juliecucciawatts
Temperance
Full Moon Cycle of Pisces
The image for Temperance is the winged Isis, the great mother-magician of Horus. She is the dark goddess at the crossroads. The winged Isis plots and uses magic to transfer the name and power of Ra (the sun) to her son Horus possibly using unscrupulous tactics.
The Legend of
Isis and Ra
"The divine god Ra (the sun) had grown old. He was wrinkled. His mouth, uncontrolled and his spittle fell to earth. Isis, however, was a woman well versed in words of power. She was the first magician preferring the company of gods to men. Isis collected the abundant bodily fluids of Ra, which soaked the earth and taking dust in her hand, she made a magical serpent. She put the serpent on Ra’s daily journey from dawn to sunset, and from sunset to dawn. As he passed on his way, the finally serpent bites him, and after receiving the bite, Ra is in a terrible pain: his arms and legs shake, the numbness follows, and the poison makes him sweat. The gods asked Ra, “What has happened?” Ra replies, “A deadly thing must have bitten me. My heart knows it, but my eyes haven't seen it. My hand has not made this creature. I have never felt such a pain. There is no pain greater than this...It isn't fire, it isn't water, but I'm colder than water and hotter than fire.”
While in the throes of illness, an opportunistic Isis comes along with her power, her breath of life, and magical incantation that can drive away illness. And she asks, “What is it, Holy Father? What is wrong? You say a serpent has inoculated you with its poison? How is it that one of your own creatures has raised its head against you? I will kill it with my magic.” But in return, Isis demands to know His Name. Ra tries to resist telling her; the poison doesn't recede and Ra's heart is about to leave him. At the very doors of death, he gives up. “I do give permission to be examined by Isis, and I will let my secret name pass from my body into hers".
Isis takes more advantage of the situation and persuades Ra to promise to give his two eyes to her son Horus as well, and only after taking away from him his two greatest treasures, his name and his eyes, she recites her spell and saves the Father God of Everything from death. So, Ra loses his name and his two eyes, but he lives and the poison dies. Isis, the Great, Lady of Gods, now knows Ra by his own name.”
Thinking back to the traditional symbols in Temperance, one usually sees a winged figure with one foot on land and one foot on water, pouring liquid or a rainbow of light from one vessel to another, a symbolic image of a mixing or blending two opposite things. This Temperance “angel” is clearly Isis in the midst of the mythos of Ra and Isis. She mixes a concoction of light. She shows herself as magician. The Sun symbol on her brow symbolizes her knowledge of Ra’s secret name. The act of pouring from one vessel to another symbolizes not only the mixing of a magical potion, but also extracting the secret name from Ra and transferring it to her unborn child Horus. In this story Isis uses her knowledge of “dark” magic, which is really her knowledge of the waxing and waning light of the sun, to coax what she wanted from Ra. Isis simply tricked him, in true Piscean Age fashion. If Ra had really known that he was immortal, a god, then he would have not worried that he would die without her medicine. Ra would have stood up to Isis, but he didn’t, giving Isis omnipotence over Ra. In this story the term “dark” magic becomes a little clearer.
Card meaning: The blending of opposites or just blending two things; magic and alchemy are the power of a name; the magic that comes with using the right words to get others to believe and support your ideas. It also speaks of the suppression of appetite as Isis gets what she wants; she restores Ra (the sun) and he regains his power.
Full Moon Cycle of Pisces
The image for Temperance is the winged Isis, the great mother-magician of Horus. She is the dark goddess at the crossroads. The winged Isis plots and uses magic to transfer the name and power of Ra (the sun) to her son Horus possibly using unscrupulous tactics.
The Legend of
Isis and Ra
"The divine god Ra (the sun) had grown old. He was wrinkled. His mouth, uncontrolled and his spittle fell to earth. Isis, however, was a woman well versed in words of power. She was the first magician preferring the company of gods to men. Isis collected the abundant bodily fluids of Ra, which soaked the earth and taking dust in her hand, she made a magical serpent. She put the serpent on Ra’s daily journey from dawn to sunset, and from sunset to dawn. As he passed on his way, the finally serpent bites him, and after receiving the bite, Ra is in a terrible pain: his arms and legs shake, the numbness follows, and the poison makes him sweat. The gods asked Ra, “What has happened?” Ra replies, “A deadly thing must have bitten me. My heart knows it, but my eyes haven't seen it. My hand has not made this creature. I have never felt such a pain. There is no pain greater than this...It isn't fire, it isn't water, but I'm colder than water and hotter than fire.”
While in the throes of illness, an opportunistic Isis comes along with her power, her breath of life, and magical incantation that can drive away illness. And she asks, “What is it, Holy Father? What is wrong? You say a serpent has inoculated you with its poison? How is it that one of your own creatures has raised its head against you? I will kill it with my magic.” But in return, Isis demands to know His Name. Ra tries to resist telling her; the poison doesn't recede and Ra's heart is about to leave him. At the very doors of death, he gives up. “I do give permission to be examined by Isis, and I will let my secret name pass from my body into hers".
Isis takes more advantage of the situation and persuades Ra to promise to give his two eyes to her son Horus as well, and only after taking away from him his two greatest treasures, his name and his eyes, she recites her spell and saves the Father God of Everything from death. So, Ra loses his name and his two eyes, but he lives and the poison dies. Isis, the Great, Lady of Gods, now knows Ra by his own name.”
Thinking back to the traditional symbols in Temperance, one usually sees a winged figure with one foot on land and one foot on water, pouring liquid or a rainbow of light from one vessel to another, a symbolic image of a mixing or blending two opposite things. This Temperance “angel” is clearly Isis in the midst of the mythos of Ra and Isis. She mixes a concoction of light. She shows herself as magician. The Sun symbol on her brow symbolizes her knowledge of Ra’s secret name. The act of pouring from one vessel to another symbolizes not only the mixing of a magical potion, but also extracting the secret name from Ra and transferring it to her unborn child Horus. In this story Isis uses her knowledge of “dark” magic, which is really her knowledge of the waxing and waning light of the sun, to coax what she wanted from Ra. Isis simply tricked him, in true Piscean Age fashion. If Ra had really known that he was immortal, a god, then he would have not worried that he would die without her medicine. Ra would have stood up to Isis, but he didn’t, giving Isis omnipotence over Ra. In this story the term “dark” magic becomes a little clearer.
Card meaning: The blending of opposites or just blending two things; magic and alchemy are the power of a name; the magic that comes with using the right words to get others to believe and support your ideas. It also speaks of the suppression of appetite as Isis gets what she wants; she restores Ra (the sun) and he regains his power.
