Liber T: Tarot of the Stars Eternal - Two of Wands

Scion

Just to get the ball rolling:

Two of Wands:
(Chokmah in Atziluth) DOMINION / Mars in Aries

A nice fiery start to the wheel of the Decans. Mars is powerful in Aries and expressive of Will (Thelema) in its purest, "most exalted" form.

The Dorjes are both an instrument of power, and the daemonic ornamentation reminds us that this is the point of rupture between the eternal, supernal world, and its first manifestation in creation. And the shape mimics the Goetic seal of Bael, first of the 72 Demons in the Lemegeton

The big scary, pissed off, red-eyed dude holding the crossed Wands from Frieda's original is a direct reference to every description of this Decan: red eyes, massive, muscular, dark-skinned man, white loincloth with rope belt. Still, his cloven hooves are not from the Decan images, but I think this is a tip of the hat to the Beast and possibly to Aiwass(?). Or possibly as literal as goathooves on an Aries spirit.

The Egyptian god Crowley assigns to this card is Aroueris, or the "elder Horus", deity of the ideal Universe; of who it is said "he was begotten by Osiris and Isis when these were still in the bosom of their mother" i.e. Space. Again, this is the point when Divine force enters the Creation. So this Horus is ideal for Chokmah in Atziluth because he is conceived before his parents are maniefest and divided into individual deities, and also Horus (as in Crowley's new Aeon)

DuQuette reminds us that the six rays of light are a reference to the Sun (Tiphareth) which is exalted in Aries. Again, images of unstoppable power.

I'm reminded of Crowley's "Do what thou Wilt Shall be the Whole of the Law." In fact, this doesn't mean everyone can do what they want, but rather that when you are aware of your true Will, it is literally impossible that it will not make itself manifest, because if it is your true Will, the entire Universe will conspire and shuffle itself to align the necessary components to make it so. It is not the spoon that bends, it is yourself. There is no spoon. :D

Power in it's purest form. Dominion in the purest sense of the word.

What else?
 

room

Oh dear, I just changed my mind.

Have fun!!
 

Goat of Mendes

The yellow triangle at the bottom of the card is suggestive of a pyramid. A pyramid is the geometrical representation of the Phallus. A very appropriate symbol for this card, being one of the most masculine of the minors.
 

Scion

That's a good one. Hadn't even noticed it til you said it... and look where the point of the pyramid terminates. })

In fact, now that I look at it, you could also characterize it as a cone of light emanating from his male source, like Kether to Chockmah, which is supported by the fact that the "light" shines across his skin, not behind it. Much like the other glow that's coming from the crossed dorjes...
 

Goat of Mendes

The loin cloth and cord look like the astrological sign of Aries to me. So Mars really is in Aries in this card. :laugh:
 

Goat of Mendes

Agrippa describes the image of the first decan of Aries as "a black man, standing and clothed in a white garment, girdled about, of a great body, with reddish eyes, and great strength, and like one that is angry. I think this fits in perfectly with Crowley's comments on the 2 of Wands where he mentions that the initial phase of creation is destruction.

There is probably a connection here with Atu XVI The Tower. The diamond shape at the top of the card is suggestive of an eye. The Eye of Shiva?
 

Scion

Could be. Shiva's trident shows up a few cards later on the Five of Wands. And the dark man's air is being buffeted and sucked upward by a forceful gale pouring out of that eyelike aperture.

It also makes me think of Shiva Natya Sastra: that famous image of Shiva dancing in a penumbra of fire as his dancing destroys the world so that it can be remade.
 

Goat of Mendes

For some reason I keep thinking of 0=2 when I look at this card. The diamond of space is sort of like 0, the Void, Nought, Nuit. And from it comes the 2 Wands, the pairs of opposites that come together to form the creative solar force symbolised by the six lightning bolts.

The Big Bang at the beginning of time and space?
 

Goat of Mendes

I notice that the 2 of Wands is actually titled Rule rather than Dominion in the Liber T LWB. That word brought to my mind two lines that Crowley uses to describe the The Emperor/Aries in The Book of Thoth.
Use all thine energy to rule thy thought:
burn up thy thought as the Phoenix.
This seems to sum up the energy of the 2 of Wands as well. There's emphasis on control and rulership, but there is also a referrence to the Phoenix which was reborn from it's own destruction.
 

Mariana

Goat of Mendes said:
I notice that the 2 of Wands is actually titled Rule rather than Dominion in the Liber T LWB.

It's also translated as such in the Dutch version of the Thoth, apparently. Well, the Dutch word could translate back into rule, dominion, power, control, ... but I would naturally see it as the equivalent of the English word 'rule'.