April 17 - 19, 2012: Knight Of Wands

Al-Shariyf

THE LORD OF THE FLAME AND THE LIGHTNING;
THE KING OF THE SPIRITS OF FIRE
*The Knight of Wands – King of the Salamanders *
FIRE of FIRE

Meditation pattern: Place 7 of Cups, 8 of Wands, and 9 of Wands side-by-side, with the Knight of Wands above them. Below the two Wands, place Atu XIV, Art.

Traditional Description: A winged warrior riding upon a black horse with flaming mane and tail. The horse itself is not winged. The rider wears a winged helmet (like the old Scandinavian and Gaulish helmet) with a rayed crown, a corselet of scale-mail and buskins of the same, and a flowing scarlet mantle. Above his helmet, upon his cuirass, and on the shoulder-pieces and buskins, he wears as a crest a winged black horse’s head. He grasps a club with flaming ends – somewhat similar to that in the symbol of the Ace of Wands, but not so heavy – and also the sigil of his scale (yod) is shown; beneath the rushing feet of his steed are waving flames and fire.

YOD of YOD (FIRE of FIRE). He is primarily an expression of the fiery, erupting, initiating, paternal, creative force of nature – the Primal life force, or vital power, leaping forth into expression with the force of lightning striking. He especially represents this force expressed through the element Fire; thus, he is even more energetic and aggressive. He is also this vital force expressed in Atziluth, i.e., the Creative Impulse emanating from the purest Divine source. This purest expression of Will-force is the exact same energy expressed in the human sexual impulse.

He rules the celestial sphere from 20° Scorpio to 20° Sagittarius, which includes part of the constellation
Hercules. (Hercules, in this constellation, is always represented with a club.) The fiery decanates to which he corresponds confirm that his nature is SWIFTNESS and STRENGTH (but without “Oppression,” the third decanate of Sagittarius – he is powerful, eruptive, explosive, yet without tyranny, for he is the impulse that gains expression as True Will in each of us). Sagittarius (Samekh) corresponds to Atu XIV, Art; and this Knight symbolizes that True Word which is the Holy Guardian Angel, and which strikes deeply into the receptive lunar aspect of our being, becoming manifest as the creative Vital Soul in Yesod.

The first decanate of Sagittarius, ruled by Mercury, symbolizes the Word of creation that, drawn through the planes by acts of attentive concentration, manifests through human thought, words, and deeds. He is a very rapid rush, quickly passed and expended – too much force applied too suddenly, violently, and intensively. The second decanate, ruled by the Moon, reminds us that the Life force is immeasurably adaptable, as the continuing course of evolution demonstrates.

His shadow side is expressed by the Venus decanate of Scorpio, called DEBAUCH. This is not ordinarily characteristic of the Knight of Wands. Yet, if the highly energetic pressure,velocity, and primal explosiveness of this force were to waver or its energy falter, then this creative force surely would flow into wasted, undirected channels.

In divination, he is swift, sudden, strong, fierce, active, generous, paternal, ardent, energetic, eruptive, initiating, impetuous; yet immeasurably adaptive. Sometimes means an inheritance. If ill-dignified, he is evil-minded, cruel, bigoted, brutal, even violent; energy quickly passing and too easily expended.

Jim Eshelman

Swiftness & Strength...

[attachment=0:3j140qhh]Wands (Knight).jpg[/attachment:3j140qhh]