Five of Wands

Geburah in Atziluth (Fire)

Okay. Geburah (Five) in Atziluth (Fire=Wands) I can deal with.

Saturn in Leo I can accept, not having had time or opportunity to fully explore the decans.

But I am confused about some things.

Snuffin says that the Wand of the Chief Adept is attributed to Chesed - if this is the case, why is that particular Wand the dominant feature in this image? Is it to show the progression from the Four?

And if the Wand is the symbol of Mercury (the God-entity) why does it signify Jupiter (the planet)?

In the union or clash of opposites in this card, I do see the potential for Strife, and all in all I *get* the image on an intuitive level. The bright flat yellow jarrs the eye straight away, and seems to dominate all the Wands in the centre, which seem overwhelmed by the background and barely able to hold back the flames that threaten to engulf the viewer.

At the same time, I can see the interplay between the different Wands - the Phoenix and Lotus Wands seem antagonistic, but holding back their animosity or competitive spirit in the presence of the Caduceus, which represents the authority, without which, "the card would be thoroughly disastrous". The complexity of the relationships between the Wands makes for a dire kind of tension, that could indeed be called Strife. But it makes me think hard about the nature of Strife, and what elements must be present for Strife to ensue. It made me realise that Strife can be the result of one's own inner conflicts, and also that the card's appearance could signify more complex situations than apparent.

\m/ Kat

thorhammer said:

Snuffin says that the Wand of the Chief Adept is attributed to Chesed - if this is the case, why is that particular Wand the dominant feature in this image? Is it to show the progression from the Four?

And if the Wand is the symbol of Mercury (the God-entity) why does it signify Jupiter (the planet)?

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The Wand of the Chief Adept is his/her symbol of authority (Jupiter). This authority is derived from the Supernal Triad of Kether, Chokmah, and Binah. The Wand, in one sense, is symbolic of the of the transmission of this equlibrated spiritual force (Mercury).

It's appearance in the 5 of Wands is, in my opinion, a santification. It's difficult to reconcile the violent and destructive energies of Geburah with popular notions of "sweet and light new age spirituality". The Chief Adepts Wand is basically saying: This powerful destructive force is Holy. This powerful destructive force is sacred. This powerful destructive force is part of the cosmic order. This powerful destructive force is God.

This is why Crowley says the wand prevents this card from being thoroughly disastrous. The energy symbolised by the 5 of Wands is not mindless or without purpose. The other wands in the card point to that purpose. The Phoenix wands are symbolic of destruction and resurrection from the ashes of destruction. The Lotus wands are connected to the wands depicted in the 3 of Wands and the sephira, Binah. The sphere of the Great Mother. She is symbolic of the forces of nature in all their terrible glory. The forces of evolution and the survival of the fittest. The titanic struggle of the force of life itself. (Leo struggling against Saturn) In one sense it explains why the "seemingly" masculine Geburah is on the feminine side of the Tree of Life.

Bit of trivia....

Crowley seemed to think that there was something special about this card. It's one of the few cards that bears the Sigil of To Mega Therion.

With the advent of the Aeon of Horus, Crowley predicted the return of Goddess force, after thousands of years of suppression, to balance the masculine God / Chesed. (This also equates to those aspects within oursleves.)
Remember the old saying, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Hang onto your seats because the ride might get a bit bumpy.

Hey, 418. Dont we have a thread somewhere analysing these wands? I seem to remember posting a rave about them from the GD rituals? But not sure what words to enter into 'search'?

ravenest said:

Hey, 418. Dont we have a thread somewhere analysing these wands? I seem to remember posting a rave about them from the GD rituals? But not sure what words to enter into 'search'?

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

Sekhemet

The 5 of Wands as The Wrathful Goddess.
Ever desire the one who burns you down?

The way you entered is not the way you leave. Her womb gives us birth, but rebirth comes from The Virgin Goddess. No out through the in door.

The Phi-V Suit poses simple truths about how and why this plane of existence is necessarily flawed. Look to the See-V-ins for the Prime that complements her and you may learn why Mars & Venus were Lovers.

Yes 5 and 7 do seem to pair up quite well

Here's my IDS on 5 of Wands. Thank you everyone in this thread, especially for the wand info!

5 of Wands – Strife

Conflict of Fire = Strife

Two blue lotus wands and two red phoenix wands cross and a big caduceus wand stands at the crossing. This is the very same wand as in the Devil, but in the Devil we can’t see the little wings on the bottom of it. The phoenix wands have wings on the bottom of them, too, but the lotus ones don’t. Banzhaf says they are spikes at the bottom of a shepherd’s crook used to catch snakes. Do you think there’s anything to that? The snakes are at the top already! Then what do the wings at the foot of the wands mean?

Well, we can call it caduceus, but the snakes don’t wind around the pole, they kind of issue from the to wings and curl up to face out.

As mentioned in this thread, why do the phoenix heads have such large ears? Birds don’t usually have visible ears at all.

That you for the invaluable info on the wands (and another rendition of the three qualities: radiation, conduction, and connection). Interesting that the lowest level has wands symbolizing creation (and zodiac) and the next level has wands symbolizing and resurrection (and planets). I guess that IS the next step!

The central wand is not EXACTLY the same as the Devil one. The Devil one as an orange sun disk (globe?), this one has the Star of Babalon with the sign of the beast on the top of it. Babalon is 7 and beast is 666, so does this look forward to the 6 and 7 of Wands? Also, this is the decan of Crowley’s rising sign, so he signing it as “his” own minor card. The sign shows that the discordant fire and water of the pairs of wands CAN be linked and coordinated, and when they are, they are more powerful together than apart. (The one wand is overtop of and stronger than the other 4.) Snakes’ crowns union of opposites, too, as in Devil.

Snuffin points out that the phoenixes are facing the lotuses, seemingly staring them down for a fight! Crowley says it would be disastrous if the caduceus weren’t there. Maybe he means the other wands would fight it out and destroy each other completely without a superior to both there to make them stop fighting.

5 is Mars and Wands is fire, so we may wonder why this card isn’t completely on fire. Well, there is that Saturn. Not only is it there holding back Leo and make it irritable and ready to fight, it also highlights what Crowley highlights—5 is on the feminine pillar of severity, headed by 3=Binah=Mother=Saturn. He rightly cites “nature red in tooth and claw,” and we might add “it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” Where there is life there is death and unpleasantness of all kinds. Being born brings living things the limitations of Saturn as Mother Nature—because I’m human, I can’t fly (on my own, anyway) and if I get cut I will bleed and maybe get an infection, a cat can’t study tarot, and a flower can’t go on walkabout. He mentions the Egyptian goddess Bast, but I know he was thinking of her in her dangerous, death-dealing form as a ravening lion in the desert that we call Sekhmet. (Gratuitous goddess illustrations attached.)

HOWEVER, this is not a card of all doom and gloom. It is not Defeat, nor is it Death. And I tend to read it more as Competition than Strife (giving it a bit of a RWS twist, shhhh). First, they are phoenixes, they burn out but come back to life from the ashes. Second, Saturn in Leo is limitation, not crushing. It gives egotistical, bragging, “I’m all that” Leo a reality check. That’s why I like the sports analogy for this card—I can say over and over I’m the best basketball player in the world until I play someone better. I experience my limitation, and it may spur me to greater heights of skill, or it may make me quit. But the competition itself is the reality check.

Hmm, maybe the authority of the large wand is also the helpful limitation of a coach. “If you don’t like that your opponent is better than you, don’t fight him in the hallway, train to be better than him!” Or, a teacher or coach can say, “if you think you know better than me, prove it!”

Well, that’s about it for me. Enjoy the kitties!

Aeon418 said:

The Wand of the Chief Adept is his/her symbol of authority (Jupiter). This authority is derived from the Supernal Triad of Kether, Chokmah, and Binah. The Wand, in one sense, is symbolic of the of the transmission of this equlibrated spiritual force (Mercury).

It's appearance in the 5 of Wands is, in my opinion, a santification. It's difficult to reconcile the violent and destructive energies of Geburah with popular notions of "sweet and light new age spirituality". The Chief Adepts Wand is basically saying: This powerful destructive force is Holy. This powerful destructive force is sacred. This powerful destructive force is part of the cosmic order. This powerful destructive force is God.

This is why Crowley says the wand prevents this card from being thoroughly disastrous. The energy symbolised by the 5 of Wands is not mindless or without purpose. The other wands in the card point to that purpose. The Phoenix wands are symbolic of destruction and resurrection from the ashes of destruction. The Lotus wands are connected to the wands depicted in the 3 of Wands and the sephira, Binah. The sphere of the Great Mother. She is symbolic of the forces of nature in all their terrible glory. The forces of evolution and the survival of the fittest. The titanic struggle of the force of life itself. (Leo struggling against Saturn) In one sense it explains why the "seemingly" masculine Geburah is on the feminine side of the Tree of Life.

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I absolutely love the way you worded this. I've read elsewhere that this card can come up for "moral" dilemmas; I think it has to do with breaking away from old, rigid values, but for the reason that it is, like you said, part of the cosmic order.

Thoth Five of Wands

Aeon418 said:

With the advent of the Aeon of Horus, Crowley predicted the return of Goddess force, after thousands of years of suppression, to balance the masculine God / Chesed. (This also equates to those aspects within oursleves.)
Remember the old saying, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Hang onto your seats because the ride might get a bit bumpy.

Click to expand...

This is perfectly right, that in our Aeon of Horus Goddess and God are becoming balanced outside globally and inside mindfully.This is akin to native american understanding. Years ago, I visited a village on a mesa in Arizona. I asked a shaman there about their central spiritual teaching. He asked if I were a christian wanting to hear in order to judge. I said ,"No, I am a mixer of different spiritual ways, so finding my way." He said that was outrageously stupid and foolish, then told me that there is the sky God and the earth Goddess. The human stands between them, helping to keep them in balance, as they help to keep the human in balance. He concluded, "That's the cental truth.Trust it." I wonder where Crowley goes into this matter of Goddess/God balance and balancing.

Frank Hall said:

I wonder where Crowley goes into this matter of Goddess/God balance and balancing.

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It crops up all over the place because it's a fundamental principle of the Great Work which is the uniting of the Microcosm with the Macrocosom. If the Microcosmic self is deficient in some areas then union will either not occur or it will happen in a grossly unbalanced way.

The following quote is from Magick in Theory and Practice, chapter one.

Aleister Crowley said:

There is a single main definition of the object of all magical Ritual. It is the uniting of the Microcosm with the Macrocosm. The Supreme and Complete Ritual is therefore the Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel; or, in the language of Mysticism, Union with God.

The difference between these operations is more of theoretical than of practical importance.

All other magical Rituals are particular cases of this general principle, and the only excuse for doing them is that it sometimes occurs that one particular portion of the microcosm is so weak that its imperfection of impurity would vitiate the Macrocosm of which it is the image, Eidolon, or Reflexion. For example, God is above sex; and therefore neither man nor woman as such can be said fully to understand, much less to represent, God. It is therefore incumbent on the male magician to cultivate those female virtues in which he is deficient, and this task he must of course accomplish without in any way impairing his virility. It will then be lawful for a magician to invoke Isis, and identify himself with her; if he fail to do this, his apprehension of the Universe when he attains Samadhi will lack the conception of maternity. The result will be a metaphysical and — by corollary — ethical limitation in the Religion which he founds. Judaism and Islam are striking examples of this failure.

To take another example, the ascetic life which devotion to magick so often involves argues a poverty of nature, a narrowness, a lack of generosity. Nature is infinitely prodigal — not one in a million seeds ever comes to fruition. Whoso fails to recognise this, let him invoke Jupiter.

The danger of ceremonial magick — the sublest and deepest danger — is this: that the magician will naturally tend to invoke that partial being which most strongly appeals to him, so that his natural excess in that direction will be still further exaggerated. Let him, before beginning his Work, endeavour to map out his own being, and arrange his invocations in such a way as to redress the balance.

To consider in a more particular manner this question of the Nature of Ritual, we may suppose that he finds himself lacking in that perception of the value of Life and Death, alike of individuals and of races, which is characteristic of Nature. He has perhaps a tendency to perceive the "first noble truth" uttered by Buddha, that Everything is sorrow. Nature, it seems, is a tragedy. He has perhaps even experienced the great trance called Sorrow. He should then consider whether there is not some Deity who expresses this Cycle, and yet whose nature is joy. He will find what he requires in Dionysus.

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Great quotation-- for the Great work. Expresses much in little.