Three of Staves

Fire in Binah ~ Expression of Will ~ Daring

Metaphysics. Desire leads to action; impulse ignites in consequence. The three of staves is the first irreversible expression of the will. Now, for the first time, there is no returning to the purity of simple being. The world has changed, although the full consequences of that change are not yet in view. The seed is planted in the womb, the die is cast. Some possibilities are now forever inaccessible to being, while others have become inevitable.

Psychology. There is a great chasm between the wish and the first active step. The first step is risky, frightening, irreversible, and challenging. It requires daring. Making one's will known, putting urge into action, is a profoundly ambiguous move. On the one hand, it represents the human will actually asserting itself to take control of events. On the other hand, it launches a sequence of consequences that lie ultimately beyond one's control.

The card implies a daring act of self-expression: breaking the ice in a relationship, striking out on one's own path, showing one's true colors, or launching a new endeavor. We may not know what to expect, but we mysteriously determine to "take the plunge" anyway. In the context of this card, this is an act that is spontaneous; it is considered to be prior to any thoughts or feelings that we might bring to bear on the decision. It is what is called "acting on impulse".

The card asks us, not only to dare to express ourselves, but to be prepared for unforeseen consequences and to recognize that there is no going back once we put our urges into action. For introverts, this is a frightening and challenging card. It brings into stark focus the fact that no matter how much we may desire to live in our minds, deliberating and analyzing, nothing happens until we act on the decision, and action always carries the possibility of disappointment, error, or failure.

Events. Unlike the aces and twos, the threes stand for visible, external events, although they may be subtle. Have you taken a step that may change the future? Has someone else? Perhaps it is only a casual gesture, an offhand remark, an unprecedented conversation, or an impulsive purchase. Somewhere there is a falling pebble that may start an avalanche. Somewhere someone has stepped out of their predictable role and put fire to something new.

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Created September 23, 1998