Two of Wands

When developers approached Edith Macefield last year, hoping to buy her out of her home so that they could complete a massive five-story development on her property, they ran up against a brick wall. The 86-year-old woman declined their offer, even after it peaked at $1 million. "I don't want to move. I don't need the money. Money doesn't mean anything," she commented. Her iron will knocked a hole in the developers' plans, forcing them to build around her house instead of over it. Even when construction filled her whole block with noise and rubble, Edith was umoved. "I went through World War II, the noise doesn't bother me," she said. "This is my home. I wouldn't like it anywhere else."

Edith died this past Sunday. A longtime friend was quoted: "She got what she wanted: she wanted to die at home, in the same house, on the same couch, where her mother had died. That's what she was so stubborn about." The sight of her cottage embedded in the side of that five-story building has become a local landmark, becoming a potent symbol for willpower and independence. The fact that Edith herself recoiled from this attention and seemed to be baffled by all the fuss has endeared her memory to people all the more.

The Two of Wands is often referred to as "Dominion," and represents a spirit that burns with confidence and conviction, a platform from which taking risks can really pay off. In the classic Rider-Waite image, we see a well-established person surveying the land and contemplating the globe. It's clear that whether he wishes to go out and conquer (see the Three of Wands) or to fortify his current position, whatever he longs for he can have-- and whatever he chooses he will never waver from, because that choice is a true and natural expression of his identity. The calm that comes over one during times like these is very powerful. Let everyone else wear themselves out scrapping over the details; for you, it's not about struggling and fighting; it's about simply being what (or as in Edith's case, where) you are.