The Hermetic Tarot today; my
cards are the Knight of Swords and The Devil. Interesting!
The Knight of
Swords (the cusp of Taurus, “I have,” sensual, stubborn, cautious, and Gemini,
“I think,” curious, talkative, dual, intelligent) is outspoken, assured, alert,
and logical, as well as rude, domineering, critical and sarcastic. His daring and courage, and his ability
to respond quickly to situations, are impressive, but he can also be
disruptive, too. While all of the
Knights can be considered as mercenaries, the Knight of Swords truly personifies
this career.
The Hermetic
Tarot Knights, interestingly enough, are seen to represent the sephira of
Chokmah on the Tree of Life. They
are not more or less than the Kings of the Tarot Court (which are seen to
correspond with Tiphareth), just different, and since Chokmah is the top of the
Pillar of Force, this does kind of make sense. The winged Hermetic Tarot Knight sits in full armor on a
proud steed, and above his head is a winged six-pointed star (which symbolizes
the heart chakra and the immune system, the four elements and the balance of
opposing effects, and which is used as a “made-and-‘proved’-in” mark on
swords). We are being told that
this Knight works through the effects of the mind and the intellect, and those
effects are active, brave, fierce, courageous, skillful, and inclined toward
domination.
The Devil
(Earth (cold/binds and dry/shapes, and stable, material, practical energies
that are slow to change), Capricorn (“I build,” ambitious, competent, cautious,
cunning), Ayin (the eye, senses), and the Path between Hod (which provides
analysis and communication) and Tipareth (the hub of the creation process where
energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify) tells of being caught
up in the physical world and the effects of the physical senses, to the point
of being bound or addicted to those things. The Devil is often the scapegoat
blamed for any excesses of the physical world; after all, enjoyment of the
physical world is somehow seen by many as a denial of or estrangement from God.
The Hermetic Tarot Devil image
shows Pan, complete with horns, third eye, bat’s wings, and a spiked crown,
seated on a pedestal. Chained to that
pedestal are two demons, one male and one female, both half animal and half
human. He is holding a flaming
torch, and his crest contains the reversed pentacle, a symbol of placing
passion and earthly pleasures above spirit. This is a clear image of both material force and material
temptation, a dangerous and addictive combination. This card is also about bondage and submission, both of
which can be useful in appropriate situations, but dangerous if used in an
imbalanced way.
I will need to
be real careful today about manifesting my ambitions. Dominating others for my own pleasure or for my own purposes
is not a good thing. Today I will
believe in those purposes (even if they represent the right to feel pleasure)
and I just might become distracted by my own authority. It feels good to be in control, but not
when we only manifest our own rules.
No comments:
Post a Comment