I use tarot and oracle cards as tools for reflection and contemplation. Rather than divining the future, they are a way for me to look more deeply at the "now."
"The goal isn't to arrive, but to meander, to saunter, to make your life a holy wandering." ~ Rami Shapiro

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Lions and Horses

From the Shadowscapes Tarot, the King of Wands; from the Cedar Runes, Ansuz:
          I am convinced that the King of Wands was once the driver of the Chariot. He's learned to direct his inner lions (will) so that he accomplishes what he sets out to do. (Though I'm not sure he's fully developed the tolerance and compassion of Strength.) He gets people moving with his charisma and makes sure intentions are followed through with action. Travers, in The Serpent and the Eagle, states that the rune name Ansuz is related to a term meaning 'rein.' I was surprised to see he connects this rune with a common Indo-European theme in mystical writings that see the soul/self as a chariot. Plato (in Phaedrus) suggests that the good and bad sides of our natures are like a good and bad horse pulling a chariot; he advises that we encourage the good and learn to control the bad. The Bhagavad Gita writer sees the senses as the horses pulling the chariot and warns they should be restrained. There appears to be a theme of using what is basic in our nature in positive, productive ways. Self-discipline, however, will be needed to reach the finish line.

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6 comments:

  1. Sharyn Mallow WoerzNovember 10, 2016 at 9:12 AM

    I read that twice before my brain kicked in. He is able to direct his inner loins...

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    1. thesycamoretreeNovember 10, 2016 at 9:21 AM

      Heehee, thank you for that laugh today! I suppose that also could be one of his "horses." :D

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  2. Carolyn TindorNovember 10, 2016 at 9:50 AM

    I like your take on the King of Wands as the driver of the Chariot until I want to drive and he better move his loins,
    strike that, lions out of the way. Ha

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    1. thesycamoretreeNovember 10, 2016 at 10:23 AM

      I think he represents that self-disciplined part of us that can set aside emotions and pleasures in order to get what is needed done. I am still smiling about his "loins." :)

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  3. Inner WhispersNovember 12, 2016 at 1:36 AM

    There's something about this understanding of the Chariot and the horses that niggles at me. I guess I want to also hear the respect for the horses, not just the need to control and discipline them.
    Sometimes, it's best to give a horse its head. Or to think of the way horses are used in hippotherapy, recognising their sensitivity to emotion and to their environment, not just their ability to take our weight and do our bidding. Or to think about the team of rider and horse in the Native American tradition, where they learn to work together and, if anything, it is the rider who needs to discipline himself, to be able to ride with calm and focus. Sorry, a bit of a ramble... :)
    I like the concept of the King of Wands falling between the Chariot and Strength, gets me thinking about where other Courts would fall... :D

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    1. thesycamoretreeNovember 12, 2016 at 6:30 AM

      I guess it's easier to think of the horses (in this context) as untrained, wild horses rather than domesticated ones - since they are a symbol of the untrained, wild mind. :)
      Now that would be an interesting list of the Courts!

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