The Element of Fire
Suit: Wands, Staves, Rods, Batons (sometimes Swords - see below).
Willpower, the ego, growth and development, energy and brightness come under the dominion of Fire. Fire deals with matters of ambition, satisfaction, harmony and balance - the recognition of True Will.
Fire gives out two of the basic ingredients of life - heat and light. Without our Sun, we would not be alive. Perhaps this is why the Sun was worshipped as a God by the ancients. Natural fire sustains our material needs - for warmth, cooking food and protection. The Element of Fire sustains our spiritual needs, for Fire governs Will.
We try very hard to master this remarkably powerful tool called the human Will, but what is it? We each have Will and every act we take and every move we make is a direct result of Will. We are completely responsible for our lives, because we choose the basic features of our lives on a day-to-day basis. If we don't like the state of things, it is up to us to choose differently.
The human Will is at its most effective when we have clearly determined exactly what we want from life, assessed the potentials for achieving that and decided to go for it. Clarifying the issues can kickstart the Will into operating on our behalf. Maybe you can see how people who say "I have no willpower" are really saying "I don't want to do this, so I have not operated my Will". Of course we can do things we don't really want to, but this is a trial of self-discipline, not True Will. Think about the words "ought" and "should" from this perspective - what do they mean to you now?
There is Will and there is True Will. The drive to recognise our function in life and to fulfill it is the goal of our True Will. This is why we can sometimes experience massive change in our lives (such as that indicated by the Tower) because we are failing to listen to our True Will. When we are in alignment with our True Will life becomes considerably easier - life flows more easily, ambitions are fulfilled and dreams are realised.
Some authorities disagree that Wands are assigned to Fire, preferring Air, the other active Element. There is actually not much difference between the two types of attribution because the qualities of each of the active suits directly stem from and complement each other.
So this is Wands - they fill us with energy and brightness, helping us to consolidate as well as to take the actions necessary to successfully complete projects, achieve realisations and make our dreams come true.
