The Tarot of Eli, LLC- Minor Arcana: Thoth Tarot-5 of Wands-Strife & Tarot of The Spirit-Five of Fire- The Struggle

The Thoth 5 of Wands is named-STRIFE and its corresponding card in The Tarot of The Spirit -Five of Fire is titled, The Struggle. For it is often the "path less traveled" of the self-mastery journeyer.

Which, if you ask me, is well shown in this card, as consolation, determination and focus is definitely required in this central scene of frantic and volcanic activity. The 10 radiant flames in the center of the card represent the "Sun of god", that radiates through all 10 Sephiroth.

Artfully Lady Frieda Harris displaying her knowledge of the Tantric Arts in the composition of the 5 of Wands-Strife. Here is a scene of 3 wands that could be called the Chakra Puja or Panchamakara, or the Choli Marg Tantric rituals. You can look these rituals up in the Book: THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SACRED SEXUALITY \by the author, Rufus C. Camphausen.

The objective of Tantric and Taoist sexual practices is to harmonize, balance, exchange and utilize the life energies (Vital Fire) set free during erotic play and sexual union. The Sexual Self is Spirit---it is the Adorable Fire of Life. In the instance of the 5 of Wands, the male electric-Fire is being heavily invoked by the Female Magnetic Water represented here as the Planet Saturn/Geburah the 5th Sephiroth of Severity. Once the lead like flow of energy in the "normal person", is properly invoked there is an electromagnetic surge up the spine, which causes a great unbalancing of "normal" energy levels. The ordeal deal of physical strife and re balancing, causing a great deal of bliss and a higher vibratory nature of the body’s vital energy which is known as the Adorable Fire. To the well-studied student of Qaballah, this "burning spinal column" is known as the Master's Wand and that represents the Masters Body. This is the Adorable Fire of Tantric, Gnostic, and Magick ritual….often called the Strife filled Ecstasy, which is always invoked by the communion of male electric and female magnetic. Tantra, means "communion" and/or "to expand and liberate through communion". Qabalah means-"to receive". Hence, Qabalah is both Tantric and Western Magic, as it is about receiving one's inheritance from the Divine Creative and then expanding and liberating the Mind and Body from past limits.

To the Elements, the 5's bring serious problems of unbalance.

1. The 5 of Wands-Strife, brings quarrel and strife in the Vital energy: 
2. The 5 of Cups, brings disappointment to relationships.
3. The 5 of Swords, brings defeat to health and mind.
4. The 5 of Disks, brings strangulation to income and business.

All seemingly very gloomy; However, the other cards in the divination will show how long the difficulty as well as, how serious the fives are to be taken. Really, these nasty old 5's just announce that a difficulty exists and often the solution to the problem at hand is in the other cards of the Tarot reading.

This card is often called the Lord of Strife and astrologically is Saturn in Leo, which is the influence of Geburah (The 5th Sephiroth) in the World of Pure Spirit; Atziluth of the Four Worlds.

Here the powerful heavy effects of Saturn, united with a Fire sign like Leo, brings quarreling and Strife in energy. In other words, volatility.

The Angels of the Decan are Vahaviah and Yelayel, necessary knowledge for those who wish to call on them.

Wands are a continual outpouring of force, with Saturn influence, this flow of force is agitated and disturbed by the leaded influence of time/Saturn, not unlike water flow is disturbed by rocks, causing rapids that swirl around large boulders. Therefore, in the 5 of Wands, there is contest unresolved.

Crowley's and Harris's Thoth  Card, shows the nature of the energy rather than its disturbed nature displayed by the Golden Dawn or Rider-Waite Tarot Decks, and/or the more traditional tarot decks.

In the 5 of Wands, there are shown the Lotus wand of the Golden Dawn Adeptus Minor of Tiphareth, the Phoenix Wand of the Adeptus and the Major of Geburah, all crossing the central wand of the Major Adept (winged with eye of Horus). The fact that the Major Adept Wand is central is because its position implies this severity is directed by Geburah rather than happenstance. The Phoenix wand implies resurrection from the purgation of Fire, while the Lotus Wand is of the Mother.

Many people find Geburah a difficult Intelligence to understand because she is a volcanic as Pelé (Hawaiian Volcano Goddess), all irrational disturbance, yet these disasters are derived from the benign and gentle influence of the Feminine that is Great Mother Binah. To me, this just shows Spirit's "tough love" for its incarnations. Spirit knows you are the best built Divine Self- Image yet, and have the internal strength necessary to handle anything this Universe can throw at you. Yet, because we often believe the definitions of those who "Divide and conquer" and/or "rule definition", we see ourselves as a weakness, trying to become strong. This misconception is often corrected by strife.

We are also taught to believe that mortality is a weakness, rather than the only way to experience the courageousness of our limitless Souls who came to master the Law of Limitation, and its ability to discern,  through intimate sensation, error and correct information. Immortals don't have need of courage or discernment.......they don't die. However, they also don't have sensuality which is needed to produce a discerning psyche. Therefore, Strife is seen in Qabalah as a loving corrective not a punishment.

Sensuality requires a "beginning and an end", to exist. The very fact that Soul, the true parent of your personality, is seeking sensuality by building an incarnate persona, requires severity just to make it so and a fearlessness to make it happen! For example, a certain amount of friction is required to form energy into creations. Without the severity of friction/magnetic force, form could not become form! Just so, without the friction of severity in one’s life, accomplishment, progress and evolution would not happen! We Souls knowingly build an incarnation, knowing it can be a "crapshoot" and the soul is certain severity will be applied! Happy, satiated bodies and self-satisfied minds, do not evolve and/or transform willingly, something the "Slave Masters" have learned over time. Fill their heads full of propaganda, and their bellies full of carbohydrates, and they'll be a herd of social/media controlled beasts that will follow the Ruler's anywhere.

The Tarot of The Spirit- Five of Fire-The Struggle, represents this sense of struggle, one feels outside of themselves, but in reality is happening inside them. Here one is striving but yet they feel immobilized at the same time, a sense of entropy/chaos has resulted from the presence of conflicting ideas. Here the message is allow yourself to lose/fail, and you may find that you have won instead. In this case you are merely releasing that which is obsolete. Almost like you are carrying a large filled "backpack" while hiking and after a time, you are so tired you feel like you can't go on. Therefore, you stop trying to walk forward and/or give up trying to carry everything and the "kitchen sink", and lighten you pack by throwing away what is unnecessary. In the end, your pack is light, and your walk may now continue in a more energetic step. In losing all, you will gain everything. Hence, The Master's Journey is the Five of Fire/Wands.

In the Five of Fire, we are looking down into a volcano, that is folding upon itself and represents war, conflicts and eruption. Inside is the darkest dark of the Dark Fire of the Dark Energy (Dark Fiery Energy)of the Universe and even in the flame, visible light is absent, for the Universe is move along by Dark Energy, not light. This must be understood, for progress to continue in Self-Awareness. For without "darkness" in our life, we aren't motivated to change what must be changed to move forward in life.

Once again, the blue/green colors of the Divine Feminine Understanding, is shown outside of this eruption. The abstract dark face that is sweeping in on a white cloud, is the face of destruction. What may be hard to discern on this card, is that some of the wands turn into battering rods, and some turn into lazer like crystal rods. The lasers emerge to cut away what is "unnecessary" in the personality; what is not the Real You. The outmoded battering rods, of self incrimination, are now outmoded and are useless.The divinatory meanings of this card are comparable to the Thoth card.

When the 5 of Wands or the Five of Fire, is thrown during a divination

It implies:

• That the querent is involve in a spiritual conflict. 
• This frustrating  internal conflict can ensue for 5 weeks or 5 months .
• The solution of  a strife filled situation depends on the diligence of the querent.
• Here, the querent is adjusting the identity, struggling with self-doubt while striving to move forward.
• There may be a struggle or strenuous warfare- like competition for riches and success, a kind of battle in life.
•  The querent might also feel like they are in an impasse, powerless in a time of trial and difficulty. 
• Release of tension, mostly through conflict.
• The querent is on the "path less traveled" and finding the going difficult. 

Ill defined by surrounding negative cards:

• Restlessness. 
• Rash actions. 

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