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The Spiral Tarot- king of Swords
Crowley choose to call his King of Swords a Knight of Swords, which is comparable to the traditional Kings. His reasoning was simply because Master Theron, understood the Tetragrammaton-YHVY- where King-Queen-Princess and Prince are involved. He also believed in the Actions of Chokmah, the 2nd Sephirotic Being, who is "Will To Force", an Active Fire and the first Masculine expression that rules the Kings and simply is not passive. The Knight of Swords is the fiery part of air, as all the Thoth Kings are the fiery part of their element and are not prone to sitting on their authoritative butts, directing others. Rather his King/Knights, are out in the forefront of battle, chargers leaping, weapons swinging, kicking the opposition's "behind". To Crowley's reckoning, Kings are expressions of "Will to Force"/Chokmah. Other traditional decks also have knights, but these are the "Princes" in Crowley's Tarot.
Thoth-Knight of swords
The Thoth Tarot-Knight of Swords is the fiery part of Air and rules from 21 degrees Taurus to 20 degrees Gemini. The Knight of Swords represents the personification of the activating Force behind the World of Astral images and Architectures. The Knight is attributed to subtle actions and craftiness; as the element-Air this card refers to the personality of the conscious mind/Self-Consciousness.
The Thoth Deck Card shows the Knight mounted on a charger (symbolizes the dynamic energy of Taurus) with swords extended which represents the violent cutting power of this Mental Force.
As a Archetype personality, The Knight/King of Swords represents a mature male with a cutting edge consciousness at its ultimate phase of creative control and will. Often involved in matters of justice, discipline, civic and personal order.
yama
In Hindu Mythology, The Knight/King of Swords is the personification of ***Yama the Bull God who gave up his Earth life to become King of the Underworld. A powerful judge, a godlike authority, and an embodiment of discipline and order. Because of the dual nature of Gemini this personality can either absorb his/her entire life in concentrated aspiration, or can go the entirely opposite way and become incapable of decision or purpose becoming weak in action. Again the surrounding cards will show which aspect of Gemini (the twins) is directing the Dynamic power of Taurus.
***Yama (Hinduism)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article is about the deity Yama in the Hindu tradition. For the deity Yama in other religious traditions, see Yama. For other uses, see Yama (disambiguation)."Dharma (Hinduism)" redirects here. For the Hindu concept, see Dharma. DeathयमDeva Naraka Pluto Om Surya puthraya Vidhmahe MahaKalaya Dheemahi Thanno Yama Prachodayath Dandawater buffalo Hades .
In Hindu Religion, Yama (Sanskrit: यम), is the lord of death. In the Rigveda, he is mentioned as one who helped humankind find a place to dwell, and gave every individual the power to tread any path to which s/he wants. In Vedic tradition, Yama was considered to be the first mortal who died and espied the way to the celestial abodes; thus, as a result, he became the ruler of the departed. Yama's name can be interpreted to mean "twin", and in some myths he is paired with a twin sister Yami. Yama is associated with various roles in Hinduism that are not always consistent throughout the stories. Sometimes, he is the lord of justice and is associated with Dharma, such as in the Brahma Purana; in other Puranas, Yama has no association with Dharma at all. Yama is also found in Buddhist texts. The Buddhist Yama, however, has developed different myths.
After reading this Wikipedia essay on Yama and Yami, the "twins", and the fact he is also known as the "bull god", we can see why Yama is the personification of this personality archetype who is Gemini in Taurus.
In Tarot- the Knight/King of Swords is considered the archetype of the Mastery of Passionate Thinking and Intentionality.
By now many of us know that the Tarot Court Cards represent personality Archetypes. In the book: TAROT-Dictionary and Compendium, Jana Riley describes Archetypes ; The original Archetype was a thought in the Mind of God-male and female. The Supreme Mind became enamored with this thought and created life in Its image by the friction of Its Word-or by the motion of Its sound. This caused the Universe to divide into ordered strata, and because creation is within the Mind of God, everything is a model or a copy of the original pattern, which is God.
This makes God 0=2; Anima and Animus are the 2, who then go about seeking to become 1.
Tarot personality birth -wheel.
The court cards are pictures of 16 different core- personality types, as shown on the Tarot birth chart. 8 proven by Carl Jung, and later 8 more by Katherine Briggs and Isabel Myers who devised the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ( MBTI) which, for now, is arguably the most accurate tool used by counseling centers around the world. Proving once again the Ancient Wisdom of the Qabalistic-Tarot and how we are slowly coming out of the amnesia imposed on us by the concussive Slave Age of the Patriarch.
The Thoth Knight of Swords is seen to be flying over water. In alchemy, elemental air is associated with the Mind and elemental Water is intuition and emotions. Therefore, this combination of air and water represents passionate thinking. 3 swallows represent the union of mind and heart with all action proceeding in united direction. Swallows are also known as the sacred birds of Isis, the Egyptian Great All Mother, who is the heart of her Son the Prince. This serves to remind us that focus, will, and intention, and love must be aligned to achieve any goal. The 3 swallows could also represent the Triple Goddess of-Maid, Mother and Crone.
Trinity Goddess.
Trinity Goddess.
The dagger in the left hand and the sword in the right hand, represent yin/yang (Yama/Yami), (feminine/masculine, Anima-Animus) forces of One energy. Female is magnetic force and male is electric force, both must be combined to create a balanced unity called life and/or living forms. We know this Divine Marriage as "electromagnetic energy".
yin yang; 0=2
Four wings, on the Thoth Knight's helm, are four directions, north, south, east and west; each represent four levels of conscious: mental, emotional, spiritual and physical.
The six pointed star at the center of the wings, symbolizes illumined clarity and spiritual guidance. Golden armor represents powerful fluid thinking.
To reiterate:
The Knight of Swords is called "the fiery part of Air" which may confuse you, but really He represents the violent power of motion applied to air. He rules from the 21st degree of Taurus to the 20th degree of Gemini. He is a armored warrior whose helmet bares a rotating wing and is mounted on a rampaging steed. With both sword and poniard in hand, he is the very idea of Attack.
He is the Spirit of the Tempest.
The Knight of Swords can be compared to the Lightning bolt of an idea absorbing the entire life of one, in concentrated aspiration. There will be Live and Evil (live spelled backwards) here.
The stubborn Will of Taurus and the Inspiration of Gemini are also applied here. The Knight of Swords represents the True Will (of the Soul) exploding the mind spontaneously. What many of us forget or have been indoctrinated to forget, is that True Will is not empathetic---Spirit has no need for empathy, as it never Dies and the Love of Self is its e-motion. Those of us Spirit-personalities, who are fortunate enough to inherit a human body, now know how to empathize with the "living" and will adjust our ideas to accommodate the expansion and liberation of the living from their poverty of self-imposed or ruler-imposed definitions rather than just erase "others" with visions of tempestuous velocity and/or of immense violence. Love of idea without empathy is a Terrible Tempest of Self-Absorbed Desire, where the Vision is more important than the living. Hence, this Card reminds us to take time to love being, for the body human is a Vision of Divine's Will-To-Be that must be our Vision Center, so that we can "feel" the force of our own Ideas, and restructure them to care for the living rather than sacrifice people to our ideals.
The first Male force is Chokmah, the 2nd Sephiroth that is known as Wisdom, also is the primeval "Will to Force" and is a mental-tempest of force that rules the Knight of Swords. Chokmah also represents the beginning state of conscious energy that is masculine in action. Therefore, Chokmah is the "idea of male" and it's mate, Binah, is the "idea of Female". When one exists, so does the other, just as time/space or electric/magnetic. Now we have the concepts of Father-Mother God and/or the Divine Creative who is 0=2.
Chokmah being the 2nd Sephira, is also the Force behind the four 2's and the four Knights, that launches ideas towards Binah, "the womb of Mind", who receives and Understands; understanding is the foundation of love, and therefore, beginning formation through gestation. Wisdom is learning, such as when one slams their finger in a door, they learn to not do that! However, Understanding, requires the knowledge of both the force, and form of a door and fingers; such as why fingers are different from wood, observation of finger placement, forces and the forms of a shutting door. Hence, Wisdom and Understanding both come together to prevent shutting one's finger in the door. One may say that Wisdom is "do or don't do that", and Understanding is knowing why not to do this or that and therefore, what to do is now knowledge.
The Twos/Twins symbolize the Forces of the King, who are shown in the Thoth Tarot as Knights/Battle Kings. The four Queens unite and initialize the "will to Force" of the Knights with the Understanding of "Will to Form". Hence, the Knight-Kings are the Fathers of and/or initiators of Material Forces.
Therefore the Tarot King/Knight of swords personality is also known in the Western Hermetic Qaballah as Lord of Winds and Breezes. King of the Elemental Spirits of the Air; the Sylphs and Sylphides. This is a very Strong masculine mental force whose zodiacal attributes are the last Decan of Taurus and the first two Decans of Gemini, and just as able to switch directions of thought, as the wind.
As stated, The Knight/Kings are have Specific Fire in Primal Air that is the personification of a Force behind the World of Astral Images and Architecture. This Power is violent, aggressive, and a cutting edged force that is much like a overheated wind or a powerful dual edged sword.
The symbols of this Mad Movement, is depicted in the art of the Spiral King of Swords, as waves of air surge around him, whipping his hair into disarray around a crown topped with feathers...that also signify the Element of Air. The Eagle is also a symbol often used to define Air as is the Triangle with bar. With sword in one hand, and scepter with orb in the other, this king is all about just law, logic and knowledge. He is a good friend but lacks warmth and empathy. On the Thoth Card, his maddened steed is charging down from the heavens, with tempest about, smearing the clouds and armed with both sword and poniard, he is the very personification of the idea of attack. The Bull like power of Taurus is represented in his steed and the Twins of Gemini are shown in his armament. The crest on his Helm (his personality) is a revolving wing, showing violent motion in the 4 directions of air, much like a helicopter beats the air into submission.
There is no Mad Movement depicted on The art of Both King and Knight cards. Depicted here, is the Ultimate Male expression of the 2nd Sephirotic Being, Chokmah. The fact that he is the "fiery part of Air", is shown by the fiery lines around his head and the wavy and spiral lines of energy . Both the fact that he is a figure of Male authority in the aspect of one's self as an inner strength and knowledge of the suit of Swords, he can also represent a dominant Male figure of authority on one's life. The Amethyst dark purple jems and robe of authority indicate that he has mastered the mental process of I AM, knowing the power of Declaration which forms into manifestation. Therefore, King also implies the knowledge of Yin Yang as harmony in spirit-mind-body. This is a card of arrival. Here resides the one who knows "I AM my own authority". He has arrived at O=2 and the inner Yin has married the inner Yang.
Amethyst stones symbolize chastity, piety and trust. Amethyst became the gemstone of the Catholic Church and even today many bishops and cardinals wear it. A large number of relics from the Middle Ages are lined with amethyst crystals, even though they were quite rare in those days.
tarot personality birth-wheel.
Such a character, if personal, would be that of a person who is clever, skillful, active and subtle. Being that he is fierce, delicate, and courageous, much like a ferocious but fragile Dragon Fly, does not keep him from being prey to his ideas which come as inspiration without consideration. Often such a personality finds, that inadequate violent action is merely futile effort at best, and therefore can "over react", which tends to make them emotionally unstable. Famous Knight of Swords personalities include, Baron Münchhausen, Arthur Conan Doyle, Pope John Paul II, Malcom X, Queen Victoria, John Wayne, John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, and Cher.
However we choose to dignify this Knight/King, he is the "Extended Flame of mind" as Zoroaster calls it. Here the True Will To Force, as Chokmah is exploding the Mind into 0=2. The Taurian influence, makes it steadfast and the first Decanate of Gemini makes it inspirational; thus an Idea tends to absorb the entire life of the individual in the blinding light of concentrated aspiration. Thus the description shows the danger to this state of mind, for the first Decan is also known as "shortened force" and that shortened force is symbolized by the poniard. Shortened force often comes off as defensive, cruel and stubborn behavior.
WHEN THE KNIGHT of SWORDS/KING IS THROWN DURING A READING:
The querent is or may be experiencing:
This Archetypal personality is a person:
- Who possesses qualities of skill, activity, subtlety and cleverness combined with fierceness.
- S/He is both delicate and courageous while also being prey of his inspirational idea--- that he doesn't question.
- Power.
- Authority.
- Militant intelligence.
- Law.
If ill dignified:
- The Card represents inadequate violence, which is useless and futile.
- The vigor in all the qualities before mentioned, is gone...merely a convulsion of breezes rather than a Tempest- a-charging!
- Cruelty.
- Evil intentions.
- Perfidy.
- Perversity.
- Barbarity.
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