Six of Wands - Victory

I think that focusing upon all four sixes would be a good idea so here is the next card for study--that is if CherryBerry, Andrew, and anyone else are up for it.

Victory, Six of Wands

The background to this card is purple at the bottom fading to light purple/white at the top. In the forground there are six wands all of which show egyptian designs; the lower is a lotus, the middle a was specture, followed by a winged sun and two cobras--I'll look into these later. The meeting points of each of the wands houses a flame.

Astrology: Jupiter in Leo

To me the card picture is one of power, strength, and authority. The keyword suggests power again, and strength, and overcoming problems.

good on you Kenny for getting the next one started! I gotta ponder a bit over this card and post on Monday

Hi Kenny,
I'm going to take a look at it tonight and go to it tomorrow. I left the deck in the other room!

Okay I'm going to comment on the three styles of wands, or at least their heads.

All of them are Egyptian in basis.

Lotus
Symbolic of rebirth. One of the creation myths states that the sun rose out of a lotus floating on the waters of Nun[1].

The blue lotus--mostly shown, and most likely depticed on the card--is the emblem of the god Nefertem[2].

Was Sceptre
Other than the lack of two prongs on the base of the sceptre the was sceptre looks like it is shown on the card. The sceptre maybe was based off a totem, or fetish, animal that might have been associated with prosperity and well-being. Until the Middle Kingdom the sceptre was sometimes represent in wood alongside the body, later rows of sceptres were created as decrotive freezes on the coffin or in the tomb. In funerary contexts the sceptre was to ensure the continued welfare of the decesed.

Winged Solar Disk
This represents Re the sun god--Re was the Egyptian for sun. Arguably he is Egypt's most important god, though he might not be as old as Horus he was ancient. In this form I feel--though cannot prove it solidly but would like to--the wings show him as the god in the heavens, the Uraeus--those two snakes underneath--as a sign of protection, and the sun disk as the 'eye' of Re which could be harsh and vengeful.

There is a story of Sekhmet (also Hathor) when she is the 'eye' of Re: Re was growing old and his human subjects plotted against him so he sent Sekhment to punish them--this led to the near destruction of humanity.

[1] Nun: The primeval waters which existed from the time of creation. He was also said to be there after everything else had disappeared so also refered to as the abyss. Sometimes even bodies of water were called by his name or were called his.

[2] Nefertem: Oft thought of as god of perfumes but this is an secondary association, primarily he was the youthful god of the lotus blossom which rose from the primeval waters. Not only is he IDed with the blue lotus but also Re--the sun god and one of the most common egyptian gods. Nefertem was also associated with Horus the son of Re and sometimes they were merged.

I find that in the sixes we always get to breathe a little sigh of relief that the fear and struggle in the fives has temporarily ceased. And with this card it kind of says "yes!" As in "I did it" or "We've won!". You have accomplished what you set out to do initially. The task may not be finished, but things look positive, you feel good.

Ok, I just go with my initial impressions

The 6 wands are crossed, and there is alwasy one equivalent of each one. So, I am feeling it could mean meeting of the likeminded who really created something as they combined their focus and power. Its still 'in process' the flames are still burning. It could also stand for healthy competition, which results in a positive outcome for all concerned.

Just to have it all complete - found this other Link on the 6 Wands

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=76274

To me, crossing things on cards usually means a conflict. With the flames between them being steady, this is more like the eye of a hurricane card. A quiet moment amid the chaos. The heads of the staffs, I think, are the articles of a particular Egyptian god, and might signify the creation of what that god represents. My Egyptology is rather rusty at the moment, and I'm without any reference materials here at work.

It's almost like a moment of clarity after a large struggle, or even of thinking straight during all the confusion.

Crowley clearly states in the Book of Thoth that the wands are Golden Dawn based regalia and hence very different from any Ancient Egyptian concept of the wands that the G.D. ones appear to have been modelled on. There is no Uas wand in GD.

[The Egyptian version based on Set, represents the original power of the Southern regions as Set was the totemic animal / god that ruled that area and was in contention with the Falcon of the Delta ... the latter Set / Horus myth follows a similar plot line to most mythologies where the 'Golden Boy' is victorious and the old God is now nasty or 'the devil'. Set seems to have been modelled on a type of desert animal now extinct, or a type of ant eater. (Which would make sence seeing the ant's or termite's nest as a representation of Egyptian society and achievements with the organised division of labour and the buliding that resulted). Set represents the desert and the unprdictible, wild and destructive forces that come from the desert areas into Egypt like, hailstorms, winds, locusts and foreigners. In many cases the energy of Set was acknowledged as a nessassary balance with more than one Ancient king adopting the name (Seti or Sethos).

I've been looking at this card for the last few days and here are a few more comments on the card--I still have not looked at my Thoth Tarot books.

The fire could be related to many different ideas: firstly is the idea of life and health from the heat produced by the body; fire is also a symbol of transformation and regeneration; purification and destruction of evil; an image of animal passion and spiritual strength. From Cirlot's Dictionary of Symbols.

Jupiter in Leo
There is a tendancy to become extoverted, become their own biggest fan, and to show off; however enthusiasm, generosity, optimism, live every moment to the fullest are the flip side. They are dramatic, self-confident, and makes large impression.

Reading the Jupiter in Leo the picture on the RWS Six of Wands makes more sense.

War always destroys and victory is seldom easy or painless. This card is about the victory, the passion of the good fight, the strength of God on your side, the rebirth of those destroyed and of those who survived. Things change and heal themselves in the fullness of time.

The victors usually, because of their passion of winning the good fight, show off how great they are, their optimism of their ability to win and their self-confidence, seem dramatic even to the point of them showing off their powers. This could make them insuffable but ususally put up with as they trimphed over the bad.

Most of the time victory brings around a period of prosperity and well-being and again of growth, rebirth, and regeneration. Though sometimes in their confidence and power leaves them to oppress those who have lost, even being vengeful for the loss of life suffered by their side.