Western Tarot symbolism
Three of Wands
The main description places a calm observer with his back turned, leaning slightly on one stave. It reads the ships as his merchandise and associates the scene with established enterprise and commerce. The same passage introduces cooperation with another business, and the supplementary list again links collaboration with enterprise. Here the two lists reinforce one another more closely than in many neighbouring cards.
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In the sources
The card account
LiteraryThe main description places a calm observer with his back turned, leaning slightly on one stave. It reads the ships as his merchandise and associates the scene with established enterprise and commerce.
Comparing the lists
LiteraryThe same passage introduces cooperation with another business, and the supplementary list again links collaboration with enterprise. Here the two lists reinforce one another more closely than in many neighbouring cards.
Context & interpretation
The active library scan carries L. W. de Laurence’s name and reproduces material associated with A. E. Waite’s Tarot exposition. This entry follows that supplied edition’s card prose and supplementary lists. Historical divinatory assignments and period character labels are distinguished from the pictured symbolism and from independently supported judgements about people or future events.
Original passages
Source 1
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination
ships passing over the sea. 'JMTee staves are planted in the ground, and he leans slightly on one of them. Divinatory Meanings: He symbolizes established strength,Open this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Illustrated Key to the Tarot, supplied de Laurence edition; card description, active reader leaf 103
Exact supplied-edition extracted passage actually read; whitespace-normalised quotation anchor and original-leaf mapping checked. Image descriptions attributed to printed prose; no new full-plate visual inspection asserted.
- Edition
- IMJ-0149-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0149-E001-P0103
- Original scan leaf
- 109
- Recorded leaf number
- 109
- Current Reader position
- 103
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Source 2
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination
collaboration will favor enterprise. Tivo.—A young lady may expect trivial disappointments. Ace.—Calamities of all kinds. Reversed: A sign of birth^ Cups. King.—Beware of ill-will on theOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Illustrated Key to the Tarot, supplied de Laurence edition; additional meanings, active reader leaf 150
Exact supplied-edition extracted passage actually read; whitespace-normalised quotation anchor and original-leaf mapping checked. Image descriptions attributed to printed prose; no new full-plate visual inspection asserted.
- Edition
- IMJ-0149-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0149-E001-P0150
- Original scan leaf
- 156
- Recorded leaf number
- 156
- Current Reader position
- 150
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Illustrations
Continue exploring
Ace of Wands
A hand from a cloud presents the suit's single stout wand.
Shared source pageEight of Wands
Flying wands carry the numbered suit into an image of swift motion.
Shared source pageFive of Wands
Five youths brandish staves in a scene described as mock combat.
Shared source pageFour of Wands
A garland joins four foreground staves beside a bridge and a house.