The Tarot of Eli, LLC-Minor Arcana: Thoth Tarot- 5 of Wands-Strife & The Declarative Tarot-Layers of Passion-N0. 5-Perseverance.

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#5. I recognize the manifestation of undeviating justice in all the circumstances of my life.

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The Thoth 5 of Wands is titled STRIFE, which, if you ask me Strife is well shown in this card, as consolation and focus is required in this scene of frantic and volcanic activity of reds and yellows. Artfully Lady Frieda Harris displaying her knowledge of the Tantric Arts in the composition of the Thoth- 5 of Wands-Strife. Here is a scene of three wands that could be called the Chakra Puja or Pancharmakara, and/or the Choli Marg Tantric rituals. You can look these rituals up in the Book: THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF EROTIC WISDOM by the author, Rufus C. Camphausen. The Angels of the Decan are Vahaviah and Yelayel.

In the Thoth 5 of Wands, are shown the Lotus wand of the Golden Dawn Adeptus Minor of Tiphareth, the Phoenix Wand of the Adeptus, all crossing the central wand of the Major Adept. The fact that the Major Adept Wand is central is because its position implies this severity is directed by Geburah-Severity rather than happenstance and therefore, a necessary conquest that must be reached to create a Major Adept. The Major Adept wand is also gray in color as in this card it is made of Lead-the metal of Saturn. The Phoenix wand implies resurrection from the purgation of Fire, while the Lotus Wand is of the mother-water.

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 and in the union of *Daka and Dakini, it enlivens, rejuvenates, and renews the body as every chakra spins up to its divine nature. In the instance of the five of Wands, the male electric-Fire is being heavily invoked by the Female Magnetic Water. Achieving an Electromagnetic surge of energy-in-motion that may cause a great deal of physical/emotional strife and rebalancing as the mixing of Primal Fire (masculine) and Primal Water (feminine), creates the Cosmic Fire that is the energy of all living things. After balance is once again achieved it causes a great deal of bliss and an elevation and/or higher vibratory nature of the body’s vital energy which is known as the Adorable Fire. Surging energy causes an imbalance that shakes loose habitual emotional reactions. This equilibrium of male electric fire and female-magnetic water is the Adorable Fire of Tantric, Gnostic, and Magic ritual…. often called the Strife filled Ecstasy, which is always invoked by the communion of male electric and female magnetic.

*

In Tantric practice, a "Daka" and a "Dakini" are important concepts.

1. Daka: A Daka refers to a male practitioner in Tantric traditions. Dakas (Hero) are often seen as embodiments of masculine energy and are considered adept in various Tantric rituals and practices. They play a crucial role in Tantric ceremonies, often working in partnership with Dakinis to facilitate spiritual growth and transformation.

2. Dakini: A Dakini (Sky dancer), on the other hand, is a female practitioner in Tantric traditions. Dakinis are often regarded as embodiments of feminine energy and are associated with wisdom, compassion, and enlightenment. They are guides and sources of inspiration for Tantric practitioners, helping them on their spiritual journey.

Dakas and Dakinis often work together in Tantric rituals and practices to explore and harness the union of masculine and feminine energies, aiming for spiritual awakening and realization. Their roles can vary depending on the specific Tantric tradition and practice being followed.

To the well-studied student of Qabalah, the Central Wand shown on the Thoth Card, is the Master Adept's Wand of Geburah/Severity, which represents the master's Body. Again, the Master Adept's Wand is shown in the color of lead, for it is assigned Saturn and the heaviness of Time (Saturn represents the Old God Cronos-Time) is the cause of this Strife. In modern society, trying to "beat the clock" is a strife ridden endeavor. Yet Strife also shows us that we are "up against" mental and emotional boundaries and must either back off or reestablish new ones.

 However, any surge of energy causes a noticeable, often severe, imbalance in the neophyte and to the Elements; therefore, the 5's can 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. Hence all 5's seem gloomy; However, the other cards in the divination will show you how long the difficulty as well as, how serious the 5's are to be taken. Really, this nasty old 5's just announce that a difficulty exists and often the solution to the problem is at hand and is often shown in the other cards of the Tarot reading.

There is significance and meaning to Saturn being in the house of Leo. The Saturn in Leo people are more often good leaders who have the right level of control and discipline to get the work done, be they of evil or good intent. Saturn in Leo is Fire & Fixed. There are many celebrities With Saturn in Leo, such as, Adolf Hitler, Nelson Mandela, Freddie Mercury, Charlie Chaplin, Beethoven. Those whose who have Saturn in Leo, are notable cautious, controlled, focused, intense, and disciplined, yet they may also show a sense of good-humor, all characteristics of self -mastery. However, if the person favor's the shadow side of this fixed fire combination, they are usually egocentric, bossy, ridged, cruel and often extremely strict, such as Adolf Hitler and become prone to suicide.

As stated, the Lord of Strife astrologically is Saturn in Leo, which is the influence of Geburah (The 5th Sephiroth) in the World of Pure Spirit; the Archetypal world of Atziluth of the Four Qabalistic Worlds. Here the powerful heavy effects of Saturn, shown as the central Major Adepts Wand made of lead, united with a Fire sign like Leo, brings quarreling and Strife in energy. In other words, volatility, and struggle. This sounds contradictory as Leo, the Sun, Loves the fiery nature of Geburah and Geburah implies severe motion while offering environmental strength and activity. However, Saturn, whose metal is Lead, presents a heavy and constant resistance to motion as Time itself often seems to resist movement. What we often are unaware of, is that we get used to "imbalance", thinking it "normal". Therefore, the five of Wands comes by to show us otherwise.

Wands are a continual outpouring of force and with Saturn influence, this flow of force is agitated and disturbed, not unlike water flow is disturbed by rocks, causing rapids. Thus, in the five of Wands there is contest unresolved. Crowley/Harris's Thoth Card shows the nature of the energy rather than its natural conflict as displayed by the Modern Witch Tarot, Golden Dawn, or Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Decks, (all of which are in my blogs) or the many other traditional Tarot Decks.

The Declarative Tarot-Layers of Passion-No. 5-Perseverance's power is to unite all things predisposed to be together, thereby facilitating friendship, emotional bonds, and nurturing memory. Learning is also enhanced, along with creative/intellectual excellence, and dynamism. The primary meaning of this card is about a challenge that leads back to uncertainty, but you must persevere and push forward regardless of the challenges, or situations facing you. Fear and doubt will be your companions and allow them to walk beside you as they will learn the wisdom of your journey and will lose their power to delay you.

There are three scenarios surrounded by three circles.

The upper right scene is of a flimsy stack of cards ready to collapse. Implying you need to apply yourself to persevere, the flexed bicep and must follow your inner light (light bulb) and not be distracted by emotional reactions to the environmental issues outside of you. Then there is a glass temperature gauge representing the degrees of challenges, take an emotional temperature before making a choice.

Then there is the next circle, with a Sisyphus style of image implying that there are trying times where it seems like one is attempting to push a large boulder up a sand dune, requiring tremendous perseverance. Here you must examine the process, does the shortest route really get you there faster, while losing yourself in the process? Remember, perseverance is about continuing without giving up which may need a change of approach and has nothing to do with sacrificing yourself to the issue at hand.

The lower circle is a scene of a mountain climber, struggling against wind and rain while trying to climb to the summit. Rather than stand and get blown down the mountain, the climber shows intelligent perseverance by crawling forward letting the rock face show him the purchase necessary to climb against the resistance facing him.

In between the circular scenes are a lock, a key, and a large eye. Here represented are symbols of the inner-"I", the divine self is the guide in the process of perseverance, and the key to putting the pieces together and knowing what key opens what door. It takes perseverance to find the key necessary to unlock the locked doors that often confront us.

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 the Divine Feminine's "tough love" for her "children". The Trinity Goddess built us as the most advanced I AM- Image yet on Earth (created out of the Universal Archetype for Divine Creative) and we have the internal strength necessary to handle anything this Universe can throw at us. Yet, because we often believe the definitions of those who "rule definition" (outside authority) as well as suffering from a "mind virus" and/or "false ego" in our subconsciousness, we see ourselves as a weakness and face futility by trying to become strong using indoctrination or dogma as "true life" which also causes only strife. Surprisingly, these contrived misconceptions are often corrected by strife, forcing us to become more magical and less tragic. However, we are also taught to believe that mortality is a weakness, rather than the only way to experience the natural balance of the transformations of energy and matter, thereby turning information into knowledge by the intimate experience of information as in-form-action. Besides, as immortal Souls, the necessary wisdom comes from learning discernment through sensation and/or in-form-action which is something we call "experience". Experience turns information into knowledge. We are Beings of Light, (Celestial) who have "descended" into and around Matter. We are not Matter seeking to become Light as that would be silly, for Matter is just coagulated/condensed light that has is a creation of an alchemical process of "Will to Force" and "Will to Form" creating the "Will to Be!"

The Immortal Solar Self (Soul) has no physical senses; hence no discomfort or comfort is ever felt nor is there a need for courage...the Psyche doesn't die as it isn't measured. Hence there is no fear of death, and therefore, without fear and sensation there is no empathy.  The solution to this problem is to "become manifest". Thus, strife is a loving corrective not a punishment.   Sensuality requires a "beginning and an end" (time), to exist.  The very fact that Soul of you is seeking sensuality by enlivening an incarnate persona measured in Time/Space also requires severity/friction just to make boundaries and a fearlessness to transform them!  For example, a certain amount of friction is required to form energy into creations or even to move, for that matter. Without the severity of friction/magnetic force/gravity/Time/Space, etc.., form could not become form nor could the adorable fire that is cosmic life animating a form and thereby KNOW ITSELF! The Soul has chosen to sacrifice senselessness for sensation through manifesting an "image of Self" in a world of measurement. Therefore, without the friction of severity in one’s life, intelligent accomplishment, progress, and evolution would not happen! 

In Western Hermetic Qabalah, this card is also often called: The Master's Journey card (for to Master Time/Space is a master's journey). In numerology, the number 5 usually indicates someone who is full of fiery energy but often is unable to channel it responsibly. This number brings adaptability, independence of thought and action, and often an unwillingness to conform to all of which eventually contributes to leadership. Therefore, the number 5-Strife can be used to increase versatility and independence. However, 5 carries a caveat, which is that such people must guard against an overwhelming desire for change by being consumed by variation to such an extent that they are unable to maintain happiness without it. Again, Adolf Hitler is a good example of that failure. 

When the 5/Five of Wands is thrown during a divination It implies:

• That the querent is involved in a spiritual conflict. 
• This frustrating conflict can ensue for 5 weeks or 5 months because of this confusion of ideas.  
• The solution 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, but without bitterness.
• The querent might also feel like they are in an impasse, powerless in a time of trial and difficulty.
• Proving one's own abilities (like in a sporting competition).
• Gain clarity around your intent.

If ill defined by the surrounding cards, it implies:

• Recklessness as in rash actions.
• Impulsiveness.
• Bitterness towards others.

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