Mythic Tarot - King Wands

rwcarter

Theseus sits on a golden throne whose arms are adorned with ram’s heads. He holds a flaming wand in his left hand. Behind him a ram can be seen. Further in the distance as the white pillars and porticoes of a city that contains an acropolis.

Theseus
  • personification of all the exciting, outgoing, impulsive, bad-tempered and tremendously infectious spirits of fiery energy
  • was jointly fathered by both Poseidon and King Aegeus of Athens
  • at sixteen, when he discovered his origins, he set out on a number of dangerous adventures to claim his place as Aegeus’ heir
  • he destroyed the Minotaur, with the help of King Minos’ daughter Ariadne and returned to Athens in triumph
  • when he became King, he had lots of new and brilliant ideas on how to unite the constantly warring Greek city-states, and through a combination of charm, good salesmanship, physical prowess, a flair for the dramatic and a brilliant mind, he managed to persuade the lords to pull together under a country which he presided over as King
  • his love life was equally checkered and turbulent
  • he chose as his wife Hippolyta, an Amazon warrior woman who chose to fight by his side in all his battles
  • when he became a widow, he roved the seas as a pirate, returning to Athens every so often, but always pursuing the next dream or conquest
  • he married a second time, to Phaedra, who ended up falling in love with Hippolytus, his son by Hippolyta; she ended up committing suicide and Hippolytus died; after these events, Theseus steadily deteriorated until he threw himself off a high rock into the sea
Overview
  • the active, dynamic, and lordly dimension of fire, which symbolizes the creative imagination
  • the fiery enthusiasm that makes one a true leader
  • one who has innate nobility and strength in addition to the impulsiveness, restlessness and fresh ideas of the Knight
  • a strategist and shaper of world events, one who has vision and the steady power to manifest his vision and the warm, infectious personality to convince others that his vision is correct
  • one who hates limitation, is impatient, is always certain that he’s right and is a sore loser
  • one who lives by the “male” pursuits of adventure, conflict and conquest while undervaluing the quieter and more “ordinary” dimensions of emotional and material life, which he finds demeaning, boring and therefore not worth wasted time or effort
  • a larger than life person who is both irresistible and dynamic
  • one who is warm and exciting but also selfish
  • embodiment of the true hero who believes that humanity might be more than it is
Aries
  • desires adventure and action
  • outgoing, impulsive and brimming with grandiose ideas
  • enthusiastic and dramatic, always willing to experiment with something new and adventurous
  • has child-like spirit and is full of energy and life
  • has little to no patience and dislikes being bothered with details
  • easily angered, but rage is short-lived and grudges are quickly forgotten
  • bossy, self-centered and opinionated, yet generous and kind-hearted
Random Thoughts
  • one who has an axe to grind or something to prove, possibly because of his father
  • a daredevil, one who lives life on the edge
  • a visionary and thrill seeker
  • a lover and a fighter

The keyword/phrase I came up with in my workbook on 23 Aug 91 was "desire for adventure and action w/ a need for attention to detail".

Rodney