What doorway(s) can we discover in the 5 of Wands? The image seen here in the Ma’at Tarot is different from a traditional Tarot deck where we might see 5 combatants who appear to be in training. The same can be seen here, but where the mind is being trained for strategy instead of the body for physical combat.
If this master has taught his student well, the student will have developed his skill set and out-maneuver the teacher. The master has set the challenge and now it is time for the student to overcome.
The author, Julie Cuccia-Watts, describes this scene as a mock battle of all polarities. Through the window you see a last Spring storm where the snow is covering new formed buds. The battle between winter and spring, light and darkness, ignorance and enlightenment, etc.
The Doorway I see here is one of the rite of passage. The students’ skill surpassing that of his teacher and he then becoming the master. Although this may mean the teacher has also reached his right of passage in that he has nothing new to teach his student and it is time for him to move on.
Both teacher and student have earned their rite of passage to step through their doorway and enter into the next phase of their journeys.
To me rites of passage through life, that’s a wonderful, beautiful thing. ~Lance Henriksen