Rods Flashcards
Aces can be read as chances that lie in our environment or in ourselves. The Ace of Rods stands for new doorways that open up to us, new paths that are discovered. What had been too risky can be chanced now. This is the chance for us to develope through something we happen upon, something that offers itself to us.
The Two of Rods mean a situation in which we feel damned to inaction because we have to make a choice between several paths and can’t decide. The readiness is missing to engage in anything; we feel lethargic, numbed and at the same time under great pressure. But we just don’t have the energy and determination needed to depart on one of our possible paths. On another level of meaning the Two of Rods can mean lip services, half-heartedness and having no standpoint.
Sometimes an attitude of neutrality, of not-choosing can be appropriate. But if it makes you feel numbed it surely isn’t.
The Three of Rods mean that we have good expectations because we have gained a strong basis onto which we can build safely. They mean that we can hope for success confidently, and that we needn’t hesitate if we want to start projects which are more difficult and time consuming. The card invites us to awaken to what we want to reach long-term.
This card stands for a situation in which we can depart into the new trustingly and confidently. A feeling of harmony and security is prevailing; now is the time to meet new people, to enter new doors, to be open. The Four of Rods can also mean that we are welcome where we are going or that we should welcome others.
The Five of Rods describe a situation of playful fighting, of sportive or verbal contest. This is about showing what you can, about meeting your rivals, about clarifying your views. But this fight is playful, there isn’t much aggression, and the participants stay quite peaceful.
The Six of Rods stand for success, victory, recognition and popularity, for gains and solutions. But there is quite a strong warning implied not to make the mistake of bragging or getting too worked up about one’s victory. Only too quickly a winner can become a loser again.
The Seven of Rods describe a situation full of conflicts, of quarrel. We are attacked and have to defend ourselves. In most cases this fight is not about bagatelles; there is quite a lot at stake. The aggression which we encounter is considerable, the attackers sometimes use drastic means. Now is the time to mobilise all our strength, all our recources, and to fight back as hard as we can. The Seven of Rods also mean that it is quite likely that we fight from a favourable position and have good chances to win.
Now, this is a very strange card that reliably embarrasses me when it turns up in a reading for someone. For it does mean news - nothing much more. It means news that have not arrived yet but are soon going to arrive. Beyond this there isn’t really anything to say about the Eight of Rods. One way to wriggle out of my embarrassment is saying that new impulses are always good and that the Eight of Rods indicate that something will change at last.
The Nine of Rods mean defiance, refusal, and obstinacy. We believe that we have been hurt or wronged or laughed at, and so we refuse to accept offers of reconciliation or other gestures of love. We turn away from that which in truth we need so much.
The card can also show that we feel frightened and threatened although in truth no one wants to do us any harm. And it can mean that we bristle against changes and hold on tightly to the established.
This card describes a situation of excessive demands, of the feeling of being totally overtaxed, beset, of having burdened oneself with far too much or something we are not equal to. Furthermore, the Ten of Rods can mean hopelessness, despair and lacking prospects for the future. The card asks us not to try to handle this situation alone and without help.
I tend to reading the Pages as invitations to cultivate certain mental attitudes or to inwardly prepare for certain ways of acting.
The Page of Rods invites us to develope an open attitude, as free as possible of prejudice, to be curious. Only then new impulses, opening doorways and inspriations can be recognised and accepted.
Like the other knights the Knight of Pentacles stands for a certain spirit, and in his case this is the spirit of hot-bloodedness,
adventuresomeness, joy of exploration and conquest, impatience, energy, zest for life, passion and enthusiasm. There is no thoughtfulness, no “let’s first think about it” - acting is everything. Of course, if you are in such a spirit you should take care not to put yourself in danger or become reckless towards others. Barring this, the Knight of Rods indicates that now is the time to sort things out, to at last tackle what you had long planned.
You can see the Queen of Rods as a woman with the following qualities or, if the the question concerns a man, as the female part of his psyche. But I tend to reading the queens as the inward side of a person (philosophy of life, attitude towards life, values, habitus, typical moods…), no matter whether this person is female or male.
The Queen of Rods is a self-confident, passionate woman. Self-actualisation, self-determination and independence mean the world to her. If she is confined, caged, if she is hinderd to move about freely, she can’t be happy. Relationships can be difficult for her for that reason. She is courageous, always sticks by her opinions and is full of energy because she always knows what she wants.
The Queen of Rods can be problematic if she becomes reckless from her passion, and when she inclines towards bragging, self-dramatisation and overestimating her capabilities.
You can see the King of Rods as a man with the following qualities or, if the the question concerns a woman, as the male part of her psyche. But I tend to reading the kings as the outward side of a person (job, typical ways of acting, the way the life is led…), no matter whether this person is male or female.
The King of Rods is a strong-willed, assertive man who does not allow others to influence him in any way. Concerning his work he will typically be found in leading positions. Since he is dynamic, passionate and enthusiastic most people will find him charismatic and will admire him. He can make great things become real.
The King of Rods is problematic when his other characteristics are joined by unwillingness to compromise and the disability to keep within his limits.
