February 21-23, 2012: 5 of Swords
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DEFEAT
Five of SwordsMeditation Pattern: Place Atu III, The Empress, and Atu XVII, The Star, side-by-side, with the 5 of Swords above them.
Traditional Description: Two pairs of swords extending from the lower corners of opposite sides of the figure, nearly upright, but falling apart of each other, right and left of the card. A fifth sword stands upright in the center as though it had disunited them. The petals of the rose, which in the Four of Swords had been reinstated in the center, are torn asunder and falling. Above and below are the symbols of Venus and Aquarius for the Decanate.
Geburah of Air: Mental severity, pain, or anguish (requiring mental strength and resolve of character). Defeat, loss, malice, spite, disruption, slander, evil-speaking, dishonor.
Venus/Aquarius: Failure, defeat. Intellect weakened by sentiment. Loss of competitive edge. Contest decided against the querent; weakness, anxiety, trouble, poverty, avarice, grieving after pain or loss, laborious, restless, unresting; loss; vileness of nature; malicious, slanderous, lying, spiteful, treacherous, tale-bearing. A busybody and separator of friends, divisive, hating to see peace and love between others. Cruel, cowardly, thankless, unreliable. Clever and quick in thought and speech. Feelings of pity easily roused, but unenduring.
Mars + Venus: Excitability, strong passions and emotional force, disharmonious, divisive, disruptive of relationships, enkindling of enmity.
http://pturing.firehead.org/occult/thelema/libri/The Book of Thoth/thoth/swords05.jpg
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[attachment=0:hpjnzgtw]<!-- ia0 -->Swords 5.jpg<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:hpjnzgtw]
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Long story short: this arrangement is about getting nose to nose with the stupid shit we do that totally derails us from doing something we set out to do because we let our emotions take us right out of the game.
When I meditate on this I immediately think of this passage from the Book of the Law:
"43. Let the Scarlet Woman beware! If pity and compassion and tenderness visit her heart; if she leave my work to toy with old sweetnesses; then shall my vengeance be known. I will slay me her child: I will alienate her heart: I will cast her out from men: as a shrinking and despised harlot shall she crawl through dusk wet streets, and die cold and an-hungered."