Tarot : Getting the 2 and 3 of Wands Confused

Today I was sat on the canal bank reading a book about the tarot. The author said that she insists on her students rote learning the book meanings of the cards, so I immediately flipped to the appendix to look at these two cards and found she'd given the same meaning for both!
I have therefore had a fresh think about it and resorted to the genuinely old French method of seeing the minors as the manifestation of their majors, which has made all clear. The 2 is from the High Priestess so relates to things hidden and the 3 relates to the Empress so is things expected. In other words the bloke in the 2 could but doesn't know it, and the bloke in the 3 will shortly be able to!
I do like, perhaps in a reaction to Pixie making the cards too alike, Barbara Walker has gone her own way with these cards.