The Princess of Wands
The Princess of the Shining Flame
The Rose of the Palace of Fire
A very strong and beautiful woman with flowing red-gold
hair, attired like an Amazon. Her shoulders, arms, bosom
and knees are bare. She wears a short kilt reaching to the
knee. Round her waist is a broad belt of scale-mail; narrow
at the sides; broader in front and back; and having a winged
tiger’s head in front. She wears a Corinthian-shaped helmet
and crown with a long plume. It also is surmounted by a tiger’s head, and the same symbol forms the buckle of her
scale-mail buskins. A mantle lined with tiger’s skin falls back
from her shoulders. Her right hand rests on a small golden or
brazen altar ornamented with ram’s heads and with Flames of
Fire leaping from it. Her left hand leans on a long and heavy
club, swelling at the lower end, where the sigil is placed; and
it has flames of fire leaping from it the whole way down; but
the flames are ascending. This club or torch is much longer
than that carried by the King or Queen. Beneath her firmly
placed feet are leaping Flames of Fire.
Brilliance, courage, beauty, force, sudden in anger or love,
desire of power, enthusiasm, revenge.
If ill dignified, she is superficial, theatrical, cruel, unstable,
domineering.
She rules the heavens over one quadrant of the portion
around the North Pole.
Earth of Fire
Princess and Empress Salamanders.
Throne of the Ace of Wands.
• • •
“The Princess of Wands represents the earthy part of Fire; one might say, she is
the fuel of Fire. This expression implies the irresistible chemical attraction of
the combustible substance. She rules the Heavens for one quadrant of the
portion around the North Pole.
The Princess is therefore shewn with the plumes of justice streaming like flames from her brow; and she is unclothed, shewing that chemical action can only take place when the element is perfectly free to combine with its partner. She bears a wand crowned with the disk of the Sun; and she is leaping in a surging flame which recalls by its shape the letter Yodh.
This card may be said to represent the dance of the virgin priestess of the Lords of Fire, for she is in attendance upon the golden altar ornamented with rams’ heads) symbolizing the fires of Spring.
The character of the Princess is extremely individual. She is brilliant and daring. She creates her own beauty by her essential vigour and energy. The force of her character imposes the impression of beauty upon the beholder. In anger or love she is sudden, violent, and implacable. She consumes all that comes into her sphere. She is ambitious and aspiring, full of enthusiasm which is often irrational. She never forgets an injury, and the only quality of patience to be found in her is the patience with which she lies in ambush to avenge.
Such a woman, ill-dignified, shews the defects of these qualities. She is superficial and theatrical, completely shallow and false, yet without suspecting that she is anything of the sort, for she believes entirely in herself, even when it is apparent to the most ordinary observer that she is merely in the spasm of mood. She is cruel, un reliable, faithless and domineering.
In the Yi King, the earthy part of Fire is described by the 27th hexagram, i. This shows a person omnivorous in passion of whatever kind, entirely reckless in the means of obtaining gratification, and insatiable. The Yi commentary is packed with alternate warning and encouragement.”
— Crowley, The Book of Thoth
The Princess is therefore shewn with the plumes of justice streaming like flames from her brow; and she is unclothed, shewing that chemical action can only take place when the element is perfectly free to combine with its partner. She bears a wand crowned with the disk of the Sun; and she is leaping in a surging flame which recalls by its shape the letter Yodh.
This card may be said to represent the dance of the virgin priestess of the Lords of Fire, for she is in attendance upon the golden altar ornamented with rams’ heads) symbolizing the fires of Spring.
The character of the Princess is extremely individual. She is brilliant and daring. She creates her own beauty by her essential vigour and energy. The force of her character imposes the impression of beauty upon the beholder. In anger or love she is sudden, violent, and implacable. She consumes all that comes into her sphere. She is ambitious and aspiring, full of enthusiasm which is often irrational. She never forgets an injury, and the only quality of patience to be found in her is the patience with which she lies in ambush to avenge.
Such a woman, ill-dignified, shews the defects of these qualities. She is superficial and theatrical, completely shallow and false, yet without suspecting that she is anything of the sort, for she believes entirely in herself, even when it is apparent to the most ordinary observer that she is merely in the spasm of mood. She is cruel, un reliable, faithless and domineering.
In the Yi King, the earthy part of Fire is described by the 27th hexagram, i. This shows a person omnivorous in passion of whatever kind, entirely reckless in the means of obtaining gratification, and insatiable. The Yi commentary is packed with alternate warning and encouragement.”
— Crowley, The Book of Thoth