Last time here at Queering the Tarot, I mentioned that a lot of the minor arcana (AKA the “suits” or “pips”) are really quick, straightforward cards. As such, to queer these cards it’s sometimes easier to look at the overall picture than the individual pieces. We’re in the Wands (AKA “staves” or “rods”) suit right now, and the Two, Three, and Four of wands are of course read individually when they show up but it’s important to know where they fall in that suit’s story to get there.

In this case, the basic beginner’s understanding of the Two of Wands frequently indicates a business or creative partnership, and usually indicates long-term planning in whatever area of your life you’re most passionate about. It can have a restless energy as frequently we want the big prize of our long-term goals NOW, but it is indicative that we are on the right track. The Three of Wands is about preparation and expansion. If someone asks about business and gets a two, it’s time to plan for the future but from where you are now. The three then is time to actually enact plans for expansion while still looking at the big five and ten year goals. If asking about romance or family, the two indicates positive partnerships and making sure you want the same things out of life, and the three indicates that it may be time to take that first step towards “the future” together. Group work is well aspected in the three in general, and the Wands VERY often indicate creative pursuits. I generally read the wands as “whatever area of life you’re most passionate about” unless the seeker asks about a specific area of life. The Four of Wands continues this narrative, and at it’s base is about celebration and harmony in the area being discussed. Marriage, new living spaces, and a general concept of “moving forward” are indicated. If the seeker is asking about business, a change of location, promotion, or high dollar client could be indicated here. If asking about romance, this is a strong indication that marriage or cohabitation are on the horizon. If already partnered in such a way, purchasing a house or expanding the family could be highlighted.

When queering the Two, Three, and Four of Wands, one of the biggest new ideas or changes we might see is that “area of life we’re most passionate about” becomes queer activism. The Wands usually correspond with fire, and therefore passion. Fire is also sometimes destruction and burning down of what is there but not serving us though, and in this case it’s easy to translate the Two of Wands as coming up with a plan or idea to create change and possibly finding a partner in these endeavors. The three would be about enacting those plans, and the four a time of moving on to an even bigger projects, or (even better!) seeing your hard activist or advocacy work payoff in a significant way. This card came up a lot when activists were fighting for marriage equality, and I’ve seen it come up in times when anti-bully advancements were being made, for example. The four also showed up once in a reading I did for a querent who used to be really close to their grandparents but were cut off from communication when they came out. They continued to live as a queer person and activist, fighting the good fight, and out of the blue one day their grandparents saw them on the news, became overwhelmed with guilt and pride, and reached out to make things right.

Because group work and family are strong elements of these cards, polyamory and unique chosen family situations often come up with these cards as well. If someone discloses a poly identity or relationship to me, the three and four are strong indicators that it’s a good time to welcome new partners in or take the next steps forward. These cards come up a lot for newly out poly couples as a simple “it’s time” assurance. For someone who has been seeing multiple partners for longer, it’s usually a sign that one of the partners is a good match to either be welcomed into a current living situation or to take significant step with in some way. The two is interesting in this setting, because if someone is poly and asking about a new interest or relationship, because sometimes a two is literally just a two, this can be an indication that taking on a new partner or welcoming someone new into the fold is a bad idea right now. That restless energy will have to be resolved some other way—perhaps with more casual sex or by putting more energy into your existing partnerships. I mentioned queer chosen family settings before (that may not be poly as the relationships may not be romantic or sexual in nature), and the same interpretations can be applied there.

Further queerings of this card are pretty straightforward. Because of the fire and passion in these cards, casual sex, threesomes, and flings are all aspected well. New relationships especially among two people with penises is aspected well with the two, and while queer relationships do not always follow the traditional trajectory, the three can indicate enacting plans you had together or getting serious about the relationship, and the four making a significant move forward. There are, of course, a plethora of queer artists doing great work in the world and the Wands can be creative in nature, so these three cards are a sure sign that your current projects will succeed. The Wands are also big on communication. I joke about “queer lady processing” quite a bit, but it is a thing, and these three are pretty positive cards. Any hard conversations coming up are sure to go the best way possible with the Two, Three, or Four of Wands. If there are no big talks on the horizon, it may be time when the two comes up to think about what you want that you’re not on track for. When the three shows up, it may be time to actually have the conversation, and if it’s the four it’s time to start enacting the resolutions (or expected resolutions) from those hard conversations. I do most often see these three Wands cards come up for either poly relationships or for activists looking for advice or guidance on their current campaigns or progress, but if you’re familiar with LGBTQ+ identities, the lessons of the Two, Three, and Four of Wands should be easy to translate with this article as a jumping off point.

Be sure to check out the full Queering the Tarot series.