5 Wands Strife

5 Wands – Strife


This month I picked a card to work with for these Thoth tips and came up 5 wands – strife. 

Sometimes people see this card as being a hard card to work with – indicating stresses and strains and general difficulties in making things work as they wish. It can indicate conflict with others and with the situation in general. However it is a card which also indicates that the effort expended is worthwhile. The intense, clear yellow, reminiscent of the sun, in an indication of self esteem being the background of the effort expended. The wands themselves have behind them the motivation of flames of passion and energy to move things forward despite the difficulty. This car apply to both business situations and also personal relations. 

The 4 wands preceding the 5 is in balance and now the energy builds and needs to face conflict next to create the changes needed to achieve the overall goals being worked for. This can be likened to breaking out of the old ways of success and facing new challenges to keep business projects afloat. It can also be the stage of a relationship where you have decided that the relationship is good and worth investment in time and energy, however the honeymoon period is just over and with the areas of commonality fully explored – now the territory of how you are different from each other is broached. This brings conflict, but also respect as you gain a measure of each others integrity and ability to hold their own. You also work out the ways you can deal with the conflicts between you that enables both parties to be both respected and also honoured in their individuality as well as in your togetherness. 

The pheonix heads on the ends of two of the wands indicates the ability to come through this time of conflict renewed and refreshed, the lotus’s on the other two wands indicates the love that is still there and influencing the conflict as it arises, for love is within conflict as well as within peace. The main forewand has upon it a symbol of the sun and the guiding principle of self esteem, personal self value and from here value of others as individuals with their own perspectives. You hold your own, discipline yourself, and work with the conflict rather than run from it. 

The efforts expended with this card can be compared to training for a sporting achievement, the effort required needs discipline and the building of stamina, the competition – or conflict – is what enables, or rather sparks, the growth to take place. It is the striving for the highest outcome in a situation and being prepared to go through personal difficulty to achieve it whilst also holding true to ones own values and respecting ones limitations. A card that can bring powerful growth and success.

4 swords – Truce

4 swords – Truce

This card is one of balance in the realm of the mind. There is a place of seeming peace that has been reached – yet this has come by way of compromise there is a force represented by Jupiter of desire to move things on and expand, to grow – but Jupiter in Libra has that balancing force of Libra acting on it preventing full expansion unless all desire it. The peace is kept at all costs. When this comes up it is a time to allow the balance to be as it is for the time being – recovery and recuperation can take place in this period of time. No striving, just resting with things as they are. It can be a good time to begin to realise what will need to change when the energy shifts from this place. Anything that has been sacrificed to bring this peace will need to be recovered for truth to be reclaimed and integrity regained. It is a force of love that is keeping this balance – there is no error. Awareness is needed though and the strength to allow the waters to be stirred when the time is right. What has been un said will need to be communicated, what has been conveniently forgotten needs to be remembered. The blue of communication in the background it punctuated by the yellow of self esteem. The self esteem and desire for the truth is building in this phase, whilst the situation is stable. The rose of love and beauty in the center is being held back by the swords coming to this focal point of seeming peace. Only when the courage to face the truth is taken then can the rose truly be seen in its full glory. So gather your strength and resources and make ready for the uncovering of the truth. For the truth will set you free. The cross is a protective symbol you may have been kept from the truth by another and their motivation may have been one of protection and the idea that protecting you from the truth would hurt less – however this premise is false and needs to be challenged as you have the strength and self esteem to face the truth and once it is know it can be dealt with effectively. So do not keep the peace with others to protect them rather understand that there is a great respect in knowing someone has all skills needed to deal with whatever the truth is in a situation.

Affirmations

to go with this card include:-

Through openness we attain clarity
I am at peace within myself
The trust sets me free
When I am at peace in myself nothing can disturb me
I trust that I and others have all the skills we need to face the truth of the situation

Numerology

Numerology 


Numerology is the synchronicity of numbers as a reflection of the universe. How numbers add up, subtract etc brings meaning. It is an old tradition and there are many well used and accepted ways of determining aspects of our character. This month I am going to look how we find our soul and personality numbers and relate them to the Major arcana of the Thoth deck. I will use my own numbers as an example. 

So My birthday is 4th June 1966

that’s 4/6/1966

To find out your personality number you add up the digits until you come to a number under 21

so

4 + 6 + 1966 = 1976

then reduce this down to a number under 21

1 + 9 + 7 + 6 = 23

2 + 3 = 5

So my personality number is 5 and this matches to the Heirophant in the major arcana. 

In my case my soul number is also 5, however if your first number under 21 is something like 14 then you can reduce this further 1 + 4 = 5 so someone with a personality number of 14 – which is Art also has the Heirophant as their soul number. 

If you have three numbers under 21 then the middle one is the creativity number. for example if your first number under 21 is 19 then this reduces to 10 which then reduced to 1 

So your Soul card would be 1 – Magus

Creativity card 10 – Fortune

Personality card 19 – The Sun

So once you have your card you can see the essences that will play out in your personality and the lessons you are learning in your soul in this lifetime.

For me I am the Heirophant both in personality and in my soul growth.. 

This shows in my life as a need to teach and also to learn constantly, all through my life I recognise this energy. There are aspects of wanting to find the higher purpose in all that life presents before me – both in my inner world and in my outer expression within the world. As I look at the Heirophant card I see my determination and sometimes stubbornness in the bull – and also the determination to overcome obstacles that present themselves to me in my path from the elephant – often looking to the highest view to understand and overcome the block in front of me. My intuition (high priestess on the card) guides me as I walk forward and aim to both learn and teach all who would be open to learning. I have a tendency to like rules yet also fight against them, finding the highest rules, the spiritual laws, that govern all things wherever possible. Knowing too that I am ever as a child and will never understand it all, nor should I – retaining the innocence of incarnation in this world – though we can touch other planes, experiencing then in many and varied ways, we can never forget that whilst we are living in the physical we can’t fully comprehend the magnificence of the whole, nor assume we can truly know another’s pathway fully – though we are sometimes privy to snapshots in time of another’s life, only our own soul truly knows our destiny over time and space, lifetime through lifetime. 

The Heirophant is ruled by Taurus so Taurean energies are apparent also, The love of beauty, creativity and art. A strong connection with nature and the earth and the fixed nature of change coming slowly and in a considered way. More details on Taurus can be found on Skyscript – an excellent astrology resource

Princess of Cups

This month I picked a card to see what would be of use to talk about with you all…

Princess of Cups

This is a beautiful card of self worth and value. Princesses as we have seen before correspond to the position 10 on the Kabbalah – Malkuth, this is the point of manifestation of the suit. The princesses are the manifestation of the potential we find in an ace. So here we have an emotional new start, where much work has been done in the emotional relam and can now be put into practice on the physical plane.

So in relationships, this is a card of emotional freedom, there is no need for jealousy, manipulation, power games etc. These things have been explored and now are no longer needed. There is trust and freedom and also joy. The swan of her head is a symbol of freedom but also a symbol of monogamy and trust between people. She holds the lotus upright and high and is able to see love everywhere and through everyone.

She offers her talents and skills to everyone without wish for reward, yet also without pushing herself on anyone – she quietly helps out and moves on, she needs no recognition and is able to protect herself through her own innocence and comfort with her vulnerability. She seems to sidestep power games that others offer her invites to play, effortlessly. She is pure and capable, receptive and free.

The dolphin symbolises love and trust as well as the idea of loving guardianship of this world and all that is in it.

This card is earth of water and so is the physical practical application of emotional knowledge and understanding. So she is empathic, understanding and loving in all she does.

As a card representing a person she can also represent a sensitive young child – or someone older with the apparent innocence of someone very young. With this youth or youthfulness comes simple wisdom and ways of seeing the world which cut through the complexities we often have learnt to use as resistance to doing what is in our heart. The answer and the truth is often so much more simple, but almost too hard to see for our doubts. The princess can see through these things and get to the core by trusting her own views on the world and trusting what is in her heart. She lives by the truth that all is love ultimately.