The Brokeback Tarot Deck-Include Name of Card in Subject Line

[Front-Ranger]

Not sure about that - the suggestions of the postcard or the shirts might be closer to the card's essential meaning. Or maybe the shirts and the postcard on the same card?

Okay...what was on the face of that postcard anyway? As I recall, it was Ennis's own postcard being returned to him only with the addition of the word "Deceased" stamped across the text.

[Front-Ranger]

Here's what Tarot Basics says about Wands:

Wands represent fire. Their key element is willpower...flames are constantly in motion when wood burns, and when you are in motion, you show the "fire" within you. Wands symbolize germination and growth because they are fuel, potential energy, and nourishment for the fire. Other associations include wood, the phallic symbol, children, roots or ancestors, vitality, fireworks, hellfire, male inheritance, the sun, and "knock on wood."

The Queen of Wands is the heart of the fire, representing your basic instincts. "The strength of your self-esteem and a lively sexuality guarantee your success and well-being." Walk your own path. Approach your tasks as steps and take every one of them with assurance.

The King of Wands is a "test by fire." It is drawn in a crucial moment when you should take action.

The Knight urges you to "show your colors." The horse stands for vitality and drive. It tells you to come out of your shell and express yourself. Keep moving and act. Meanings will become clear later. Trust your intuitions and follow them. Make sure that your goals are worthy of the energy you bring to them.

The Page/Princess of Wands represents a thirst for action and yearning for progress. Don't miss your chance. Rediscover life, greeting every new experience with enthusiasm.

The Ace means vitality. It tells us to renew our life energies by using them. Past experiences may teach us "once burned, twice shy" but we must heal those energies by mastering the fire. The will to live and the joy to grow are the two opposite poles of the fire wand. Embrace them.

II means trust in your own power. Divide large tasks into smaller more manageable ones. Don't follow another's rules, act with all your might when you have a clear picture.

III is enthusiasm. Your fire and ingenuity are most effective when making a virtue out of necessity. Focus your attention and you will find better solutions.

IV is the eye of the tiger, where power, spirituality, vitality, and light face the four directions in a circle of fire. You can find your source of power by recognizing the two genders within you. Learn to live with the contradictions of life. Find the courage to overcome contradictions and limitations so you can see the creative possibilities in them.

[Front-Ranger]

More about the Wands suit:

V-Living Will. Only when many "fires" are burning can your personal will remain alive and renewed. When forces come together, your energies are vitalized and clarified. At the same time, let go of fierce determination and indecisiveness, maintaining your sense of playfulness. Test which part of your will pushes authentic desires and is able to put things in motion. What willful tactics are frivolous and used simply because you want to force something that has no merit?

This is illustrated in Brokeback Mountain when Ennis shoots an elk to satisfy Jack's desires. He finds a solution that involves less risk than flaunting authority by shooting a sheep. He is focused and brings the elk down with one shot, yet retains playfullness and tussles with Jack before beginning the task of field-dressing the elk. The wand in this case is the gun that makes it possible for Ennis to reach his goal through focused action.

[Front-Ranger]

VI of Wands: Total Involvement. This card advises us to use both our strengths and our weaknesses to achieve our goals. Be fully engaged in whatever you do, then no matter what the outcome, you will win. Otherwise, you will only experience half a victory at best if you have to sacrifice part of your self. Those who ignore their weaknesses lose support, steadfastness, and self-respect. Don't let others discourage you. Trust your truth and stand by it. Then, nothing can stop you!

In the Fourth of July scene, Ennis, estranged from Jack, is angered by bikers with slopbucket mouths and he kicks one of them in a fit of fury. He could have used his anger to tell the truth to the world and stand up for what he knew was right: tolerance and respect for all people. Only later, much later, did he learn the lesson that the feelings of loved ones are more important than the dictates of a rigid and backwards society.

[Front-Ranger]

VII of Wands: Hard Work. Sharpen your energies. Get to know what you want to achieve. Get in touch with it. Take it in your hands. You must understand what you want to change. Any attempt at manipulation becomes superfluous or even a hindrance.

When you actively work with your will, you will gain advantage. Be open to growth and change. The way things are evolving gives you new power to stand up for those things that are closest to your heart. Make a new beginning.

VIII of Wands: Greater responsibilities. Your increasing energy makes more things possible than you ever imagined. Projects can fail if you lack the resolve to say good-bye to the old. Old habits can be like a wall. If you know what you really want, you are free from obstructions and limitations.

Your journey is now taking place on a new level where you will experience what you previously thought was not possible, widening your horizons and achieving new insights. Be open to new experiences and learn to assimilate them as you maintain your focus on your goal. You possess and need a greater measure of responsibility.

Ennis encountered the wall when he let Jack out of his sights and let him go away sad because of a misunderstanding. Later, he was not open to new experiences after his divorce from Alma, turning Jack away. He started to be more open later on, and reached out to Jack about spending more time together. But it was too late.

[Front-Ranger]

I would like to discuss the entire minor arcana in just a few posts. There are four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords, ande Pentacles or Disks. If we can decide the basic themes of the suits, the details of the individual cards can be decided later, don't you think?

Okay, I lied. What do you all think about the addition of relevant BBM scenes to a discussion of each card?? Very soon, we'll be able to start doing tarot readings and you can post the results if you like, and we can all discuss them. I will start a new thread for this. I did my very first Tarot reading of my life on December 31, 2007, and wrote it down, and I'm looking forward to analyzing it as soon as we have enuf intelligence here. I was very happy with the results as they seem to say I am pointed in the right direction, no matter how fast or slow I might be going!!

IX of Wands: Undivided Attention. When the sun and moon are together, our conscious and unconscious desires are in alignment. But when the sun and moon are opposed, we can become agitated at night when the full moon reveals our unconscious desires. The one-sided focus on the conscious to the detriment of the subconscious can cause us injury. The wands are behind your back, many things are moving and developing, and the more wands are hidden, the more agitation can come about at the full moon.

X of Wands: Totally focused. Only after you have given a person or a subject your undivided attention will you understand the logic. You must bend, venture forward, immerse yourself. Always look forward. If you find that you are trying to get your way by force and self-denial, give up those futile efforts, let go, and unload the burden.

[Front-Ranger]

Cups:
Cups represent the element of water, and the concept of the soul. You can not grasp water, but a cup makes it possible. As water symbolizes our feelings, cups give form to the unfathomable power of our souls. The most important thing is to make sure our souls, our feelings, are “
, and the moon. Three-fourths of the earth and two-thirds of the human body are composed of water.

In Brokeback Mountain, many of these symbols are important, and an addition is the bucket. Of course, cups is the strong suit of Jack, as wands was the strong suit of Ennis.

There is a baptism scene in Brokeback Mountain. 'Member?? 

[Front-Ranger]

According to Tarot Basics, only when we allow our feelings to flow, can we define the boundaries of our abilities. When that happens, the cup is covered and we are able to have relationships where being connected and alone, sharing a home and living by ourselves, and having compassion as well as self-awareness can coexist side by side.

The Queen of Cups depicts the soul as both open and self-contained. This is also illustrated occasionally in Brokeback Mountain. There are times when everything is in order, for instance, late in the movie, when Jack and Ennis are riding together, their horses wading a stream, and everything is in perfect balance.

[Front-Ranger]

As long as you look for security from without, you will feel adrift. But when you are sure of your inner desires, you will find strength and inspiration. As soon as you are clear about your inner feelings, you will have a base on which to safely build. Strangely enuff, it is your desire that gives you a sense of security, even though your might be in a vast ocean without even a view of the shore. This desire is different from ordinary feelings because of the heightened sense of obligation and awe, intense longing and passion. Have the courage to find your true desire and express it.

Cellardwellar had some great thoughts along these lines. He wrote:

I'm getting the impression that you are looking for that missing piece.  The one who will complete the puzzle that is your life.

That is a recipe for failure.

You must learn to complete yourself first.  No one will show up with missing pieces to finish the puzzle that is your life.  No one will EVER know you better than you, so you need to finish for yourself what must be done, and once that happens, find someone that compliments you.  Learned this lesson first hand. 

This is excellent advice and reinforces what the King/Prince of Cups says to us!



Ennis and Jack expressed their true feelings and desire when they reunited over the laundromat in Riverton. For once, they were sure about their feelings. They'd had four long years to think about it.

[Front-Ranger]

This card is called "Wings for the Soul." Belief goes beyond knowledge. Test your beliefs and then you can trust them. Have the courage to acknowledge your feelings and act on them.

Jack thought Ennis was finally ready to accept his feelings so he asked him, "Is there anything interesting up there in heaven?" And Ennis replied, promisingly, "I'm just sending up a prayer of thanks." Jack went further. "For what?" Ennis didn't take the bait. "For you not bringin that harmonica" he said to general laughter.