Comparative Tarot

Two of Wands shows us the Rossetti painting of Persephone holding a pomegranate. She looks wistfully over her shoulder cupping the cut pomegranate against her left shoulder. Her right hand supports and holds the left. She wears a deep green gown and her expression is solemn. Framing her is a garland of roses and other flowers, lovely in shades of pink, peach and deepest red. At first it is a lovely image but when we look closer we can see a spider dangling nearby, two skulls and a few faces sprinkled among the flowers.

The Book says: The planning to do something. High ideals; new outlook. A feeling of restlessness, a change in the air. In it's reverse this card cautions against impatience or wishy-washiness.

Bee's Buzz: When I first looked at this card I was struck by a sense of longing and wistfulness, not sadness or loss but wistfulness. It reminded me of how we sometimes feel when we are not truly unhappy or dissatisfied but still wish for a long ago memory. The image of Persephone reinforces this sense. When I remember her myth I always thing that on some level she was happy to be taken by Hades. After all how many of us wish to remain home with our mother forever? Her expression reminds me of how we feel when we are facing a new challenge, one which will ultimately help us grow, mature and transform our lives, but we still yearn for the simplicity of earlier times. Even though Persephone comes into her own power as Queen of the Underworld, she still misses the simpler more playful times of her youth. She knows it is time to move on to a new level, to begin claiming her power and her strength. But still she pauses, she resists because she is still somewhat fearful of accepting this gift. She is surrounded by symbols of death, fate and love. All of these things are woven into her future, indeed into all of our futures. And still we hesitate. We want to grow and yet yearn to stay young and innocent. We want to accept our power and our independence yet we still wish to remain children and be protected. If we cannot learn to embrace and accept our inner flame, if we cannot accept its transformative energy, then we remain stuck in a youthful rut. Our passion and energy burns just as brightly but may become destructive instead of constructive; a symbol of pain instead of power; weakness instead of strength.

Bees Blessings
Debbie