Quantum James
Ok, I have been thinking about this mysterious card for a while now, and since today it is officially my IDS card I gave it a closer look.
Clearly the spectre is the the Decan figure as described in Scions pdf. He is translucent and carrying his own head, marked with Khepra on his chest. he has coins falling from his purse which I take to be a pun on the card's key word "change" - I giggled when this struck me!
However, I noticed something else interesting. Our headless ghost man is transparent but the swallow on his shoulder is solid - have a closer look at his shoulder where the swallow is seated; the line that passes through the specter is blocked by a clearly substantial swallow. This got me thinking about the meaning of the swallow, which I googled and *bingo* I found something!
From egyptianmyths.net:
"Swallow (menet)
Meaning: During the Old Kingdom, swallows were associated with stars and therefore the souls of the dead. Chapter 86 of the Book of the Dead specifically instructs the deceased on how to transform into a swallow. In Spell 1216 of the Pyramid Texts, the pharaoh describes how he has "gone to the great island in the midst of the Field of Offerings on which the swallow gods alight; the swallows are the imperishable stars." The imperishable stars were those near the North Star that never seemed to rise or set, and therefore were "constant".
The swallow also appears in paintings of the solar barque as it enters the underworld. The swallow is usually shown on the prow of the boat. In this context, the bird appears to be an announcer of the sun's approach.
In Egyptian love poetry, the swallow declares the dawn of new love."
The swallow, it seems to me is the key to grasping this cards meaning - clearly relating to the "Stars Eternal" as well as the passage of this dead figure. What's more, the notions of imperishability relate to the concepts of eternity inherent in the Ouroboros and the scarab. This card is about transformation, but also about that which is unchanging - reinforced by the Khepra . One form transforming into another, the sun rising and setting pushed by the sacred scarab god...in other words, change.
This insight regarding the swallow entirely changes my understanding of this card. I was worried that Negrini had put a rather dark spin on the card by placing this murderous figure on it. Yet, this swallow transporting this figure to become an imperishable star near the North star is really hopeful.
Possibly the changes in process are opening the way to the highest ideal of the situation.
Looking at the iconography in this way one could make the assumption, as i did initially, that this is the little brother of the major Death. However, upon deeper contemplation it occurs that this isn't about death per se - rather, it is about the BARDO. Those in-between spaces in life, when one situation is busy transforming to the next. When one solid thing becomes another thing - there is a space of flux in between those two states. The decan specter is walking, he is on his way, between his destination and place of origin.
What's more, is, he is the one who cut of his own head. The querent has had agency in this situation - whatever the bardo the querent is passing through it is by his own choice that he was brought there, rather than by outer circumstances.
Clearly the spectre is the the Decan figure as described in Scions pdf. He is translucent and carrying his own head, marked with Khepra on his chest. he has coins falling from his purse which I take to be a pun on the card's key word "change" - I giggled when this struck me!
However, I noticed something else interesting. Our headless ghost man is transparent but the swallow on his shoulder is solid - have a closer look at his shoulder where the swallow is seated; the line that passes through the specter is blocked by a clearly substantial swallow. This got me thinking about the meaning of the swallow, which I googled and *bingo* I found something!
From egyptianmyths.net:
"Swallow (menet)
Meaning: During the Old Kingdom, swallows were associated with stars and therefore the souls of the dead. Chapter 86 of the Book of the Dead specifically instructs the deceased on how to transform into a swallow. In Spell 1216 of the Pyramid Texts, the pharaoh describes how he has "gone to the great island in the midst of the Field of Offerings on which the swallow gods alight; the swallows are the imperishable stars." The imperishable stars were those near the North Star that never seemed to rise or set, and therefore were "constant".
The swallow also appears in paintings of the solar barque as it enters the underworld. The swallow is usually shown on the prow of the boat. In this context, the bird appears to be an announcer of the sun's approach.
In Egyptian love poetry, the swallow declares the dawn of new love."
The swallow, it seems to me is the key to grasping this cards meaning - clearly relating to the "Stars Eternal" as well as the passage of this dead figure. What's more, the notions of imperishability relate to the concepts of eternity inherent in the Ouroboros and the scarab. This card is about transformation, but also about that which is unchanging - reinforced by the Khepra . One form transforming into another, the sun rising and setting pushed by the sacred scarab god...in other words, change.
This insight regarding the swallow entirely changes my understanding of this card. I was worried that Negrini had put a rather dark spin on the card by placing this murderous figure on it. Yet, this swallow transporting this figure to become an imperishable star near the North star is really hopeful.
Possibly the changes in process are opening the way to the highest ideal of the situation.
Looking at the iconography in this way one could make the assumption, as i did initially, that this is the little brother of the major Death. However, upon deeper contemplation it occurs that this isn't about death per se - rather, it is about the BARDO. Those in-between spaces in life, when one situation is busy transforming to the next. When one solid thing becomes another thing - there is a space of flux in between those two states. The decan specter is walking, he is on his way, between his destination and place of origin.
What's more, is, he is the one who cut of his own head. The querent has had agency in this situation - whatever the bardo the querent is passing through it is by his own choice that he was brought there, rather than by outer circumstances.
