What does the 5 of Wands say about Conflict?
Let’s find out.
The draw of a morning tarot card is an exceedingly fun way to set the intention for the day and support beneficial processes necessary for psyche development. After an essential hiatus, I’ve begun to engage in this process again, and it is helpful because it guides us towards unconscious awareness. Here are the following reasons to adopt this process:
- The tarot sheds light on the unconscious.
- Tarot can reveal what the unseen in waking life.
- Tarot provides positive guidance in the decision-making process.
Note that I am not using tarot for divinatory purposes. Instead, I find that it is more beneficial when seeking self-knowledge. When we approach the deck in this way, we are open to the messages and possess a greater willingness to take action steps forward.
The universality of human nature can be captured through personal narrative. Thus, I’d like to teach you about this process through my experience. As you get to know me, you will learn that I share my personal predicament to shed light on your own.
The Wolf and The Compromise: Dream State
In a mid-century castle accompanied by a lavish land and laced with riches, I find myself in a quarrel with a royal rival. You see, the discord between us could fill millennia, and a peaceful compromise seems to be in the community’s best interest. However, we refuse to surrender our stubborn desires for power. When emotionally charged conflict occurs, logic is rendered useless.
While entrapped in the heart of negotiations between my father and the male head of the oppositional castle, I encourage an agreement. We have in our possession guard wolves, who are kept by our watchman, Atticus. To incite peace, we offer one of our loyal dogs in trade. Atticus sets up the deal and provides a handsome boy named Augustus. All is well, and we bid our companion fair generously.
Within an hour of the agreement, I hear screams and images filled with brutality and death flood my brain. With instruction from my father (unbeknownst to me), Augustus slaughtered the family. As a consequence, our kingdom defeats the rival in bloody warfare.
The trust I placed in my father has evaporated. Why not a peaceful discussion? The secrecy, the cruelty, and manipulation of a sweet animal are too much for me to bear.
The Aftermath
I awaken in the usual cold sweat which accompanies these kinds of lucid and eerily violent dreams. However, my understanding of Edgar Cayce and Jung provides me with the tools necessary to recognize the profound unconscious process work that occurs in dreams. The following depicts a reflection and potential resolution based on gleaned insights.
My Waking Life
A look at our waking life is a crucial step towards understanding our dream states. The unconscious articulation of necessary psyche processes takes form in the external reality of our lives. Like synchronicity, the content is provided — we just need to align our conscious awareness with comprehending the message.
Amidst this process of Ph.D. development, I have many different growth-oriented projects. I am engaged in a 500-hour yoga teacher training, pursuing my astrology diploma with Kepler College, and beginning a fall film program. I find myself in a state of inertia that pulls my psyche in multiple directions with my obligations.
Each day, I recognize the importance of diligence if I am to accomplish my goals. Yet, I also feel a sense of heavy internal conflict. My resolution for this conflict moves in a specific direction — an escape towards television and film. As I watch episode after episode of Netflix, I hear an internal cry that calls for me to return to my projects.
Rather than listening to this call, I rummage the refrigerator for my second fixation — sugar. This back-and-forth continues as the minutes dissolve. Unlike the ‘towards death’ hypothesis of Heidegger, I do not presume a life of authenticity in realizing my own death. In fact, the knowledge of impermanence and morality does little to sway these engrained neural pathways.
I could look to Jung for answers and plummet into the reasons for my distraction. I could sit with the inner conflict, but that does little to sway this fiercely convincing argument from my inner companion. There is an indication of overwhelming, yes. I believe this to be certain. The question is — which method will I use to resolve this conundrum, so I move towards action? How is this connected to my dream? What tools can I engage? This is where tarot comes in.
Reflections and Resolutions: Five of Wands
While contemplating this dream, I pulled the tarot card 5 of Wands.
In this deck, we see five individuals struggling as they battle — or are they playing? Up to you to decide.
In the tarot, 5 signifies a period of strife. Nestled between the 4 of stability and the 6 of triumph, we sit in the space of 5 — a necessary connector. The position and element of the card will indicate the nature of the struggle we receive.
With this particular card, we are in the land of wands which represent fire. This fire encapsulates passion, inspiration, rage, and creativity. Considering the Thoth tarot deck, we are met with the astrological rulership of Saturn in the first decan of Leo. For Crowley, this card indicates and expresses his own profound contradictions.
How can this astrological representation tell us more about the meaning of the card itself?
Internal Manifestations
Saturn(stable) x Leo(exuberance) = Conflict between stability and excitement. With Saturn to his detriment here (Saturn traditionally rules Aquarius and the opposite of Aquarius is Leo), he struggles to meet his needs. In other words, the approach to stability is foreign to Saturn’s functionality which creates conflict.
Furthermore, due to the fixed nature of Leo, there is a tendency to struggle with decision-making blinders. This is tantamount to being unable to make modifications in our approach to decisions. Instead, there comes desperation followed by confusion. Compromise and objectivity beckon us, but we refuse to listen.
Often, this card is associated with external conflict — especially when a question of others is asked. However, similar to the dream state, the presence of others can indicate actual people or, more often, our own internal selves. The refusal to compromise our own inner desires for our own good is a state I see reflected by the inertia I experience.
Considering the dream, the father is a representation of stability, the wolf encapsulates my desires, and the other family represents the knowledge I’m building. With a fear that stability will destroy my instinctual thirst for knowledge, I find myself in a state of inner rebellion on account of my worries. This results in self-sabotage.
My shadow calls me through the gruesome murder to face this conflict in an engagement with my own destruction. What piece of my overwhelming schedule must I stripe away?
My Jupiter in Aries accompanies a tendency to accumulate new knowledge, and I stubbornly cling to my pursuits. I must know NOW. There is no time to wait. The rulership of Mars in Scorpio digs her heels into this decision and fights.
So how can I engage the archetypes within my chart to find a semblance of peace and momentum forward at a safe and steady pace? How can I productively apply the five wands? Recognition that I will have time for these engagements at a later date? For this, I call upon Saturn in Sagittarius, who rules my sun in Capricorn and begs me to recognize the importance of flexibility in life.
When I consider my shadow, I look to the roots of this energy, which were laid during a childhood where my intelligence and capacity for knowledge were betrayed by my desire for social status. As an adult, I choose to put my intellect first and enjoy the learning process immensely. Yet, that child who desires greater horizons remains in the pit of my stomach, summoning me for more knowledge. Much like Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka, I am unwilling to compromise my desires — even if it is for my own safety.
Saturn’s stable flexibility sits in my archetypal picture — now it is just a matter of taking the action steps necessary to listen. How do I do that? Let’s work out the steps.
External Manifestations
As we delve into the external considerations of this card, we must remind ourselves that, in the Jungian world, outer experiences provide an opportunity to engage in internal growth. In essence, the outward manifestations offer us fruitful tapestry for psyche development.
Let’s examine how my internal struggle (as revealed through the 5 of Wands) manifests in my relationships.
When we connect the planetary configuration with others, we can associate Saturn(authority) x Leo(child) = conflict between authority and the inner child. Again, in the detriment, Saturn struggles with authority figures.
I’ve noticed a manifestation with my therapist. When he suggests I may have too much on my plate, I became defensive and argumentative. I accuse him of ignoring the nuances of my statements. When I find myself in a familiar feeling of victimhood, I hear the same ol’ inner dialogue “no one understands me” and “I must break away from rigidity.” Often, this comes up when I receive advice that provides beneficial stability. I just don’t want to hear it. Through my awareness of the tarot, astrology, and psychology, I have the capacity to (hopefully) pursue a new direction of growth in this lesson.
Application: Saturn in Leo Archetype
To move these theoretical and highly intellectual concepts into the “real world,” it is essential to bring them down to earth (so to speak). Yes, these are all Saturn keywords so let’s work with Saturn, shall we?
Saturn is often seen as the bad guy of the Zodiac. He is the cop who ensures the karmic duties are fulfilled and that we remain within the necessary life restrictions. Frequently, when we view regulations as stifling, it indicates a need to chat with the inner child.
When we consider the steps moving forward, our objective is to please Saturn’s desire for methodical knowledge while entertaining Leo’s need for creative self-expression.
I choose to work with my personal struggle with the Saturn in Leo energy with the following steps:
- Take an objective assessment of my current schedule and by producing a mind mapping art piece.
- Decide which elements need to shift and make a commitment to do so.
- Have a dance party.
- Go play outside with the fairies.
- Celebrate the choice to set realistic and beneficial boundaries.
- Tap into my wild wolf feminine energy through a howl (preferably nude)
Summation
The conflict that accompanies strife is a necessary part of the psyche’s development. Just as Jung speaks of the importance of oppositional forces and friction to build a state of wholeness — this type of engagement points to necessary psychological and spiritual conflict, which requires further analysis.
Utilizing tools such as tarot can help us dive into this analysis with greater awareness and provide the insight necessary to move forward with presence, authenticity, and creativity.
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