Come forth, o children, under the stars, & take your fill of love! (AL I, 12)

Chapter 2 — Wands

Ace of Wands

The Aces, attributable to Kether, have few discernible characteristics. They provide the root or source for the four elements, but the singularity of the root means that nothing of the nature of the elements themselves will be visible until the Twos.

The element of fire is primarily associated with motion, energy and will. Motion only has meaning when compared to a particular reference point or points, and is therefore a modification to — or destruction of — form. As physical fire is obviously more than capable of destroying form, the nomenclature is appropriate.

Fire also represents the Sun, in particular the warmth and light that the Sun radiates, the energy that makes all life on this planet possible. It represents the transformation of latent energy into work (such as in the process of combustion), the releasing and freeing of fuel — it is the “prime mover” that makes physical change possible. It has the power of penetration, and the ability to refine.

For this reason, it is one of the two active elements, the other being air. Water and earth comprise the two passive elements, for reasons which will become clear as we progress.

Another method of classifying the elements — and one adopted by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn — is by temperature and dryness. The active elements are described as “hot,” for the reasons described above, whilst the passive elements are described as “cold.” For dryness:

Aristotle explains that Moistness is the quality of fluidity or flexibility, which allows a thing to adapt to its external conditions, whereas Dryness is the quality of rigidity, which allows a thing to define its own shape and bounds. As a consequence Moist things tend to be volatile and expansive, since they can fill spaces in their surroundings, whereas Dry things are fixed and structured, since they define their own form.[1]

The element of fire is given the quality of dryness, since it resists the imposition of form. Interestingly, far from what the above quotation suggests, it is not the rigidity of fire which enables it to resist the imposition of form, but its insubstantiality, and its unstable and destructive power. This can be taken in comparison to the element of earth, the other dry element, to which the above rationale applies very nicely.

For the purpose of the small cards of the Tarot, the suit of Wands[2] is attributed to fire, and as we progress down the Tree of Life this suit will show the progression of the concepts of motion, power and will from conception through to physical manifestation in the individual.

Two of Wands

As the first extension from the Root of the Powers of Fire, representing the ideal nature of the element, the Two of Wands signifies the accomplishment of objectives through force: dominion. Since Chokmah is the change sephirah of the archetypal triad, it signifies the ideal motion of the element of fire, which is to forcibly cause change through extension of the Will. Being an ideal above the Abyss, there are no negative connotations of the element of fire (such as erraticism and foolhardiness) here.

In its ascendant decan, Aries is newly formed, free of influence from the other fire signs, and combined with the rulership of Mars which is the natural ruler of Aries, this leads to an extremely energetic and forceful card, representing “pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result,”[3] will that has not been contaminated by any other considerations and exists solely to fulfill its own nature.

Accordingly, the will of the Two of Wands cannot be said to have any purpose beyond acting unconsciously according to its nature, and there is a suggestion of the inevitability of motion and the lack of “free will.” Therefore although the Two is free from the contamination of other sources, it is also cut off from other considerations, and exists alone; as the first emanation from the Root, it has not yet come into contact with others. There is, in fact, no way for it to fulfill any purpose, since it is aware of nothing else which it can affect, but such contradictions present no problems above the Abyss.

Three of Wands

Binah being the stability sephirah of the archetypal triad, the Three of Wands represents the ideal manifestation of the element of fire. The purposeless motion of the Two has been harnessed into form, and given a direction. The motion has been formed into character, and a distinction can now be made between “right motion” and “wrong motion,” which is the foundation of virtue. “Right” and “wrong” in this sense can, of course, only be judged according to the nature of that character; there is no suggestion of morality with reference to an external code, here. The Three of Wands represents the “true will” insofar as it signifies the idea of a “proper” and “natural” course.

In its succedent decan — representing the establishment and harmony of the sign — Aries is influenced by Leo, and the ruler of this decan — the Sun — is also the natural ruler of that sign, reinforcing this influence. This significant solar influence gives weight to the idea of character, individuality, and balance, the Sun representing the “centre of gravity” around which the other elements of the personality revolve. The function of Leo on the pure energy of Aries is here equivalent to the stabilising function of Binah on the will of Chokmah.

The form of Binah gives rise to the possibility of discrimination and choice, relieving the inevitability of the Two. It is still above the Abyss, however, so the virtue of the Three remains an unmanifest ideal, and nothing can yet be actually accomplished. However, the ideas of energy and of the harnessing of energy into direction are both present, so a movement into the actual can now proceed.

Four of Wands

With the crossing of the Abyss, the element of fire can now fulfill its function: the accomplishment of objectives, the completion of tasks. This completion suggests the ordering of the environment according to will, and Chesed is the stability sephirah of the actual triad. The Four of Wands represents the imposition of order through force.

In its cadent decan, the energy of Aries is dissipating, as it is being “used up” in the accomplishment of objectives. Further, as the first progression over the Abyss, the perfection of the ideals is lost as the element descends into manifestation. Sagittarius — which, amongst other things, signifies a need for growth and expansion — influences this decan, and the idea of completion suggests the expansion of empire, the bringing of more and more elements under the control of the will. This idea of expansion — which, ideally, should be symmetrical — is also suggested by the planetary ruler, Venus, representing balance and harmony, as well as the necessity for “tact and gentleness”[4] in building and maintaining a stable and ordered empire.

Being below the Abyss, all the Fours contain within themselves the seeds of their ultimate demise. In the case of the Four of Wands, the establishment of order in conformity with will contains within itself the idea of the breakdown of that order. Unlike the form of the Three, which is “natural,” the order of the Four must be enforced, and constant energy is required for its maintenance.

Five of Wands

As we continue down the Tree of Life, the order — the equilibrium — established in the Four can only progress in one way; that order must be disturbed if it is to change. This is strife, attributed to Geburah, the change sephirah of the actual triad. Actual motion from an ordered state can only lessen that order. This card is an illustration of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the idea that the entropy of an isolated system which is not in equilibrium will tend to increase over time. As the constant energy which is required for the maintainance of order in the Four weakens, disorder will inevitably increase, and the rule of the Four will be broken.

This strife should not be viewed as necessarily “negative”; it is the nature of will to move, after all. Moreover, all is imperfection below the Abyss, and the order of the Four can become stifling. Indeed, as the Second Law of Thermodynamics states, the entropy of an isolated system will tend to increase over time. It is the strife of the Five that adds energy to the system to combat entropy, that keeps it from remaining isolated. It is true that the nature of the order will change from the plan of the Four, but “This is the creation of the world, that the pain of division is as nothing, and the joy of dissolution all.”[5] Yet, “for all that, a disturbance is a disturbance.”[6]

In its ascendant decan, the individuality of Leo is new, and demands expression. There is a suggestion of rebelliousness against the accepted order, here, for this sole purpose, which could be the source of the strife. Conversely, the “uncontaminated” energy of Leo in its first decan could suggest an overly idealistic nature and a disconnect with reality, leading directly to the strife which prevents the establishment of the ideal order. In either case, the influence of Saturn refers to the heavy inevitability of physics, and the impossibility of maintaining imposed order indefinitely. Saturn is a hard teacher, especially in the area of discoupling youth from its idealistic aspirations.

Six of Wands

In the Six, the imposed order of the Four and the strife of the Five achieve resolution; idealistic aspirations are replaced with practical ones. A dynamic equilibrium is achieved, where there is order, but no attachment to any particular form of order. A task is accomplished, and completion is achieved, but then the will moves on, recognising that its nature is always to act, always to change; there has been a victory, but that victory forms a base for further action, not a permanent resting place. The Six of Wands signifies a full acquiescence in the idea that “Stability is change. Change is stability.”[7] Indeed, by forming a downward pointing triangle — much as water inevitably flows downwards through a channel — it is the stability and change sephiroth of the actual triad — Chesed and Geburah — that are resolved in Tiphareth. Will succeeds in maintaining order, but does not seek to maintain the same order all the time.

The individuality of Leo is at its full strength in its succedent decan, understanding itself and its place in the universe and acquiescing fully in that nature. The tendency towards expansion inherent in Sagittarius — which influences this decan — tempers Leo's stubborn pride, and this drive for expansion (reinforced by the rulership of Jupiter, the natural ruler of Sagittarius and itself indicative of ordered benevolent rule and expansion) overcomes the attachment of Leo to any fixed ideas of its own self, successfully inducing it to accept the transitory nature of order which vastly improves its chances of mastering it: “Bind nothing! Let there be no difference made among you between any one thing & any other thing; for thereby there cometh hurt.”[8] The strife of the Five can be “overcome” by simply accepting it, and working with it, rather than against it.

In successfully maintaining this dynamic equilibrium, will is able to achieve its transitory ends and win its victories, and the Six of Wands represents the best manifestation of the element of fire, and its ultimate nature on the actual plane.

Seven of Wands

With the crossing of the Veil of Paroketh, and the descent into the individual triad, the element of fire degrades further. The valour of the Seven suggests an attempt in the face of significant difficulties to achieve the victory of the Six, and success is not assured. If the individual will is aligned with the “universal will” then victory will be attained, but being cut off from Tiphareth by the Veil of Paroketh the “universal will” is concealed from the individual. On the individual plane, the purpose of the element of fire in the change sephirah is to motivate and drive the individual, to spur him to courage in the face of adversity. Cut off from his true nature, the individual is faced with uncertainty, and to proceed into the unknown requires bravery.

In the cadent decan, the individuality and confidence of Leo is dissipating, and the energy from the influence of Aries is suggestive of a “final big push” towards his goal. The influence of Mars — the natural ruler of Aries — does not contain the expansional and balancing qualities of Sagittarius and Jupiter, and there is a real risk of the individual's efforts, however valiant, being misdirected, and the defects inherent in the element of fire are here painfully visible. The effect of the Mars–Aries combination in Leo is to ferment ambition, but untempered ambition is usually blind; the individual may well be fighting a losing battle if this ambition represents the greater part of his resources.

Yet, for all that, the individual requires courage and drive to proceed with any plan, and it is in the Seven that this courage lies.

Eight of Wands

The Eight of Wands is referred} to Hod, the stability sephirah of the individual triad. Whereas the valour of the Seven was somewhat “blind,” the structuring capabilities of Hod enable something to be done about that. Crowley says of the Eights that they “come as (in a sense) a remedy for the error of the Sevens. The mischief has been done; and there is now a reaction against it. One may, therefore, expect to find that, while there is no possibility of perfection in the cards of this number, they are free from such essential and original errors as in the Lower case.”[9]

An analogy can be made between the Eight of Wands and an electrical circuit. The individual triad is setting up the manifestation of the element of fire, which will appear in the Ten. Blind energy is not sufficient; it must be directed. As great a power source as is desired may be attached to a copper wire, but in the absence of a well-formed circuit current will not flow, and no work will be done. Furthermore, the power is likely to be diverted to a catastrophic and unintended end if the wire is not insulated and the charge contained. This is not a “restriction” in the sense of AL I, 41, but a definition. The Eight is the partner of the Three on the individual plane; the Three contained the promise of virtue, but the Eight provides the structuring mechanism itself. By optimising that structure to the circumstances and the desired ends, energy can be made to flow in an efficient and single-minded manner: there will be swiftness, the irony of removing restrictions by creating constraints.

The ascendant decan of Sagittarius is “uncontaminated” by the other signs. As the mutable sign of the element of fire, the energy is beginning to decline, the error of the uncontrolled force in the Seven being learned. The tendency towards expansion inherent in Sagittarius tempers this energy and channels and structures it, so that the will may be harnessed towards progress. That being said, this far down the Tree, cut off from the actual triad by the Veil of Paroketh, let alone from the archetypal triad by the Abyss, there will always be an element of inefficiency, and the structuring of the will, unchecked, can stifle it, and paradoxically lead to a lack of the very direction it was created to provide. The rulership of Mercury brings an element of trickery and falsehood, and this far down the tree the structuring of Hod can be misdirected as often as properly directed. It also signifies the fickle nature of the mind, which will be the primary structuring instrument. Plans can be made, but if the will — consciously or unconsciously — is misdirected due to the “helpfulness” of the mind, then those plans will be a positive impediment: “If Will stops and cries Why, invoking Because, then Will stops & does nought. If Power asks why, then is Power weakness.”[10] The structuring tendency must be kept firmly in its place if misfortune is to be avoided.

Nine of Wands

Returning to the middle pillar, the Nine of Wands harmonises the force of the Seven with the structure of the Eight, resulting in strength. Crowley said of the Nines that they give “the full impact of the elemental force, but in its most material sense; that is, of the idea of the force.”[11] Of the Nine of Wands in particular he says “of all the important doctrines concerning equilibrium, this is the easiest to understand, that change is stability; that stability is guaranteed by change; that if anything should stop changing for the fraction of a split second, it would go to pieces.”[12] The purpose of will on the individual plane is to drive the individual, to provide him with the strength and the energy to accomplish his objectives, whatever they may be, and he obtains this strength by properly structuring force, by harnessing motion into form. Properly applied, this strength will result in victory, attributed to the Six of Wands, the next highest sephirah on the middle pillar.

Sagittarius is at the height of its strength in its succedent decan, and the Nine represents its successful expansion into the environment, the extension of force outwards from its centre which it will use to bring its environment under control. The influence of Aries on this decan adds force to that expansion. The rulership of the Moon, which is naturally attributed to Yesod, signifies the purely reflective nature of the influence of Hod on the force of Netzach, the mind accurately interpreting and channeling the will rather than thwarting it by imposing its own favourite structures. It is this reflective nature, this clearing the mind of restrictive structure, that enables the individual to discover and harness the will. The rulership of the Moon in its natural sephirah frees it from the illusory connotations that it often carries, and renders it a perfect mirror, allowing for the uncontaminated transmission of the will.

The ideal strength of the Nine arises when the structure imposed by Hod is perfectly suited to the energy of the Seven, channelling the right kind of energy in the right way; a lack of strength more usually results from a misapplication of force due to a misunderstanding of will, rather than from a deficit of force: “a Man who is doing his True Will has the inertia of the Universe to assist him.”[13] The Nine represents the perfect operation of the element of fire in the individual plane.

Ten of Wands

The Tens represent the complete physical manifestation of the element, to the exclusion of the others. The Twos were also isolated, but above the Abyss the ideal can contain no imperfection; here, at the bottom of the Tree, the elements are exhausted, and devoid of further progression. The Ten of Wands illustrates the results of applying “force, force, and nothing else but force all the time”;[14] the result is oppression. This is not the power of will, but the power of the individual to resist it, to steadfastly refuse to listen to his own nature and engage in a continual fight against it which he has no hope of winning, an oppressive standoff which, without the aid of the other elements, will be eternal.

The rulership of Saturn emphasises this dull, pounding weight of oppression, for Saturn represents physical inevitability. In its cadent decan, Sagittarius — whose expansional tendencies always carry the risk of idealism, fickleness, superficiality and lack of direction — begins to fade, and the insubstantiality which has always been bubbling below the surface can no longer be kept in check. The influence of the individuality of Leo on this decan illustrates the stubbornness (also a quality of Saturn) of the ego in refusing to heed the will, a absolute fixation on self-image to the exclusion and detriment of the actual self, the individual essence, the Khabs. Force, no longer given the breath of life from the will, becomes re-entrant, a vicious circle of distraction; the ultimate manifestation of denial.

Footnotes

1. The Ancient Greek Doctrine of the Elements.
2. Or, in a regular playing deck, the suit of clubs, the similarities in appearance being obvious. Generally, the black cards correspond to the active elements, the other black suit — spades — corresponding to the element of air and the suit of Swords, both of them being bladed implements. The red cards are attributed to the passive elements, the suit of hearts naturally corresponding with water and the suit of Cups, and diamonds being attributed to Disks and the element of earth, since diamonds are precious stones found underground, and also represent material wealth. The third “Knowledge Lecture” of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn inexplicably attributed diamonds to fire, and clubs to earth. This spurious assignment may be safely disregarded, and replaced with the natural one given here.
3. AL I, 44
4. The Book of Thoth.
5. AL I, 30
6. The Book of Thoth.
7. Ibid.
8. AL I, 22
9. The Book of Thoth.
10. AL II, 30–31
11. The Book of Thoth.
12. Ibid.
13. Magick in Theory and Practice.
14. The Book of Thoth.

© Copyright 2006–2024 Erwin Hessle

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