This card resonates with me, due to my sensitivity.
The Devotee of Wands represents privacy and intamacy with self. Protect aspects of yourself that you cherish, because everyone doesn’t deserve to celebrate your royalties.
We all have some things that we rather to keep to ourselves, and that is okay. We don’t have to overshare, because everyone isn’t there for you completely and never give anyone the upper hand in any situation.
You deserve to keep yourself, versus losing yourself to satisfy others. Your self worth is deeper than any ocean, and wider than any sea.
Relish in who you are, and your shadow that has helped you grow and learn into who you’re becoming. You are more divine than what you may know.
As we celebrate the birthday of John Henry Bonham (May 31, 1948 – September 25, 1980), I’m taking some time to mediate on John Bonham’s Sigil of three interlocking circles representing the trinity.
Bonham is by many regarded as the greatest and most influential rock drummer of all time. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 1 in their list of the “100 Greatest Drummers of All Time.” The power of his influence is not only heard in the sampled music of Led Zeppelin, his influence is also seen via tattoos of his Sigil on drummers across the globe. Jason Bonham & Dave Grohl being just two examples.
“We decided the album couldn’t be called Led Zeppelin IV. Each of us decided to choose a metaphysical symbol which represented us individually.” ~ Robert Plant
[Continued] “Each of us decided to go away and choose a metaphysical type of symbol which somehow represented each of us individually–be it a state of mind, an opinion, or something we felt strongly about, or whatever. Then we were to come back together and present our symbols.”
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page did not find their Sigils in Rudolf Koch’s The Book of Signs, a rather limited reference book if you will, but everyone else John Paul Jones, John Bonham & Sandy Denny all did. One could assume that Sandy Denny’s Sigil was chosen for her. And when one looks at these three Sigils they all have something in common, three identical objects visually working together symbolically. John Bonham’s three overlapping circles, John Paul Jones’s [See my post on the Triquetta here]three vesicae piscis, with a circle interconnecting them, and Sandy Denny’s three triangles connected at a corner, symbolizing the Godhead.
The commonality of these THREE Sigils is that they all feature THREE Objects. John Bonham’s Sigil representing the Trinity, John Paul Jones Sigil, Tri-quetra literally meaning “THREE Cornered” and Denny’s
[FROM WIKI] In Trinitarian doctrine, God exists as three persons or hypostases, but is one being, having a single divine nature. The members of the Trinity are co-equal and co-eternal, one in essence, nature, power, action, and will. As stated in the Athanasian Creed, the Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, and the Holy Spirit is uncreated, and all three are eternal without beginning. “The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” are not names for different parts of God, but one name for God because three persons exist in God as one entity. They cannot be separate from one another. Each person is understood as having the identical essence or nature, not merely similar natures.
Other Trinities Prior to the Christian Doctrine include
The myth of Osiris was deeply influential in ancient Egyptian religion and was popular among ordinary people. One reason for this popularity is the myth’s primary religious meaning, which implies that any dead person can reach a pleasant afterlife. Another reason is that the characters and their emotions are more reminiscent of the lives of real people than those in most Egyptian myths, making the story more appealing to the general populace. In particular, the myth conveys a “strong sense of family loyalty and devotion”, as the Egyptologist J. Gwyn Griffiths put it, in the relationships between Osiris, Isis, and Horus.
With this widespread appeal, the myth appears in more ancient texts than any other myth and in an exceptionally broad range of Egyptian literary styles.These sources also provide an unusual amount of detail. Ancient Egyptian myths are fragmentary and vague; the religious metaphors contained within the myths were more important than coherent narration. Each text that contains a myth, or a fragment of one, may adapt the myth to suit its particular purposes, so different texts can contain contradictory versions of events.Because the Osiris myth was used in such a variety of ways, different versions often conflict with each other. Nevertheless, the fragmentary versions, taken together, give it a greater resemblance to a cohesive story than most Egyptian myths.
SEE BONHAM’S SIGIL ON ALEISTER CROWLEY’s THE HIEROPHANT CARD
The Symbol of the Three interlocking circles on Crowley’s Thoth Card is said to represent Themelas Three Aeons & Egyptian Deities.
The Aeon of Isis (10,996B.C.-8830B.C.)
The Aeon of Osiris (166B.C. – 2000A.D.)
The Aeon of Horus (2000 A.D+)
The Aeon of Isis – Known as the Aeon of the Great Goddess and associated with the astrological age of Leo. She represented a time of the divine feminine and was the human embodiment of the earth giving forth life. Life was seen to be given birth from the earth and from woman, with the woman having the cycles of birth.
The Aeon of Osiris – Known as the Aeon of the dying God and associated with the astrological age of Pisces. Osiris is on the Stele of Revealing.
Osiris is usually distinguished as the god of the afterlife, the underworld & the dead, but more appropriately as the god of transition, resurrection, and regeneration. In this Aeon people were more advanced in agriculture and the role of the Sun in growing crops. Also the role of men was more widespread in the birth process. So from this, just as the sun (masculine) was important for life on earth (feminine), so man was important in the birth of a child.
The Aeon of Horus –
Horus is the son of Isis and Osiris & is associated with the age of Aquarius. The Aeon of Horus is also known as the crowned and conquering child and the ever-living Sun and continuous life. In this Aeon death is an illusion. The modern Aeon of Horus is portrayed as a time of self-realization as well as a growing interest in all things spiritual matters and the evolution of the soul. Alternative medicines have also evolved coupled with a growth in meditation groups and spiritual practises. Crowley emphasised the need to follow ones ‘true will’ or soul direction in life.
The Sigil’s of Zeppelin’s rhythm section formed the foundation of Led Zepplin’s music. As musicians they were bedrock on which the magick was created. It is no surprise to me that these two Sigil’s each representing the magickal concept of The Trinity, come together andfound a third Sigil in Sandy Denny’s, on Led Zeppelin’s “FOUR SYMBOLS”. In a strange way with the additional 5th symbol they completed their own TRINITY in BONHAM JONES & DENNY.
I’m not sure how helpful this post will be to others as it’s
based very much in my own personal understanding of the court cards. I
struggled for a very long time until I just abandoned most of what I’d read
about them and began to understand them in the context of the rest of my own frameworks.
I think a common understanding of them is that you start as
a Page and work your way up to being King. They often get read as “How much have
you mastered the ideals of the suit?” with page being hardly at all and the King
being the absolute best. It’s very hierarchical, top-down, and it’s not only
sexist with regards to the Queen, but more generally invalidating of what the
other cards have to offer in their own right.
I have come across alternative readings of the Court Cards
but none of them really clicked until I started reading them as dualities.
The first duality I see in court cards is between the material/work
and the ideals of each suit. Pages and Knights are focused on the work of each
suit. They are carrying out the functions of their court, each with different
advantages and disadvantages.
Unfocused vs. Focused Work
Pages, while perhaps less experienced, don’t engage with the
work with the same ferocity of the Knights. Their lives tend to be more
balanced, they tend to be more of the Jack of All Trades. There’s a real trade off with not being
specialized. They’re versatile, flexible, ready to learn and change. But they
can’t execute to the degree that a Knight can, might get easily distracted or
side tracked. When not showing up in a signifying role, or showing up
specifically in an action position, they can also sometimes point toward gossip
or rumors.
Knights, on the other hand, are fierce to a fault. They are
specialized, focused, and honestly kind of terrifying to me personally. They
are the ideals of the suit, weaponized, constantly in motion. They are coming
to fuck your shit up. They’re not balanced though. They’re rigid, don’t change
course easily, and are stubborn to a fault. But they are also undeniably
effective. They do what they set out to do, they are reliable, they will fight
until the battle is won. When not showing up in a signifying role, or showing
up in an action position, they can also point toward news or a reversal of
luck.
Internal vs. External Ideals
Regents embody the ideals of the suit in their highest form.
They are twin forms of mastery. And much like real regents, they’re often
unattainable. I find in readings they serve as reminders, lessons, or status
relative to other people in a situation. We might be a page of wands in an art
class but a queen in our own families. I find that the lessons of the regents
are much less absolute than the Major Arcana.
Queens symbolize the internal mastery of the ideals of the
suit, people who’ve attained a deep understanding of the suit as it applies to themselves
and those closest to them. They often work behind the scenes and their mastery
isn’t always given its fair due by others. Their skill is no less refined and
important though. Queens perform the kind of work that can only be done in
private. They are masters of growth, healing, and wholeness in terms of their
suits. For these reasons, they’re not less dangerous or effective than Kings.
Their work may not always be seen but it is always deeply felt.
Kings symbolize the external mastery of the ideals of the
suit, people who are publicly lauded and recognized for their expertise,
passion, and skill. They are leaders, influencers, and tastemakers. They set
the pace and the terms of engagement for the group around them. They often receive
praise or scorn for their actions regardless of the work they actually do
because their reputation proceeds them. They are undeniably skillful,
especially with regards to groups of people rather than individuals. While
Kings derive it from different sources, their influence is what makes them
truly formidable.
Conclusion
Again, these are just my thoughts. They’re just another framework
to smash up against what you already know and see what sticks. I find the
duality or dualities model for the court cards to really help me and I’ve had
much better luck interpreting them in readings for myself and others since building
it. But it’s by far not the only way.
Another note – I’m nonbinary and I don’t consider the Queen
and King to represent feminine and masculine energy of a suit like a lot of people
write about. Even without the binary being alienating, I think it’s important
to develop frameworks that challenge conventional gender “energy”
interpretations when it comes to court cards. I’m definitely interested in how
others have worked on this as well.
As always – hope this helps and if you have any questions
please let me know!
*I never claim my way is the one true way. Take what is useful and leave the rest.
**If you wind up using this stuff in another setting, I’d really appreciate it if you could cite me. This is my art. Don’t steal, please credit.
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Since ancient times, the Cube has been a symbol of Truth, Order, and the Physical Plane. According to “The Book of Formation”, the Manifested Universe is represented as a Cube. In Tarot Key 7 (The Chariot), we see a representation of the Cube as being both a symbol for Physical Embodiment, and as a vehicle for the Self. Thus, the Cube of Space is a representation of the Universe as a vehicle for the One Self’s Expression and Experience.
The Cube has the following properties: The six faces of the Cube and its interior center are assigned to the seven double letters of the Hebrew Alphabet, and thus also to the seven interior Holy Planets, the seven Metals of Alchemy, and the seven Tarot Keys. The three interior co-ordinates correspond to the three Hebrew Mother Letters. The twelve boundary lines represent the twelve simple Hebrew letters, the twelve Signs of the Zodiac, and to the twelve remaining Tarot Keys.
From our garden here at The Black House, we offer Solstice greetings to all in harmony with the Earth’s seasonal changes! We in the Northern Hemisphere embrace the longest day of the year as sultry Summer begins. Those in the Southern Hemisphere mark the longest night as Winter begins its chill dominion.
Wherever on this wondrous planet you might be, it is always a delight to celebrate the glories of nature and the abundant pleasures that life offers!
Here’s to a splendid new season filled with indulgence galore!
It seems there’s a Cthulhu Mythos Tarot, not surprised after all. The four first Major Arcana correspond to the Other Gods, more cosmic forces than single entities: Azathoth, Nyarlathotep, Shub-Niggurath, Yog-Sothoth
Azathoth is the innermost point, the force that binds atoms and particles together.
Yog-Sothoth is the extent of space-time, guardian of the Thresholds and Gates.
Shub Niggurath is the Great Black Mother, giver and devourer of life.
Nyarlathotep is Their messenger and Will, the herald of the chthonian supreme forces.
Occult Aspects 