December 9-11, 2011: 4 of Wands
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Four of Wands
COMPLETION
(Previously called, “Perfected Work.”)Meditation Pattern: Place Atu III, The Empress, and Atu IV, The Emperor, side-by-side, with the 4 of Wands above them.
Traditional Description: Four wands or torches, crossed. Flames issue from the point of junction. Above and below are two small flaming wands, with the symbols Venus and Aries, representing the decanate.
Chesed of Fire: The original current of Will manifested fully (as system, order, law, government). Plateau, settlement, arrangement, completion.
Venus/Aries: Perfection or completion of a thing built up. Subtlety, cleverness, beauty, mirth; success in completion. Unfolding or maturation of creative powers. If ill-dignified: unreadiness; unreliable and unsteady through over-anxiety; hurriedness of action.
Chesed/Jupiter + Venus: Graceful, but sometimes insincere. Generally beneficial, harmonious, and comfortable circumstances. Rest after labor. Tact, diplomacy, popularity; but given to laziness, negligence, idleness, waste.
http://shadesofmidnight.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/4-of-wands-thoth.jpg
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I think the biggest thing I got out of working with this card is a sense of "manliness" and masculinity that I had chosen to repress up until I began working with the 3 of wands. There were parts of my personality I just did not want to express that I have no problem expressing at this point. Completion, to me, represents a process of adding in the missing ingredients that would allow someone to experience themselves as being whole and complete with a particular function and expression. This is the result of the juxtaposition of the Empress and Emperor, the feminine and masculine, Salt & Sulphur mixing, playing, combining with one another.
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I had some experiences toward the weekend and during that had me dealing with working to preserve healthy boundaries around my marriage. It may have been more of a result of current astrological influences on myself and my wife, so perhaps that is influencing my experience with these cards.
With the Empress and the Emperor, below it, it the Four of Wands seems to be to be describing a circle of influence within which the Will of the Emperor is married to its mate, the Empress - Creative Intelligence, in order to perform a certain work. The course is set.
I'm not sure if my experiences relate more to the Five of Wands, since I had to work to sort of protect that set course, but the meditation had me thinking about the ideal that I desire in marriage and using that as a guide for the use of any of the restriction of the Five of Wands.
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"I'm not sure if my experiences relate more to the Five of Wands, since I had to work to sort of protect that set course, but the meditation had me thinking about the ideal that I desire in marriage and using that as a guide for the use of any of the restriction of the Five of Wands."
What's really interesting is stepping into the energy of one card has allowed me to predict how the energy of the next will manifest. Since the 4 of wands for me was about embracing, expressing and, to some extent, protecting my own individuality, I'd imagine the next few days of working with the 5 of wands will present a set of circumstances where my own will will either be tested or challenged. In fact, it's already happening.
"the Four of Wands seems to be to be describing a circle of influence within which the Will of the Emperor is married to its mate, the Empress - Creative Intelligence, in order to perform a certain work. The course is set."
Speaking of creative intelligence, I received through inspiration, images of art work that I will be creating. I've had this "creative urge" welling up within me for some time and I finally saw what to do with the urge. It involves creating special collages and paintings and giving them away as gifts.