flowers seen in ancient Egyptian pictographs. The wands are superimposed against a flaming orange background. The symbols for the Sun and Aries indicate the astrological correspondence, and the card is titled Virtue.

In the Golden Tarot’s Three of Wands, a man stands on the shore, in the foreground, watching a ship at anchor toss in rough seas. The ship is in port, and a town lies beyond, as well as a castle on a hilltop in the distance. The man, who is barefoot, holds onto one wood sapling bearing a few leaves, and two saplings stand upright on their own nearby.

Interpretation: The Three of Wands is Fire times three. If we look at the Two of Wands as a tense balance between two equally dominant fiery forces, and we think of Fire as passions, will, or strong feelings or influence, then we can see that one’s desires may begin to manifest as something tangible at this point. The RWS version of this card is often interpreted as one’s ship coming in. One’s luck may be turning, but that is likely due to one’s own efforts and work in the world, or one’s own influence in the situation. Perhaps that struggle for dominance has been won, or one has defeated one’s own inner conflicting feelings in order to make something happen. Another traditional interpretation is of help being offered from an unexpected and sometimes suspicious source. The neighbor who disputed the property line suddenly offers to pay for a new fence, or something of that sort. Sometimes it means an inheritance, or a settlement finally comes through. Things are moving forward.

Three of Cups (Chalices)

The Crystal Tarot’s Three of Chalices has three ornate golden cups in an upright triangle, with two cups tilted upright and one at the base lying on its side. In the center of the triangle there’s an egg shape shown in cross section with a red “yolk” and above the two upright tilted cups a butterfly rises in flight. I suppose the egg could be a cocoon just broken out of by the butterfly. There are flowers all around, and verdant greenery.

The Thoth Three of Cups takes the form of a fountain made of three cups that look as if they’re formed of red berries, with eight yellow lotuses on slender curving stems forming the cups’ pedestals as well as the four fountains that pour over them. Two lotus fountains pour into the top most cup, which also has a double lotus pedestal. The cups overflow onto a wet blue surface below. This image is full of radiant light as well as bright streams of water. This card has a much less Egyptian look to it, with the lotus pedestals reminding me more of Hindu or Buddhist religious artwork. The card is titled Abundance. The astrological correspondence is Mercury in Pisces.

In the Golden Tarot the Three of Cups shows an idyllic scene, with three maidens standing or dancing in a small circle in a meadow near woods or an orchard, each with a cup of wine in hand, as if celebrating something special. Two musicians stand performing in the background and a dog looks on.

Interpretation: The Three of Cups can be about releasing emotions long held in, as if in relief from stress or in hopes realized and celebrated. It could indicate a public announcement of happy news or a celebration. Things are looking up, and everyone is happy about it. There are good feelings to be shared. Traditionally it can mean the start of some kind of healing or psychic work. There’s healing and renewal here, and sharing of good feelings with friends or family, neighbors or coworkers. It can also mean a kind of coming out — of young women into adulthood, of a Tarot reader into reading for others, or something of that nature. There’s a spring or summer feeling to this card. Perhaps the fruit has set on the trees and the weather has warmed up. Cause enough in themselves for celebration.

Three of Swords

In the Crystal Tarot the Three of Swords shows a water scene, with underwater plants, and a fish. At the bottom, beneath all that blue water, is a strip of red, with green underwater grass and crustaceans dwelling on the bottom. Above, three swords are arranged, again in an upward pointing triangle, this time superimposed over what appears to be a large bubble, or at least a circle of different looking water, and between and around these swords are three heart shaped leaves. On the surface a fish floats belly up, apparently dead. What I like most about this card is that when reversed, the traditionally more positive position of the card, the red strip is on top, and the fish appears to be right side up, swimming happily underwater above deeper blue depths. Since the Crystal Tarot assigns the water element to this suit, one could easily see this card as representing a relationship, where in one case anger (red) seethes beneath the surface and in effect kills the relationship. In the reversed position the anger or other negative feelings are on the surface, communicated openly so that they don’t have the secret, festering, and possibly killing effect that they would if hidden.

The Thoth Three of Swords appears more dire. Its background looks like dark gray pleated, ruffled fabric or possibly the undulations of the surface of a brain, with angular blade like shapes scattered over its surface. The colors are dark and stormy. Superimposed over this is an overblown, faded white rose that appears about to lose its petals, with three swords pointing at its center. The two upper swords are shorter, with curved blades. The third is a long straight sword, its point aiming straight upward and appearing to come between the points of the other two blades. The card’s astrological designation is Saturn in Libra. Its title is Sorrow.

The Golden Tarot’s Three of Swords shows a woman seated on a plinth or pedestal. Her arms are crossed and she looks unhappy, possibly grieving. Above and to her left, the direction in which she faces, hovers a large red heart that appears ornate as if fabricated out of satin brocade. Three swords pierce it. The background of this card is dark with storm clouds.

Interpretation: The Three of Swords is the Three most often seen as negative. The Three of Swords can bring relief or release of a troubled situation before it goes too far. Even a difficult change of heart or mind in regard to something can turn out to be for the best, especially if it comes before one has invested too much time, effort, emotions, or resources into a situation. While in the Three of Swords mentality, though, no matter how positive the eventual outcome may be, we tend to feel as if we’re at our wits end, or that something is ending that shouldn’t, or that whatever interferes or interrupts is at fault. Swords govern communication, writing, speaking, and ideas or the intellect. Logic or truth seems to be involved, sometimes uttered too bluntly for others to bear, sometimes too devoid of emotion. But as we all know there are times when the truth has to be communicated openly and honestly, even bluntly, no matter how much it hurts, in order to get us or another to listen, or to get back on the right track. I sometimes see Three of Swords as a need to stop and listen or think before rushing forward, even to listen for what is not being said, or to read the fine print. Possibly there’s a need to examine a plan more closely to understand it on all levels. There may be obstacles that we don’t see unless we pause to go through some mental calculations. Maybe it’s just a bad idea. Here is a need to set aside one’s emotions in order to see a developing situation and its potential more clearly before committing oneself or going any further, without letting go of one’s compassion. At its mildest, sometimes it has to do with miscommunication or misunderstanding, someone wearing their heart on their sleeve or having a bad day and taking something entirely the wrong way, or a blip or hiccup in communications that must be rectified before moving forward. Sometimes it’s the decisive end of a stalemate, in one direction or another, and a relief to all concerned.

Three of Disks (Pentacles, Coins)

The Crystal Tarot’s Three of Pentacles shows three gold coins, one above ground and the other two under ground. Just beneath the surface, beneath the central upper coin, a red rose sends leaves upward into the light and encircles the upper coin with its stems, as well as the coins beneath with its roots. Each coin bears an astrological symbol. The one above bears the sign of Virgo, the mutable Earth sign, indicating flexibility or adaptability in earthy matters and the end of summer. The two coins below the surface bear the symbols of Taurus and Capricorn.

The Three of Disks in the Thoth Tarot shows what seems to be an aerial view of sand dunes, or possibly beach sand left in ripples after the tide recedes. A three-sided crystal pyramid sits on a smooth portion of the sand landscape. Each corner of the pyramid rests on a red twelve-spoked wheel that lays flat on the sand. This image bears the astrological symbols of Mars in Capricorn and its title is Works.

The Golden Tarot’s Three of Coins appears to be set inside the nave of a church, where a workman on a ladder does work with a hammer on one of three gold coins that decorate the ceiling. Three women seated nearby are doing needlework, while a monk stands nearby watching them.

Interpretation: The Three of Disks is sometimes about working with others. It can also mean gaining positive attention and appreciation for one’s work. In some decks this card shows workmen and architects consulting plans, as if they’re discussing changes even as the work progresses. Earth has to do with the material plane, which can relate to the body or physical health, to nature, to finances, or to any practical matter. In Discovering Your Self Through the Tarot: A Jungian Guide to Archetypes & Personality, Rose Gwain associates the Earth suit with the Sensing function of the personality. This is the more physical, social, and practical side of us that likes to make things and keep our living and work spaces in order. It perceives through the five senses and understands the world from a primarily physical perspective. Since Three is usually about taking an idea or plan to the next stage, it can indicate trying out an idea by putting it into action, learning by doing, creating a prototype, or making adjustments to a work or plan in progress. On the positive side, there’s a certain amount of confidence and self-esteem involved in taking the plunge into a project before all the details are worked out. On the negative side it can indicate blundering or naiveté, someone not having all the necessary skills, experience, or resources needed to make a project work before jumping in. Sometimes it’s at least in part a matter of luck or synchronous events, seemingly unrelated but all coming together to form a cohesive whole that works relatively as intended. This card can also indicate artwork or craftsmanship, projects for which there’s often not a well defined shape in mind but an idea that in essence creates itself, with the artist providing the energy, materials, and skill necessary to bring his inspiration into physical reality. One might think of a sculptor seeing a form in wood or stone and chipping away the unnecessary portions to reveal it. His first cuts are well represented by the Three of Disks. Remember the Greek Muses were originally said to be three in number.

All the Threes, it seems, can have to do with trying something out, or just starting out on a new course, taking the first decisive steps to bring something into being. The suit indicates how this is done or what problems may arise. The Swords and Disks seem to differentiate between book learning, calculating or careful planning and learning by doing, or experimenting. Wands and Cups take a more passionate, emotional, or intuitive approach to something new, letting one’s heart or sixth sense, or concern about relationships guide one in the first steps along a new path. The Threes indicate a certain degree of commitment, and the first shift in direction or adjustments made along the way. Sometimes the Threes are false starts, learning what doesn’t work, and possibly giving up on a given direction to return to Two and let the energies or ideas build and reform, or returning to One again to invite in something entirely new.

Copyright © 2009 Barbara W. Klaser. All rights reserved.

2009 Tarot Study Index

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“Hanging Blueberries” Copyright © 2008 Barbara W. Klaser
5 x 7 inches
watercolor, color pencil, pen and ink

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Then I remembered a string of beads that were once my grandmother’s and had passed through a few family members’ hands before they came to me. Their string was literally on its last thread, so restringing them into a new form made sense. There were about 92 beads, and with the addition of some crystal beads that had been my mother’s as quarter markers, and a larger wooden bead I had on hand as the summit bead, they made a full mala of 108 beads. I added a crystal elephant I’d had for years, along with more crystal beads as counters.

At that time, I didn’t know what my beads were. But when I came across a photo of beads like them online, I learned they’re Job’s Tears. Job’s Tears are natural beads made from part of a grass plant, with numerous uses throughout the world. They’re a humble, common person’s rosary bead, easy to grow and replace. For more information, see the “About Job’s Tears” links below. Here’s a detail view of my Job’s Tears:

I know next to nothing about making jewelry or stringing beads. My experience is limited to stringing a few strands for myself, not very professionally, and making some tatted lace earrings years ago. But I had fun with this project, and the best thing was that I was able to stick to materials I had around the house. For the counters, I crocheted colored Pearle Cotton into a chain and found that the chain was just the right thickness for the crystal beads to slide over easily with my help, but to stay in place when left on their own. Here are detail views of the elephant and counter beads:

Ten counter beads may seem ambitious, but I wanted this string to fulfill any future goals I might have for working with mantras, prayers, or affirmations.

After using this Job’s Tears strand for a few months, I began to wish for an additional strand half the length or less, for use anywhere that a long strand wasn’t convenient or practical. Additionally, the Job’s Tears hadn’t been easy to restring. I’d used nylon beading thread, which isn’t the most modern, durable material, and the original holes in the beads were small, not always straight, and sometimes difficult to get my needle and string through. Since Job’s Tears are essentially dried flower buds, they’re somewhat fragile and they split easily. In spite of that fragility, they’re also woody, and the little splinters inside tear and fray the thread a bit as it passes through them. Since I slide the beads over the thread as I count, the more I use them the sooner I’ll need to restring them. If they were Job’s Tears I’d purchased, that wouldn’t matter. They’d be cheap to replace if any get lost when the thread breaks. But these particular beads have sentimental value. Next time I’ll try a different thread, and maybe I’ll knot the strand — which I haven’t tried before with beads.

Sanskrit mantra repetition has turned out to be a reliable sleep aid for me, as well as a good way to start the day, so I wanted a shorter strand I could keep by my bedside or carry in my purse. I decided on a half mala for my bedside table.

Finally I remembered some beads I’d made when I was playing around with polymer clay a few years ago. I’d made a necklace to match a favorite outfit, but I’d stuck the rest of the beads away in a jar. I had enough beads already made up for two quarter-malas (27 beads each) and one half-mala (54 beads).

One of the two quarter-malas didn’t turn out to my satisfaction, but I’m very happy with the other two, pictured below. I used more crystal beads as counters, and this time I attached them with a slipknot so I can remove them. That way I can wear the smaller strand as a bracelet without a counter dangling from it. These are strung with a doubled strand of sturdy, size 10 crochet cotton. My polymer clay beads are pretty unsophisticated, in fact rather primitive, with large holes, and even my fingerprints on some of them — so I guess I have to plead guilty that I made them. My favorite thing about them is the colors and shapes, which suit me just fine. Another advantage is that they don’t have splinters inside like Job’s Tears or sharp edges like some semi-precious stone beads, so they won’t wear the string out anytime soon. Of course there are more durable beading cords that can be purchased, but I’m still working with what I have on hand.

The purple beads look bluer here than they actually are:

I’m not sure polymer clay is the best material environmentally or energetically to use for prayer beads. Polymer clay is primarily PVC, which isn’t natural or biodegradable. But these beads have come in handy, and I don’t worry nearly as much about something happening to them as I do about my Job’s Tears, which carry sentimental value. I still use my Job’s Tears as well, because I love the natural feel of them in my hands.

I’ve recently remembered another craft supply that I bought and squirreled away to try later. Creative Paperclay modeling material is reportedly made of natural, biodegradable, and completely non-toxic materials. It can be fashioned into shapes and, once dry, it can be painted with water-soluble paint, sanded — basically treated like softwood — and then varnished or lacquered to protect the finished piece. I could even omit the varnish and let my Creative Paperclay beads gradually return to nature.

So my next prayer bead goal is to make beads out of Creative Paperclay and experiment with including ground dried rose buds, as a bow to the original rosaries, which were so named, according to some sources, because they were made from rose petals.

About Job’s Tears:

Encyclopædia Britannica: Job’s Tears

This Garden is Illegal: Job’s Tears: Gardening for Crafters

Wikipedia: Job’s Tears

Wayne’s Word (Palomar College Arboretum): Job’s Tears

The Most Worn Bead Plant

How to make rose petal beads:

Covington Innovations: Making Rose Petal Beads

Wendy Mukluk Domestic Recipes: Rose Petal Beads

Beads For Prayer: How To Make Rose Petal Beads

Catholic Culture: To Make Rose Beads for a Rosary

Associated Content: How to Make a 5 Decade Rosary Using Real Rose Petals

Knotted Prayer Ropes:

If you’re not interested in working with beads, but you count knot tying among your skills, you might want to consider making your own knotted prayer rope out of cord, following these instructions: How to tie an Orthodox Prayer Rope knot.

More prayer bead links:

Perhaps the most comprehensive and well-researched site I’ve found on prayer beads is Karen’s Prayer Beads, where Karen Deal Robinson covers many different traditions, how and why she designed her personal strings of prayer beads, and ideas about how to use them, including her own versions of some prayers.

Most of what I’ve learned so far about Sanskrit mantras has come from two books and a CD by one author, Thomas Ashley-Farrand:

Healing Mantras: Using Sound Affirmations for Personal Power, Creativity, and Healing

Chakra Mantras

Mantra Meditations for Creating Abundance (CD)

Thomas Ashley-Farrand’s focus is primarily on Hindu mantras, but Healing Mantras includes a few from other traditions as well.

I also own a book titled Meditation, by the late Eknath Easwaran, and several of his other titles are on my wish list. I recommend his writings for helpful information and instruction in meditation and mantra use, provided from an Eastern perspective (he was Indian by birth) translated for Westerners.

I find that repeating certain of these ancient mantras helps me gain peace and center myself. I try to select those that suit my individual needs. There are Sanskrit mantras for protection, for improving relationships, for healing, to enhance creativity or abundance, and for simple devotional practice. In a sense Sanskrit mantras have provided me a “reset button” for my brain, helping me to silence all the negative and cluttered thought patterns that modern life seems to burden us with.

If your interest is primarily in Buddhist mantras (also traditionally written or recited in Sanskrit), the most commonly used and most well-known one is Om Mani Padme Hum, with the Green Tara Mantra coming a close second: Om Tara Tuttare Ture Swaha. A search for either, enclosed in quotes, will lead you to numerous sites discussing their use. I’ll share just a few here. Tibetans pronounce the Sanskrit words a little differently than Buddhists from other places, and the first link below includes an amusing story about “correct” pronunciation.

Dharma Haven: Om Mani Padme Hum

Four Gates: Tibetan Chants and Mantra

Wildmind Buddhist Meditation: Buddhist Mantras

Religion Facts: Buddhist Mantras

Beads for non-spiritual practice:

You don’t have to be a Hindu or Buddhist — I’m neither — to benefit from Sanskrit mantra practice or meditation. Neither do you have to be a Catholic — I’m also not — to pray the Rosary. In fact, you don’t have to be spiritual or religious at all to use beads for repetition, affirmation, and focus. Someone who’s uncomfortable with any form of spiritual practice still might find strings of beautiful beads helpful for centering practice or for repeating affirmations to help improve their quality of life.

Various religious and philosophical prayer bead traditions and their associated prayers or mantras:

Health & Yoga: Using Mala Beads (Rosary) For Meditation

Wikipedia: Prayer Beads

Wikipedia: Anglican Prayer Beads

Wikipedia: Buddhist Prayer Beads

Wikipedia: Japa Mala

Wikipedia: Rosary

The Threshold Society: The Most Beautiful Names of Allah

The Catholic Rosary:

My prior post about prayer beads mentioned a book by medium John Edward on practicing the Catholic Rosary. Below are links to a few different Internet sites with guides for the Catholic Rosary. Though they’re similar in content, each offers slightly different tidbits of information about rosaries, and the Catholic Rosary in particular:

A Detailed Guide to Our Lady’s Rosary

How-To-Pray-The-Rosary.com

A Beginner’s Guide to the Rosary

How To Pray The Rosary

I could probably keep adding more, because this topic obviously fascinates me and I love to read about it. But if you’ve gotten this far and you still want to know more, I’m sure you’ll find your way to what you need on your own. If you decide to make or buy prayer beads and use them, I hope they provide for you the same peace and healing balm they have for me.

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In case you haven’t been watching my link updates in the sidebar, please also be sure to visit Beverly Jackson’s new art gallery website, The Art Shack Studio. I met Bev when we belonged to the same writer’s group, before she moved away. I’m proud to count her as a friend, and a multi-talented one at that.

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