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The Suit of Wands An Analysis by Keith Rowley |
 The Metaphysical Roots of the Suit of Wands
In the Crowley Tarot Deck, each of the four suits represents one of the four alchemical principles, which are Fire, Air, Earth and Water. Now much has been said concerning the definitions of these elements, but I shall do my utmost to provide a fresh perspective whilst always acknowledging that my initial knowledge is derived from the great masters such as Aleister Crowley. However, I do hope to inject an element of personal gnosis here, without which this work would be of considerably diminished value. Let us continue. As we said in our introduction, these suits also represent the four levels of creation in Kabbalah:
Atziluth:The Idea, The Archetype, The Emanation (Fire - Wands)
Beriah: Precipitation of the Archetype, Creative Concept, One to Many, Implementation (Air - Swords) Yetzirah:Shapes, The idea given form but fluid (Water - Cups) Assiyah: The material world permeated by the higher worlds (Earth - Disks) We see in the above definitions that the Suit of Wands is associated with Archetypal Ideas. Now consider Alchemical Fire as a metaphor for its mundane namesake, and we readily intuit the passionate yet short-lived nature of the phenomenon: the fury of the raging bull, the battle lust of the inflamed warrior. But equally, we see the inspiration of the thinker and prophet, the sudden thought underlying the inspirational speech of the orator, and the potential for combustion lying within the atomic structure of potassium and the molecular structure of petroleum. For a reader of the Tarot, it is essential to internalise these ideas seamlessly into the subconscious. This section of our essay will be much expanded, but for now, we have enough to proceed to a basis analysis of the small cards in the suit.   The Ace of Wands The Ace of Wands represents the potential of the alchemical element Fire. It is important to understand at once that in contrast to the Atu that represent coherent personalities, the small cards represent the blind power of their elements in each phase of their existence. They contribute to the nature of all things in the universe, which they permeate and comprise. In the case of Fire, as we stated in our brief introduction above, we consider a limitless force of passion that finds expression in great outbursts of energy. As much as we find the passion of Fire concealed within the nature of combustible materials, so do we also in the hearts of men. Not for nothing are the Celts known as a fiery, warlike people. The Number One One, the number of Keter, indivisible unity. In our universe, nothing exists without its counterpart of opposite polarity, be we discussing humans, magnetic poles, subatomic particles, good, evil, or anything whatsoever. So in metaphysics, the number 1 is the concept of potential; it is that which encompasses the unborn ideas of good and evil, of positive and negative, of male and female. As such, One is a concept in the mind of man, an identification of the root powers of the cosmos. It finds its ultimate expression in the idea of monotheism and as such it is a late development in human history, although neither so late nor so strange as the Zero from whence it derives. The Position of the Ace on the Tree of Life All four of the Aces dwell on Keter, the point source that is everywhere, the Hadit to the infinite space of Nuit. There is not much more to be said of this, as it should be quite clear by now that Keter is the domain of indivisible unity. The Ace of Wands and its Impact on General Readings When we find the Ace of Wands in our spread, we need to identify the source of the potential and its most likely egress into our world through the agencies of people and circumstance. When considering the future, it is a massive indicator of potential for short term activity of infinite energy. We should expect to find this in the reading of an artist, a poet, and in all things temperamental, powerful and ephemeral. In the natural world The Ace of Wands indicates sudden, catastrophic outpourings of energy as in an earthquake or a meteor strike. In human affairs, it may well bode an explosion outburst of emotional passion, usually sexual in nature given human proclivities, but also, in the wider sense of war and destruction. But remember, all these things are contained here in potential, and as such, might be susceptible to avoidance or precipitation as may be desired. But, always remember that "every man and woman is a star": If the course of time and events requires the release of this energy, then so it will be. An event of this type can only be avoided or precipitated if the will of the querent is in harmony with the unfolding of the universe.  The Two of Wands The Number Two and The Tree of Life The number 2 devolves on Chockmah, the unrestrained force driving all of the universe, untamed and unguided prior to its sublimation by the power of the Law of Binah, the Great Mother. But the number two is also the first expression of duality, representing the first manifestation of the The Janus-Father as an aspect of duality, albeit above The Abyss, and beyond the conception of faculties honed by reason alone. As we are told by Aiwass: I: 32. Also reason is a lie; for there is a factor infinite & unknown; & all their words are skew-wise. I: 33. Enough of Because! Be he damned for a dog!
Now my analysis is in accordance with that our dear prophet, Aleister Crowley, but how he himself arrives at this conclusion I have not yet divined, for The Book of Thoth is silent on such matters. When we consider Will beyond Law, we are struck by a number of historical examples such as Adolf Hitler, who was by his nature of the Black Brotherhood, and who attempted to create and live within a domain founded on laws in obscene contravention of those that govern the universe. And so was his demise inevitable. The Astrology of The Two of Wands Our good prophet, Aleister Crowley assigns Mars in Aries to The Two of Wands. Given our discourse up to this point, the epistemology of this attribution should surely be as clear as crystal. But let us nevertheless enlarge a little on this. Greek Aries, The God of War, carries the attributes of blind rage and is represented as one of the twelve great constellations through which the planets pass, and of which they experience the influence. Mars, the Roman warrior god, son of Zeus and Juno, father of Romulus the founder of Rome. The idea here is of power raised to unimaginable levels. And this power is the power of destruction that may be in itself a calamity, but which is also the precursor of death and renewal, of creation from the ashes of destruction. In this sense, we may see here the primal force represented either by The Phoenix or conversely by the Qlippoth of Chockmah which is Ghagiel, the Hinderers (reference Crowley 777). One is renewal and the other a continuation of death beyond its natural bounds. Contextual Interpretation of the Two of Wands I struggled a little with this card, possibly due to its great simplicity. For the Fire of Mars and Aries referred to Chockmah can only indicate a force of Blind and irresistible Will. There is nothing hidden here, no hint of duplicity, for... Pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from lust of result, is every way perfect... (Al I:44) The querent would do well not to oppose the course of this expression of will, whether it stems from within him or from an external source. It will have its way, for it is utterly without conscience or morality - it is a force of nature made manifest and it will not be denied. To be continued with the Three of Wands  The Nine of Wands The Alchemical Root of the Suit of Wands: Fire From our first consideration of the elemental nature of Alchemical Fire, we are able understand the root cause of the influence and purpose of the whole Suit of Wands within the vastness of infinite time and space. And just as the laws of physics apply throughout the whole of creation, so do those of Alchemy and Qabbalah - but more so, inasmuch that alchemical and Qabbalistic ideas and properties extend into the realms of life and consciousness as well as those of 'real' physics. The Number Nine So in Fire, we have the root cause that determines the nature of our Suit of Wands. What else are we able to deduce of the nature of the Nine of Wands? Firstly, we must consider the number Nine, which is the square of Three, the Number of the Sephirah Binah. Is this a sensible and necessary consideration? The sublime harmony of that which is revealed through such exegesis will surely convince us. Consider Binah, The Great Mother, The Eternal Sea, The Sphere of Saturn, the Glowing Mother of God, and, conversely, The Dark Sterile Sea Of Death. Binah is attributed to Three, the square root of Nine. Mathematics informs us that when we square a number - any number - we obtain a result that is positive in the mathematical sense and convention: (-3 x -3 = +9), (+3 x +3 = +9). Only when when we mix -3 with +3 and multiply, do we obtain a -9. This informs us that Binah is reflected into Yesod (the Nines') with great force when it has a 'divided aspect', and is transformed by the forces of the middle pillar of the Tree of Life into a force of the opposite polarity. Of course, with both components of three being negative (-3 and -3), we obtain +9, as we do with both being positive (+3 and +3). Why is this? What is the relevance to the Nine of Wands? For the sake of discussion only, let us consider that the formative, underlying cause of the behaviour of the Nine of Wands in a reading to be hugely beneficial. We must immediately suspect that the root cause of this benefit is either a synthesis of two elements of good fortune, or, converesely, a double dose of misfortune that has conspired, against the odds to bring the querent back to where he/she should desire to be - a position of balance on the middle of the Tree. A single negative influence or component at the root of the situation creates imbalance in this equation and inverts the meaning of the card. The Nines' Position of the Tree of Life The Four Nines of the Tarot take their places on the Ninth Sephirah Yesod, the Sephirah of Illusion, The Machinery of the Universe, The Realm of the Moon. Yesod is the last of the Sephiroth before creation descends into the real world of Malkhut. Yesod is fed directly from Tiphareth on the Central Pillar, and as such, has sight of a reflection of the most sublime. It is the final act of synthesis and illusion in nature's continuous action of creation. Of course, synthesis and illusion are implied here as objective and subjective phenomena respectively. But to the magician, the inverse attributions are equally true. The implication for the element of Fire is that its force is almost spent and is shortly to be deposited in the universe as an infinite store of potential that is continuously spent through the actions of the stars and planets, the human mind and the lust of beasts, through the transient fire of the storm and the ephemeral rise and fall of humans as much as bacterial colonies. Look here for an exhausted force soon to be deposited as a store of infinite energy that will only ever find its outlet in ephemeral bursts, but which is nevertheless one of the primal powers of the universe. The Astrology of The Nine of Wands Clearly, the Moon, as a function of Yesod is a dominant force on all of the Nines'. The attribution of The 22 Atu shows that between Yesod and Tiphareth, sits Art, which is attributed to Sagittarius. Crowley's design clearly shows the Sun (Tiphareth) feeding its energy to The Moon in Sagittarius. Now Sagittarius is The Archer, represented in myth as both virgin huntress and damned destroyer. Which of these applies in any reading is again a matter of divination. Also note (as Crowley correctly states in The Book of Thoth) that the attribution of the Archer is supremely important when we consider the act of Penetrating the Mysteries. Of this we shall say much more a littler later in the course of our studies. Contextual Interpretation of the Nine of Wands Let us consider just one common scenario for our querent, and embed the Nine of Wands within it. To do this properly requires that the card appear within a spread, as it is the assembly of Tarot personalities that have appeared which fully defines the context within which our Nine is placed. And so, we will provide the context without the rest of the spread. We will consider ourselves to have been asked the impact of The Nine of Wands in a spread that has been made to inquire of a relationship. It should be clear to my readers that we will reflect the properties of the card into the situation, and interpret each of its elements in that context. The Nine of Wands and its Impact on Relationships The suggestion here is of a strong passion expended, but, for good or evil, about to issue its fruit. The process of development of this relationship has withstood great change and integration of extremes and has gone as far as it can before it becomes clear to all what the outcome is. All that can be said has been said. However, the cosmos permits no rest, for, to quote the good Crowley, "change is stability and stability is change". The change that is to come in this relationship is through the 22nd path, which is dominated by Time, by Saturn, and the laws of Binah. Crowley's 777 shows 22 to correspond to a state of puberty (surely the period of greatest change imaginable), to a magical vision (which corresponds neatly to Yesod). So the relationship in question will change, but the change will be a consolidation of that which has been before, an integration into a greater whole. Of course, this may mean both the total dissolution of the relationship or its crystallization into an entity that will make its return journey through the Tree. Context is everything. To be continued... | The 22 Atu - Introduction | Atu 0 to III | Atu IV to VII | The Suit of Disks | The Suit of Cups | The Suit of Swords | The Suit of Wands | Thelema Tarot Forum | | Return Home | Art Mall | Thelema Literature | Contact | Magick | Thelema Prints | The Crowley Tarot | Blogs and Forums | Thelema Guest Book | |
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