The Shadow Series, Tarot Card Comparisons: The Thoth Queen of Wands & The Shadow Tarot-Wega/Pythoness

The Thoth Queen of Wands: Represents the spiritual self-discoverer/ the know-er of self. "Above all things, know thyself" is the axiom of the Qabalah/Cabala/Kabala and The Qabalistic tarot cards.

The Thoth Queen of Wands card, symbolizes the Specific Water (Consciousness/Emotions) in the World of Fire (Spirit). The symbol of Pisces as a clasp on her chest, symbolizes the fluidity and the aspiration that is required to attain self-knowledge.

In one hand she has the fire wand, while the other rests on the head of a Leopard.

The Leopard represents the extreme ferocity of Fire tamed by the Queen.

The pine cone on the wand tip, is a ancient symbol for Will and the Pineal gland. She therefore, represents willful control of the Fiery Nature of Creation; Passion, intensity of purpose, and charismatic sensuality. She is very attractive to men since she is representative of the magnetic force that receives the fiery male electric force and controls it to create all living forms and/or her "understandings".

If the Queen of Wands card is thrown during a divination for a man, it often represents the magnetic side of his nature; the anima that is committed to trusting both internal and external experiences that lead to self-knowledge. Self Knowledge is represented by the radiant crown on her head.

When this card is thrown for a woman ,during a divination, 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, or into a career that encompasses a lifetime dedicated to bringing something of value into being by using the excited electric masculine force. This may be why she was called Hel or Hel-Aine, by the ancients.

In the zodiac, the Queen of Wands rules from 21st  degree of Pisces to the 20th degree of Aries and represents the mysteries of the Watery part of Fire. What can be simply said here, is that Fire is Spirit and the Watery part of Spirit is "spiritual matter" or the Conscious Spirit which is both fluid and colored (colors in Qabalah are not reflections of the force--but the actual force itself) and is often shallowly called "Emotions". If you could see the Aura and Chakras, as I do, you would know that the 8 conscious-states of Energy, called auric bodies, are made of "Spiritual matter"....Solar-Conscious-energy.

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, in her left hand is the cone topped wand of Bacchanalian mysteries 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 is the Dark Matter of quantum physics fame, or the Dark Womb of the Collective Unconscious; However, this Queen 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. Everything about this card seems to shout "fiery chaos", but if you've noticed, it is a controlled force here, as even her fiery thrown is formed in geometric shapes suggesting "controlled"or purposely directed Passions of a fiery nature.

In ancient Egypt, Sekmet, although noted as the "Dark Goddess" or Shadow sister of Isis, was often shown Lion headed, with the Serpent Force (Sexual Force) as shown in this illustration.

As an Archetype personality, this would be a red or golden haired 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 within such a fiery woman, 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 personality can be snobbish, vane, brooding which invariably leads to the negative decisions that cause her to burst into 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 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.

Being that She is spontaneous in nature as the nature of Spirit is Action, she may enjoy young men more than the "'older, wiser Man", and find that she is unable to apply herself to"long term" relationships as she "burns" them out.

Lots of power here, but she definitely will need an "opposite" to help steady her, which because of her great reservoir of passion, 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 minded partner.

 Often with the fiery emotions of this Queen, there is a liability of fits of depression, that can lead to Tantrums and intoxication (usually alcohol intoxication as that is a "fiery" form of sugar) or fiery outbursts of panic stricken

fury. As with all powerful persons or 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 in this card (That is how Crowley spells it) by studying the "Scarlett Woman" of Magick, the student will find further insight into this card. 

But be very careful when calling on the Babylon, she can be charmed, but not controlled...unless she wants to be!

The Shadow Tarot Card- Wega/Pythoness (inaccurately spelled Vega) is the Dark Sister Aspect of the Light Side Queen of Wands. She is know as the "falling Vulture", a pale sapphire star found in the lower  part of the constellation of the Lyre which was known in the middle ages as the Vulture Cadens.

This "Vulture Star", Wega, in ancient Babylon was known as the " Messenger of Light" or about 12,000 years ago, Wega was known as Tir-ana, meaning "Life of Heaven" or "Judge of Heaven" and was the north Polar star.

Vega: This first magnitude star

 forms one part of the asterism known as the 'Summer Triangle'. Because of axial precession, it takes a turn as the north polar star. It held that position about 12000 years ago and will resume that job in another 14000 years.

Magical image of Wega is a vulture with the Lyre of Orpheus in its beak.

The power over beasts, and devils, is attributed to  Wega's magical influences. That would be another reason why Babylon/Scarlet Woman/Wega is shown as with a Panther or Leopard.

If one wishes to make a talisman altar of this card and it's day-side card the Queen of Wands, Chrysolite, chicory, and earthsmoke/fumitory (a Shaker herbal formula), are the magical tokens to accompany the cards.  

The Pythoness, a subtitle of the Wega Shadow Tarot card, is a Greek word for the Oracle of Delphi, known for their magical abilities while being working brides with Lord Python*.

*From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Apollo killing Python. A 1581 engraving by Virgil Solis for Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book In Greek mythology, Python (Greek: Πύθων, gen.: Πύθωνος) was the earth-dragon of Delphi, always represented in Greek sculpture and vase-paintings as a serpent. He presided at the Delphic oracle, which existed in the cult center for his mother, Gaia, "Earth," Pytho being the place name that was substituted for the earlier Krisa. Hellenes considered the site to be the center of the earth, represented by a stone, the omphalos or navel, which Python guarded.Python became the chthonic enemy of the later Olympian deity Apollo, who slew him and remade Python's former home and the oracle, the most famous in Classical Greece, as his own. Changes such as these in ancient myths may reflect a profound change in the religious concepts of Hellenic culture. Some were gradual over time and others occurred abruptly following invasion.

One of my favorite pictures of a Delphi was painted by the 19th century artist, John William Godword.  To me this shows the sultry innocent passion of the most dangerous of Queens, the Scarlet Woman or Babylon. She is so damn beautiful to men, that most of us damn idiots jump right into her Fire!

So, be on your guard if you are a practicing Gnostic Magi, and she contacts you for her power is the sultry warmth of a Summer Sun, and just like such a Sun, the intensity will burn you to your core. 

This is not idle supposition as I have danced with this Fiery Entity of the Divine Feminine, and She is forever burned into my soul. I shall never forget my Helen (Hel or Hel-aine or Scarlet Woman), even after 3,000 years, when I first danced with her. The burning is infinite and the longing for her company never fades.

[Just one more picture by John William Godward]

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