The Card: Ace of Sticks

The Name: Maypole

The Image: Young men and women in animal masks dance around the maypole, winding the ribbons and coming closer and closer to the center.

The Interpretation: Passion begins early, and is expressed in play. Don't mistake seriousness for drive and will. As a person: Someone who is playful; someone who dances. As a time: May; planting time; the beginning of a cycle; an event where young people meet each other. Reversed: The time for frivolity is past. It was great—now get to work.

The Card: Two of Sticks

The Name: Confrontation

The Image: Two men, stripped to the waist and showing a fiery aura, face each other, staves in hand, ready for combat.

The Interpretation: There is a conflict of wills. It is not necessarily a problem to allow the two parties to "fight it out," but care should be taken to ensure it does not escalate into a war. As a person: A confrontational person who takes every disagreement as a personal attack. As a time: A battle; A confrontation. Reversed: There appears to be conflict, but upon reflection it can be seen that both parties are agreeing.

The Card: Three of Sticks

The Name: Stave Dance

The Image: Three people, a man, a woman, and an indeterminate person wearing a Raven mask, circle, their staves touching in the middle. Each is looking over his right shoulder.

The Interpretation: Let every union, romantic or otherwise, contain elements of the divine. As a person: Someone who enters a relationship with the understanding that her spiritual life is not allowed to suffer for it. As a time: A time when two or more people are still circling, performing the unconscious mating ritual, before deciding whether this relationship is safe to pursue. Reversed: You are not focusing on the person at hand. Let everything else go for the moment and just focus.

The Card: Four of Sticks

The Name: Caged Tiger

The Image: A flame-colored tiger paces restlessly in a caged whose four corners are four green and sprouting staves.

The Interpretation: The fire of your will is caged and contained. This is safe, but perhaps freedom is what you really long for. As a person: Someone with a will, or a rage, or a passion that he is constrained to leave unexpressed; someone with repressed anger; a redhead. As a time: A time when you are unable to express the fullness of your will or passion. Reversed: Perhaps it's time you reigned in your tiger—it's in risk of getting out of control.

The Card: Five of Sticks

The Name: Circle of Fire

The Image: Five men circle, their staves touching to form a pentacle. Around their forms glows the fiery nimbus of power. Inside the pentacle something grows.

The Interpretation: The channeling of energies in conjunction with others can create a synergistic union beyond imagination. Conflicting wills will sap any group work of vital energies. As a person: One who coordinates or makes peace between strong-willed individuals, at least temporarily. As a time: A time to work together with folks who might not, on the surface, want to be together. Reversed: A conflict of wills breaks apart a worthy endeavor.

The Card: Six of Sticks

The Name: The Barrier

The Image: Two competitors build a fence between their spaces.

The Interpretation: "Fences make good neighbors." If you work together to establish your boundaries, it will make your relationship easier. As a person: One who sets boundaries; One who fences herself off. As a time: A time when strained tensions can be repaired by agreeing upon boundaries. Reversed: Stop throwing things in the way between yourself and others; Observe the boundaries of the people around you.

The Card: Seven of Sticks

The Name: Feeding the Fire

The Image: A man feeds the fire in a forge (or kiln) from a pile of seven sticks.

The Interpretation: Sometimes, in order for something to be useful, it has to be used up. Feeding your will into the fires of the forge is the only way for the flames to get hot enough to be used in creation. As a person: Someone who gives his all in any endeavor; a blacksmith or potter. As a time: A time of sacrifice, when something needs to be given up to make something greater. Reversed: You're hanging on too tight—the thing you won't let go of needs to be used to achieve its purpose.

The Card: Eight of Sticks

The Name: Tug-of-War

The Image: Two opponents play at tug-of-war with a staff tied with a ribbon at its center. Another staff lies across the ground to mark the center line, and the remaining six staves are planted in the ground behind the combatants.

The Interpretation: A little friendly competition should not be mistaken for conflict. As a person: Someone who is very competitive; Someone who enjoys combative games. As a time: A time of competition and gaming. Reversed: Take this contest seriously, there's more riding on it than immediately apparent.

The Card: Nine of Sticks

The Name: Firewalk

The Image: A line of youths walk across fiery coals as part of their initiation. Nine staves are stuck into the ground to mark the edge of the path.

The Interpretation: It's time for another transition, and you are about to be tested before you can pass into the next cycle. Remember: don't panic, but walk calmly and steadily where you know you ought to go, and you won't be burned. As a person: Someone going through a difficult transition. As a time: Any time of trial; Any initiation. Reversed: You are headed in a direction that could get you burned—though that may be what you need.

The Card: Ten of Sticks

The Name: The Ladder

The Image: A youth reaches the top of a ladder made of nine sticks lashed together. A tenth is slung over his shoulder.

The Interpretation: You have reached the top through an exercise of will. The next step will take you into the void, but fear not—it is merely the way into the next cycle. As a person: Someone who has just finished a great task; an adventurer. As a time: The end of a major labor, but before rest is advisable. Reversed: You've gone just about as low as you can go, and it's taken you a lot of work to get there—don't you think it's about time you started climbing up?

The Card: Heir of Sticks

The Name: Scraping Antlers

The Image: A young buck scrapes his antlers against a tree.

The Interpretation: It's time to take your rightful place as an adult, and to show off your new power. Challenge the power structure, shake things up. As a person: A young man newly coming to terms with his masculinity; A young adult ready to take on the world. As a time: Young adulthood; Springtime. Reversed: You're charging around making a racket, but you're not getting anything accomplished but attracting hunters. Keep your head low and watch the lay of the land until you know what you're doing.

The Card: Champion of Sticks

The Name: Sundance Warrior

The Image: A warrior, bearing the fresh marks of a recent Sundance, blocks the path with a tightly-gripped ocotillo staff. Blood from his hands runs down his arm.

The Interpretation: There is a challenge in your path, but if you overcome it, you'll be stronger than you ever would have been without having faced it. Take care to learn from this encounter. As a person: Someone of strong will who will teach you—or bar your path. As a time: A time of challenge from which you must learn. Reversed: The barrier to your chosen path could have this meaning: turn around and go another way. Stop beating your head against the wall.

The Card: Consort of Sticks

The Name: Burning Woman 

The Image: A woman, hair cut short, stands bound to the stake. As the flames leap to consume her, she cocks her head as if listening to some inner voice. She smiles.

The Interpretation: In order to follow your inner direction, you may have to break with convention. Be ready for some stiff opposition, and possible sacrifice. As a person: A strong-willed woman; a leader of a revolutionary group; someone directed from above. As a time: A time of sacrifice; a time to do what you know is right, regardless. Reversed: Don't ignore the voices in your head, but look at what will happen if you follow them without discretion.

The Card: Monarch of Sticks

The Name: Cernunnos

The Image: The horned Master of the Hunt sits in a glade surrounded by the animals. About his neck is a golden torc, and in his hands is a priapic wand.

The Interpretation: Strength of will and power do not lead to war, but to peace—if tempered with wisdom. Embrace all of nature and it will not war with you. As a person: Someone who is at home in the wilds; someone to whom people defer because of his wisdom. As a time: A time of assembly for judgment. Reversed: Stop looking to authorities outside yourself; Stop setting yourself up as an authority.