Two of Wands
The Two of Wands is the second numeral card of the Wands suit, associated with the element Fire. It marks the shift from the Ace's initial impulse to the first moment of planning and decision.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-18
Historical fact
In decks predating the 1909 Rider-Waite-Smith, the card corresponding to the Two of Wands typically showed only two crossed or parallel wands, with no narrative scene. The image now associated with the card — a man standing on a castle battlement, holding a globe and looking out at the horizon, with one wand fixed to the wall and another in hand — was created by Pamela Colman Smith and published in 1909, becoming the visual standard followed by most modern decks.
Interpretation — Rider-Waite-Smith / Golden Dawn
In the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, this card is traditionally titled 'Dominion.' It represents personal power already achieved, planning the next step, and the decision between staying in safety or venturing beyond what is already known — the globe in the figure's hand symbolizes the world as a field of possibility. Reversed, it can indicate hesitation, fear of acting on plans already made, or power misused.
Interpretation — Thoth (Aleister Crowley)
In the Thoth deck, the card is also titled 'Dominion' and associated with Mars in Aries — Fire's energy expressed directly, boldly, and still somewhat raw. It represents dominion won through force of will, but with an underlying tension: the energy is still seeking a more stable direction for its expression.
This section presents one tradition's interpretation, not a verifiable fact.
Frequently asked questions
- What does the Two of Wands mean in Tarot?
- In the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, titled 'Dominion,' it represents power already won and the decision between staying safe or advancing toward something new. In the Thoth deck, associated with Mars in Aries, it is read as direct, still somewhat raw energy seeking direction.
- Does the meaning of the number 2 repeat across the other suits?
- Broadly, yes. In the Rider-Waite-Smith / Golden Dawn tradition, each number from 2 to 10 carries a wide theme that appears across all four suits, expressed differently according to each suit's element (Fire in Wands, Water in Cups, Air in Swords, Earth in Pentacles). This reflects the system's origin in Golden Dawn teachings, which linked each numeral card to a position on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.
- Was this card illustrated differently before 1909?
- Yes. Before the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, this card typically showed only two wands, without the scene of the man on the castle battlement — that illustration is Pamela Colman Smith's creation.
Sources
- Michael Dummett. The Game of Tarot: From Ferrara to Salt Lake City (1980).
- Arthur Edward Waite. The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910).
- Aleister Crowley. The Book of Thoth (1944).
- Stuart R. Kaplan. The Encyclopedia of Tarot (1978).