"A Bold Idea Actively Crystallizing Into Matter..."

Built for the 1962 World's Fair, Seattle's "Space Needle" went through many conceptual phases on its way to becoming one of the world's most recognizable modern structures. These early design sketches show a bold idea actively crystallizing into matter. Many compromises were made in order to finish the building in time for the Fair (sorry, no "tethered balloon" at the top!) but the overall success of a project isn't always determined by how faithful it is to the original concept -- success tends to be self evident, and the fact that the hastily-erected Needle is still an attraction and point of civic pride decades later is a marvel in itself. Also, it has a gas-flame beacon at the top, though they don't often use it.

I often describe this card to people as a claim they're staking on a particular area, whether personal, professional, or material. And since people (especially passionate, industrious people) are rarely content to sit and enjoy the settlement they've already claimed, we can see the seeds of expansion already beginning to sprout. In the Waite-Smith deck we see a lord surveying his territory and gazing into a globe. Is he dreaming of making the entire world his domain, or is this meant to show that his domain is basically the entire world to him, in microcosm? Your answer to this question makes a big difference in how you'll interpret the Three of Wands, in which we set out into the unknown in search of unclaimed opportunities.

I read on Wikipedia that the land the Space Needle stands on was acquired at the very last minute for a mere $75,000. Sometimes success and establishment come at a lower cost than you'd ever have expected -- maybe it's the intervention of that Ace card giving you a leg up. Regardless of how it arrives, your follow-through plays a crucial role in what will happen next. There will be a time to rest and celebrate, but this is not it; whether you decide to expand and stake new claims or devote your energy to improving the infrastructure of your existing investments, your attention and energy will bear fruit. [Via]

Previously On Arcanalogue: The Two Of Wands