May 22-24, 2012: Prince of Swords

Al-Shariyf

THE PRINCE OF THE CHARIOT OF THE WINDS
The Prince of Swords – Prince & Emperor of Sylphs & Sylphides
AIR of AIR

Meditation pattern: Place 4 of Disks, 5 of Swords, and 6 of Swords side-by-side, with the Prince of Swords above them. Below the two Swords, place Atu XVII, The Star.

Traditional Description: A winged prince with winged crown, seated in a chariot drawn by Arch-Fays. These are represented as winged youths very slightly dressed, with butterfly wings; heads encircled by a fillet with a pentagram thereon; and holding wands surmounted by pentagrams, the same butterfly wings on their feet and fillets. General equipment as the Prince of Wands, but he bears as a crest a winged angelic head with a pentagram on the brows. Beneath the chariot are gray nimbus clouds. His hair is long and waving in serpentine whirls, and whorlfigures compose the scales of his armor. A drawn sword in one hand; a sickle in the other: With the sword he rules, with the sickle he slays.

VAV of VAV (AIR of AIR): The intellect, functioning in its own plane and domain, where it is most efficient and at home. Vav of Air and Vav in Yetzirah symbolize Reason accepted on its own terms. He carries a sickle, the traditional implement of Saturn (ruler of Aquarius), which represents the power of time to harvest all things, a reminder that Air of Air is shifting and in motion: he represents the transient, that which passes and is gone, like the traces of thought in the mind.

He rules from 20° Capricorn to 20° Aquarius, corresponding to the first two decanates of Aquarius. The first is
ruled by Venus. Venus with Aquarius is a humane and humanitarian combination of high social idealism. At worst, it is weakness from passivity and ungrounded (unrealistic) expectations – too much up in the air! This attribution also discloses a side of the card previously unsuspected, but quite observable in individuals of this type: that it represents intellect for the pure fun of it! The second Aquarius decanate, ruled by Mercury, is called SCIENCE. Mercury and Aquarius imply intelligence and humanity, and inventive, creative, and progressive thinking. But these two decanates are more traditionally called DEFEAT and SUCCESS. The fine line on which this Prince rides is that between “success” and “defeat.” The nature of his mind is to view things in win-lose terms, there generally being no place for win-win. In this, he may appear cruel and disdainful. Remember, though, that for him this is often done for pure joy and amusement. He does not partake of the last decanate of Aquarius called “Futility.” He is too focused and purposeful. There is no disdaining of effort and concentration when there must be a winner and a loser!

His shadow aspect is shown by the last decanate of Capricorn, which shows the human intellect in its most mechanical form. The decanate, called POWER, represents structured dominion normally incompatible with the Prince. It defeats his freedom and undoes his game. Yet, when exhausted, he is likely to slide into the compensatory role of exercising rigid mental dominion over circumstances.

In divination, the character implied is intelligent, inventive; full of ideas, thoughts, designs, and progressive thinking; humane and humanitarian, with high social idealism; firm in friendship and enmity; careful, observant, sometimes acutely cautious. If ill-dignified: harsh, malicious, plotting; distrustful, suspicious; cruel and disdainful, obstinate; exercising rigid mental dominion over circumstances; unreliable, too ‘up in the air;’ weakness from passivity and unrealistic expectations; symbolizing Alpha and Omega, he slays as fast as he creates.

http://usgs.typepad.com/.a/6a013485938a51970c014e885e3f16970d-320wi

Jim Eshelman

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