The Two of Wands (Tarot Triptych)
Name: Dominion, the Two of Wands
Number: 2
Astrology: Mars in Aries
Qabalah: Chokmah of Yod
Chris Gabriel March 29, 2025
The Two of Wands is the card of childish will - the desire to take, to hold, and to say yes or no. This card is how we begin to make our way in the world and learn to control our environment.
In Rider, a man in red looks out from a castle wall over an expanse of sea and mountains. Beside him are two wands, and in his hand is a globe. He desires to control the world, to move ships, goods, men, and to expand his influence and power.
In Thoth, we have two large Dorjes: Buddhist wands symbolizing the power of thunder and the strength of the diamond. They are crossed, and from them six flames emit. The card is astrologically given to Mars in Aries.
In Marseille, we have two crossed wands. Four leaves emerge from the center, and two uprooted flowers frame the top and bottom. Qabalistically, the card is the Wisdom of the King.
The Wisdom of the King is Dominion.
Just as the Two of Swords relates to a child’s legs and first steps they take, the Two of Wands is the arms, the hands, and, ultimately, the fists. As the baby of the zodiac, Aries is the child who quickly learns how to get what they want, to reach out and grab it, and how to push away and reject what they do not want. To be safe and comfortable they need to control their environment. This is the force of Mars in Aries, the childish will applied to everything.
Just as children like to get what they want, so too do Kings. Their simple desires are sated, and their complex desires are worked towards by the people. This is often a desire for larger and larger dominions.
Alexander the Great conquered out of a pure and childlike will, and wept when he had no land left to conquer, no new toys to play with. Heraclitus and Shakespeare alike recognized the childlike character of the Gods, that their wills were playful and fickle. The world, and the people therein are simply toys to exert the will upon.
The Rider card gives a fantastic image of this, the great globe itself reduced to a toy ball. This is shown perfectly when Charlie Chaplin’s Great Dictator plays with an inflatable globe. It is the pure, simple, childish will that wants world domination.
While many great and terrible men have tried this, it is exceedingly rare that any of us will meet people like this. In our lives, this force appears as domineering individuals who want to control what’s around them, be it a neighborhood, a workplace, a house, or, especially, a relationship. We have all met very controlling people, this card shows us this desire for control is innate and childish.
When we pull this card, we can expect to deal with controlling figures, or a conflict of our own. Whether you decide to get out of the way or get your way, consider what it is that you will.
