Tarot Card Comparisons: The Thoth Tarot-Court Card: QUEEN OF WANDS & The Barbara Walker-Court Card: HEL

The Thoth Queen of Wands as compared to The Barbara Walker Tarot; HEL: 

Both cards represent, The spiritual self-discoverer/ the knower of self.

"Above all things, know thyself" is the axiom of the Qabala and its 78 tarot cards.

This Queen card symbolizes the Specific Water in the World of Fire (Consciousness in Spirit).

The Thoth Tarot Card shows a symbol of Pisces as a clasp on her Queenly-chest, which symbolizes the fluidity and the aspiration that is required to attain self-knowledge.

In one hand she has the "fire wand", which is shown as the Greek, Thyrsus, of the Greek God Dionysus,  while the other rests on the head of a Leopard. The Leopard represents the extreme ferocity of Fire tamed by the Queen. It also helps us to remember that such a core personality, can "bite the hand that feeds it".

The pine cone on the wand tip, as shown on the Thoth card, is a ancient symbol for Divine Will ( the Greek- Thyrsus).Hence, She represents willful control of the Fiery Nature of Creation; passion, intensity of purpose, and charismatic sensuality.

In reiteration, Binah is the Third Sephira on the Tree of Life; she is called the Sanctifying Intelligence known asUnderstanding. The four Queens are another aspect of this Sanctifying Intelligence in all four alchemical elements.

On most tarot cards She is seated and enthroned, therefore, the Queens represent the forces of Heh (meaning window or sight) in the Divine Vibration of each suit.  By bringing forth a material Force of each suit, like the window in a home bring in the Sun light, the Queens, develop and realize the Force of the King.  This is a steady, unshaken and enduring force that is not as rapid in motion and therefore swift to dissipate, as are the Princes.

 

 The Queen of Wands is Queen of the Thrones of Flame the old Goddess Hel, as shown on the Thoth and Barbara Walker Tarot. She is therefore, Queen of the Salamanders, or Slamandrines.

The astrological attribution is the last Decan of Pisces--the first two Decans of Aries. Water and Fire, combine to make a volatile reaction.

Because the Tarot Queens are about Materialized Force, there are no Angels represented here, rather the Elementals are the conscious force here.

The Queen of Wands is  Water of Fire, which would seem rather silly to mundane understanding; However, if we understood Water/Feminine to be consciousness and Fire to be Primal Spirit/Kether-Masculine, than this is less confusing.   This spirit-fire is Vital Life Force, sexual, passionate, extreme and often violent in Nature, as it is the"I Will Be", in the movement of all things. 

To show her great control over this Primeval Fire, the Thoth Queen of Wands sits on a Throne of flames, one hand resting on a leopard and one hand holding the Wand of Fire. Here the leopard represents the ferocity of fire  under the on-hands control of the Queen.  The Wand, also a symbol of Will, indicates She is also able to direct the Force she has tamed.  This wand is also topped with a cone, hinting at the mysteries of Bacchus and the pineal gland, as well as, the Polynesian mysteries which replace the pine cone with a pineapple. Both of these mysteries merit further study by the interested student.

The Barbara Walker Tarot, depicts Hel's power over Primeval Fire, by depicting flame on the forehead of the Aries Helm. A plant sacred to Hel, was "holy Holly", bearing her name (shown as her girdle), the red berries represented her blood. The Sun was said to be reborn from her underground womb, therefore, holly and its berries became a prevalent display during the Yule. Interestingly,  The Druid name for mistletoe, was Guidhel; Guide to Hel, and the white berries of mistletoe were said to be drops of her breast milk, making it also a display during the Yule.

Hel, is the most appropriate figure for the Tarot Queen of Wands, for Hell the realm of Fire, was named after her. This realm was seen as a cauldron (womb) of regeneration in the Underworld, a place of purification and birth, rather than the later revised Christian myth of demons, devils and everlasting torture.

Like the volcano goddess Pele in the Pacific Islands, Hel gathered souls under fire mountains, to purge them of memories of former lives and to be reconstituted in her sacred fire. Even in Iceland, Helgafell is still the home of the pagan dead. Even Odin, the Icelandic heavenly father himself, was buried in "Hel's Mount".

 

There were pagan purgatories called Hellir, cave-temples, were souls were cleansed for ritual rebirth back on earth. The Sacred springs or wells in these enclosures gave rise to legends  like that of Dame Holle's Well, which gave birth to all children.

Then there was the Hella cunni, "kindred of Hel", which were ancestral ghosts that supposedly arose out of earth and rode the winds of Halloween. The name Hella cunni, like all old names, corrupted over time to Harlequin, the classical fool of the medieval mystery play.

Astrologically the Queen of Wands rules in the zodiac from 21 degrees Pisces to 20 degrees Aries.

Since the Mundane aspect of each court card can symbolizes a specific person, as well as, the Core Archetype Real Person, this card would represent a mature, red/gold haired woman with blue or brown eyes who is both steady and resolute with great attractive powers. When not opposed, she can be kind and generous...but when opposed "there is no hell likened to her wrath"!

To a Hermetic Qabalist, the Queen of Wands represents Water of fire, Specific Water (Personal Consciousness) in the World of Primal Fire (Impersonal Yod-Force). Thus on the Thoth Tarot card, you see her enthroned in steady flames.

In her left hand is the Fire Wand (Pine Cone on top means wisdom) and in her right hand rests the head of a Leopard. However, The Barbara Walker Tarot, shows her holding the Traditional "rod" of Power, with her hand resting on the "World Serpent" and/or The Great Serpent of Darkness who dwelt with her at the foundations of the world (Later to known as the Serpent Sata). In these ancient myths, Hel was known to rule the realm of shades, as the dead were known, and shadows. As the Queen of Shades, Hel was called Nifl (Nef-Hel), Goddess of Niflheim within the earth.

Here to she had offspring called Niflungar or Nibelungs, who were ancestral shadows (archetypes).

 As stated; On the Thoth Tarot, the Leopard represents the extreme ferocity of the Divine Fire (The Original Passion that created energy-movement/vibration) tamed by the Queen. In Her hands He purrs!

Representing the mysteries of the Watery part of Fire (Consciousness of Passion/ Spirit) as depicted by the zodiac, the Queen of Wands rules from 21st  degree of Pisces to the 20th degree of Aries.  What can be simply said here, is that Fire is Spirit/Spiral Energy and the Watery part of Spirit is "spiritual intelligence" or the Conscious Spirit which is both fluid as fire and colored (colors are not reflections of the force--but the actual force itself) and is often mundanely called Souls.

If one could see the Aura and Chakras, as I do, one would know that the 8 conscious-states of Energy, called auric bodies, are made of "Spiritual matter/invisible light"....Solar-Conscious-energy and therefore, are an collective of dimensional Psyche/Soul.  Therefore, the Human being is a Psychosomatic expression of "Solar Conscious". An intelligent copy; a Microcosm of the Divine Creative's Collective Unconscious that those who study metaphysics, name a Macrocosm. The whole combination of 8 forms of intelligent light, both visible and invisible is called the Soul! Therefore, the human body, is also an entity or reflection of the Soul! The Queen of Wands knows this, and she is unashamed of her body, mind and spirit, in fact she revels in manifestation. Such a personality can be devastating to the "divided" who believe the body, mind and soul are separated by a "good/bad" value system of "divisionistic" (divide and conquer)  perspective!

The Queen of Wands represents this mystery of the Maternal Solar- Mother of the Spiritual forms.

Upon her head is the  winged globed-flame-rayed crown, or the horned, flamed helm of Hel.  On the Thoth card, in her left hand is the cone topped wand of Bacchanalian mysteries:thysus, (Sacred Sensuality) and her left hand is placed on the sitting leopard.

The Black Panther is (or black cat) is usually associated with the Dark Goddess, who represents the Dark Energy/Matter of quantum physics fame; However, this is the Solar Goddess, and the leopard is used to symbolize her power in repose since it is both black spotted and lion- tawny, as the lion is representative of the Sun. In Barbara Walker's interpretation of the Queen of Wands, the "Rod of Power" is in her right hand (Masculine side) and The World Serpent is tamed by the touch of her left hand (feminine side).

Everything about this card seems to shout fire, passion and Will, but if you've noticed, it is a controlled force here, as even her fiery thrown or enclosure is formed in geometric shapes suggesting "controlled"or purposely directed Passions of a fiery nature.

As an Archetype personality, this would be a red or gold-red core personality, and even a red or golden haired mature woman, who is adaptable (spontaneous) , persistent in her energy but of calm authority which she knowingly uses to enhance her attractiveness. Such a woman of passion can be vane, but that is because she knows that passion is attractive in its own rite. She is often kind and generous  but will not tolerate opposition.

There is an immense capacity for friendship and love, as that is the nature of fiery passion, however, it is always done on her own initiative where she can not be talked into it or out of it.The tyrannical tendency is very present here.

When ill defined The Queen of Wands or Hel personality can be snobbish, vane, brooding which invariably leads to the negative decisions that cause her to fiercely attack. Some might call this a "Fiery Latin" type of personality. Her Passion can be stunning whether it is a sexual relationship or a vendetta...so as the Leopard or large serpent in her hand, she must be treated with respect, and remember that to play on Her terms, may be beyond the capacity of a less passionate mate; her wrath is "World famous".

Being that She is spontaneous in nature, she may enjoy young men more than the "'older, wiser Man", and find that she is unable to apply herself to "long term" relationships. Therefore this card represents lots of emotional/spiritual/physical power, but she definitely will need an "opposite" of equal force, to help steady her. This is because of her great reservoir of passion, balance will help her utilize her great capacity for lucid perception and steady prosecution of work; However this will only be under the guidance of a very creative mind who loves the heat and "fears not" confrontation.

With the fiery emotions of this Queen, there is a liability of fits of depression, that can lead to Tantrums and intoxication or fiery outbursts of panic stricken burst of fury. As in all powerful things, when well guided, there is great fun, joy and Bacchic- satisfaction here, but ill guided, great destruction is released. The surrounding cards in a reading will tell the able Tarot Reader what is guiding this great passionate personality and there is a whiff of Babalon (Crowley gematric-spelling) in this card by studying the "Scarlett Woman" the student will find further insight into this card for she is Lust without need of result. 

 

When this card is pulled as a tarot birth card for a woman, it usually means that she is skillful, sexually attractive, mature woman who has routed the "fiery sexual energy" into creative self-expressive work such as art, music, dance or into a career that encompasses a lifetime dedicated to bringing something of value into being. 

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