The Tarot of Eli, LLC- Court Cards: Thoth Tarot-Prince of Swords & The Medieval Feathers Tarot-Knight of Swords

The Thoth Prince/Knight the intellectual mind last decan of Capricorn and first 2 of Aquarius air of primal air.🌊 The Ocean of Spirit — Healing the Winds of Division

Above all things, know thyself!

🔱 The Thoth Prince of Swords: The Chariot of the Winds

Attribution:

• Zodiac: 20° Capricorn → 20° Aquarius

• Elemental: Air of Air — Specific Air of Primal Air

• Title: Prince and Emperor of the Sylphs and Sylphides

• Sephirothic Correspondence: Tiphareth (the Son) acting through Yetzirah (the Formative World)

🜁 The Intellectual Charioteer

This Prince is the personification of the Air of Air — the pure function of Mind contemplating itself. Within the Hermetic schema, this corresponds to the reflexive principle of consciousness that divides to analyze, yet never integrates — the dissecting intelligence of the analytic or rational faculty. He is the airy mirror reflecting upon itself ad infinitum. Thus, Crowley calls him “the Chariot of the Winds” — an apt description of intellect unrestrained by direction, moved by the slightest current of thought.

His chariot, drawn by the sylphic children of the winds, moves in no fixed direction. This symbolizes the unstable nature of uncentered intellect: the Mercurial whirling of the mind without the guiding flame of Spirit (Fire) or the grounding depth of Understanding (Water). It is the storm of the reasoning faculty, magnificent yet perilous when not in service to Will.

🌙 Yesodic Influence: The Dreaming Mind

Here one astutely observes the lunar, Yesodic undertones. Indeed, the fairies — or rather, the elemental intelligences of the Air — reveal that this card is deeply tied to the Unconscious Mind, particularly its ability to project phantasmagoria and illusion. The Moon’s dominion over the astral field (Yesod) indicates that this Prince operates through the formative patterns of thought that arise from the subconscious and feed the conscious intellect.

Thus, while the Prince of Swords appears rational and intellectual, his thought-chariot is in fact drawn by lunar winds — impressions, dreams, and psychic imagery. He is the rationalizing mind attempting to order the irrational.

⚔️ The Qabalistic Psychology

In the Fourfold structure of the Court Cards:

• The Prince is the Son or Vav of Tetragrammaton (YHVH), the equilibrating aspect between the dynamic Knight (Father) and the receptive Queen (Mother).

• As Air of Air, this Prince equilibrates through the medium of Mind itself, manifesting as the intellect that seeks balance by endless motion.

In this sense, he represents Tiphareth operating through Yetzirah: the Solar Self working within the Astral World. His mental agility, clarity, and inventiveness reflect the Sun’s radiance dispersed through the atmosphere of Air — illumination refracted through innumerable thoughts.

Yet herein lies his danger: the illusion of movement as progress. Like the wind, he may believe he moves forward, but often he only circles in brilliant turbulence. This is the illusion of intellect divorced from intuition.

🔮 Hermetic Lesson

The Prince of Swords instructs the Adept to yoke the winds of the mind to the Chariot of Will. Without this, thought becomes the tyrant rather than the servant. The Prince’s sword should be seen as the Word made active, the Logos in motion — but only when directed by the Solar Self in Tiphareth. Otherwise, it cuts without discernment.

Therefore, in meditation or pathworking, this card invites:

• Mental clarity through disciplined focus.

• Observation of mental motion without identification.

• Alignment of intellect with Solar purpose (Will).

When reversed or shadowed, this card warns of over-analysis, verbal cruelty, or the obsession with concepts that never reach embodiment.

🜂 Comparative Note: Traditional Knight of Swords

In traditional decks, this archetype manifests as the Knight of Swords — a headstrong warrior charging forward, intellect wielded as weapon. Crowley reassigns the Prince to this function, revealing its true essence: the kinetic son of Air, born of intellect and directed toward manifestation.

🌬️ The Prince of Swords — Chariot of the Winds and Lord of the Lunar Mind

In the Golden Dawn’s earlier design, two radiant sylphs—airy fairies—pulled the chariot, representing the element’s dual motion: reason and imagination, logic and fancy. In Crowley’s Thoth revision, these beings are transformed into spheres of light—points of luminous intelligence—accompanied by three-winged fairy children who pull the chariot erratically through the air. Their motion is chaotic, whimsical, even mischievous, reflecting the capricious nature of the unfocused mind.

This image is the very picture of Specific Air of Primal Air—the mind turned inward upon its own element. Here thought has detached from substance, careening in any direction without the rudder of intention. The chariot is thus not drawn by physical beasts, but by intelligences of motion itself—ideas, fancies, and astral impressions fluttering through the mental atmosphere.

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🌙 The Lunar Kingdom of Yesod

Beneath this airy brilliance lies the signature of the Ninth Sephirah—Yesod, the Foundation of the Astral and the domain of the Moon. Crowley’s inclusion of the faerie children is no accident: in Western occultism, the faeries or elementals of Air dwell under the lunar sphere. The Moon governs illusion, reflection, and the world of dream and imagination—the very source-field from which the intellect draws its imagery.

Thus, the Prince of Swords becomes a portrait of the Unconscious Mind in motion—the restless dream that fuels conscious reasoning. The Moon’s silver current infuses his intellect with brilliance and fantasy, but also with instability. His thought is quick as light, yet prone to scatter in endless refractions.

This is the Yesodic function of Air: the mind’s reflection upon its own reflections, a hall of mirrors without end. It is the same realm that Jung described as the psychic unconscious, where archetypes move like living winds, forming and dissolving as swiftly as thought.

🜁 The Chariot of the Winds as Psychic Vehicle

The chariot itself is the symbol of the formative field of Yetzirah, the world of mental and astral patterns. The rider—this Prince—is the rational ego attempting to steer the dream. His armor of whirling clouds protects him, yet isolates him from the grounding realities below.

As such, this card dramatizes the double-edged nature of intellect: when guided by Tiphareth (the Solar Self), it becomes the chariot of genius and inspired thought; when unmoored, it becomes a tempest of sterile speculation. The faerie children—bright yet frivolous—can pull one into dazzling imagination or into confusion.

🜂 The Hermetic Implication

The Adept reading this card is advised to examine the motion of their own mind:

• Are your thoughts serving your Will, or is your Will being carried off by the winds of thought?

• Do your ideas manifest illumination, or do they merely multiply in abstraction?

The Prince of Swords reminds us that the mind is a servant of Spirit, not its master. When disciplined through meditation and Solar Will, these lunar winds can lift consciousness toward Tiphareth; when left untamed, they scatter the Light through illusion.

In astrology, each zodiac sign is divided into three parts called decans, each spanning 10 degrees of the zodiac. The last decan of Capricorn and the first two decans of Aquarius that are applied to this Prince of Swords card offer unique characteristics:

1. Last Decan of Capricorn (January 11 - January 19):

   • Ruled by Venus: This decan combines the disciplined and ambitious nature of Capricorn with the harmony-seeking qualities of Venus.
   • Practical Idealism: Individuals born under this decan often possess a blend of practicality and idealism. They are driven to achieve their goals but may also be motivated by a desire to create beauty and harmony in their lives and surroundings.
   • Artistic Sensibilities: There is a strong artistic inclination with this decan, whether it manifests in the form of visual arts, music, or other creative pursuits. These individuals may have a keen appreciation for aesthetics and may excel in fields that allow for creative expression.
   • Sensitivity: Despite their disciplined exterior, those born in this decan may be more emotionally sensitive and attuned to the needs and feelings of others. They may possess a nurturing and caring nature, especially in their relationships.

2. First Decan of Aquarius (January 20 - January 29):

   • Ruled by Uranus: This decan combines the innovative and unconventional energy of Uranus with the intellectual and humanitarian qualities of Aquarius.
   • Eccentricity: Individuals born under this decan are often seen as unconventional or eccentric in their ideas, behaviors, and lifestyle choices. They may embrace change and seek to challenge traditional norms and structures.
   • Intellectual Curiosity: There is a strong intellectual curiosity and a thirst for knowledge within this decan. These individuals may be drawn to subjects related to science, technology, or humanitarian causes.
   • Humanitarianism: Those born under this decan are often passionate about making a positive impact on society. They may be involved in social justice movements, activism, or charitable endeavors aimed at improving the welfare of others.
   • Independence: Independence and freedom are highly valued by individuals in this decan. They may resist authority and prefer to carve their own path in life, often prioritizing personal autonomy and individuality.

3. Second Decan of Aquarius (January 30 - February 8):

   • Ruled by Mercury: This decan combines the innovative and communicative energy of Mercury with the intellectual and humanitarian qualities of Aquarius.
   • Mental Agility: Individuals born under this decan are known for their quick wit, sharp intellect, and ability to think outside the box. They excel in fields that require analytical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills.
   • Social Consciousness: There is a strong sense of social awareness and a desire to contribute positively to society within this decan. These individuals may be drawn to causes that promote equality, freedom, and progressive change.
   • Eccentric Communication: Communication style may be unconventional or avant-garde, reflecting the unique perspectives and ideas of those born under this decan. They may enjoy engaging in intellectual debates or discussions that challenge conventional thinking.
   • Friendship and Networking: Friendships and social connections are important to individuals in this decan. They thrive in group settings where they can exchange ideas, collaborate on projects, and build networks of like-minded individuals.

⚔️ The Knight of Swords — The Tempest of Thought (Medieval Feathers Tarot)

In the Medieval Feathers Tarot, the Knight of Swords appears as a centaur-like warrior, a dynamic embodiment of Air in Motion. His vast wings beat like a thunderstorm’s gusts, sweeping through the scene with exhilarating force. He arrives like a gale and departs as quickly, leaving transformation—and sometimes turmoil—in his wake.

The ruby-crowned kinglet’s feather in his hand serves as his talisman of vitality, a symbol of courage and renewal through inspiration. It is the spark that rekindles the mind’s flame, the very Ruach (the Hebrew “breath” or “spirit”) that empowers the thinking self to rise after every fall.

Yet, just as easily as he raises one to victory, this Knight can leave a trail of mental and emotional debris. His sword, keen and decisive, may cut through confusion—or through connection. He is not always interested in the querent or their feelings, but rather in the crusade of ideas he rides upon. Thus, the card speaks to the intoxicating momentum of intellect and the peril of detachment from empathy.

“Tilting at windmills” becomes his mythic gesture: battling imaginary foes born from the storm of his own thoughts.

The phrase "tilting at windmills" originates from Miguel de Cervantes' novel Don Quixote (1605), in which the protagonist, Don Quixote, mistakes windmills for giants and charges at them with his lance in an act of misguided heroism. His loyal companion, Sancho Panza, tries to warn him, but Quixote, lost in his chivalric delusions, refuses to see reality as it is.

Symbolism & Meaning

1. Fighting Imaginary Foes

   • The phrase "tilting at windmills" has since come to symbolize engaging in noble but futile battles, fighting perceived enemies that are either nonexistent or far less dangerous than imagined. It speaks to an individual’s misguided idealism, often rooted in illusion rather than reality.

2. The Archetype of the Fool and the Hero

   • Don Quixote represents the foolish hero, a character who seeks greatness but is blinded by illusion. His actions, while seemingly absurd, also reflect the human tendency to fight for principles even when the battle is unwinnable.

3. The Hermetic and Qabalistic Perspective

   • In a Western Hermetic framework, this concept aligns with the Qabalistic Path of Netzach (Victory) vs. Hod (Intellect/Logic). Netzach, ruled by Venus, represents idealism and creative vision, while Hod (Mercury) represents rational thought. The act of tilting at windmills may reflect a disbalance, where Netzach (passion, illusion, and belief) overrides Hod’s logical discernment.
   • The Tarot of Thoth’s "Prince of Swords" or "The Fool" (Aleph) could embody this energy—rushing forward with airy inspiration but lacking practical wisdom.

4. Solar Myth & The Quest for Meaning

   • Don Quixote’s journey mirrors the archetypal hero’s journey, akin to the Sun’s path across the sky. His battle against windmills can be seen as a metaphor for the spiritual aspirant confronting their own illusions—a necessary stage before enlightenment.

🜁 Elemental Essence: Air in Excess

As the Air suit’s champion, this Knight embodies the kinetic phase of intellect—the moment when reason becomes motion. His centaur form fuses instinct and intellect, horse and man, symbolizing the psyche galloping beyond restraint. He is the warrior of hypothesis, the crusader of causes, the restless thinker ever in search of meaning.

In Hermetic psychology, this is the aspect of the mind that draws power from the etheric field—the capacity to recharge from sheer momentum, “to draw energy from wherever you need to and use it to lift yourself up when you’re down.” This is the mental magician in action, invoking will through thought.

However, the danger is over-identification with one’s ideas. When reversed, as you may note, the card shows the shadow of Air: intellectual pride, argument for its own sake, and the isolation that follows from needing to be right rather than to be real.

🌬️ Comparative Symbolism: Thoth’s Prince of Swords

Together, these cards describe the two faces of mental mastery:

1. The Knight (Medieval Feathers) is the embodied storm—the emotional and kinetic expression of thought.

2. The Prince (Thoth) is the abstract storm—the airy intellect ungrounded by emotion.

🌞 Hermetic Takeaway

Both forms challenge the Adept to become the master of motion. The mind, whether as chariot or as centaur, must obey the command of the Solar Self in Tiphareth. When Will guides Wind, thought becomes the breath of the Logos. When the Wind guides Will, it becomes the tempest of illusion.

Reversed or Ill-defined by surrounding cards, the card thus asks:

“Do you wish to be right—or to be radiant?”

That is, will you chase mental victory, or will you rise into Solar clarity where thought and purpose are one?

Modern Application

• Spirituality & Mysticism: Many mystics and magicians “tilt at windmills” by chasing visions, signs, or unattainable goals instead of grounding their practices.
• Social Change & Politics: The phrase is often used for activists or dreamers who fight against ingrained systems despite seemingly impossible odds.
• Personal Psychology: It also applies to self-sabotage or projecting personal demons onto external situations.

Final Insight

From a Hermetic perspective, tilting at windmills can be both a folly and a divine madness—a test of discerning true giants from illusions. The key is initiatory wisdom: knowing when to persist in a noble but seemingly impossible quest and when to recognize the windmill for what it is—a force of nature indifferent to the knight’s charge.

The Prince of Swords in the Thoth Tarot is perhaps the perfect representation of "tilting at windmills." His intellect is sharp, but his understanding is chaotic, leading to a reckless war against illusions rather than genuine adversaries.

Prince of Swords: The Erratic Mind of Don Quixote

• The Prince of Swords (Tiphareth in Yetzirah, Air of Air) represents intellectual frenzy, where the mind moves so fast that it cuts through reason and structure, often mistaking delusions for truth.
• Like Don Quixote, he is an idealist without grounding, charging forward into battle with an unshaken belief in his own mental constructs, even when they do not reflect reality.
• His chariot is pulled by a frantic figure of multiple swords and wings, illustrating the dispersed, unfocused nature of his mind.

Tilting at Windmills in the Prince of Swords

1. The Mind Detached from Reality

   • The Prince constructs a battle that may not even exist, seeing enemies where there are none. His intellect is so sharp that it cuts through logic itself, leading to self-defeating battles.

2. Over-Analysis & Over-Intellectualization

   • He embodies the Hod-like tendency (Mercurial logic) pushed to an extreme, where the mind fragments reality into false patterns. This mirrors how Don Quixote interprets the mundane as grand myth—a distortion of perception rather than true insight.

3. The Air of Air Paradox

   • Being Air of Air, the Prince lacks grounding (Earth) and depth (Water). His thoughts move so quickly that he cannot stabilize or reflect, leading to erratic action and misjudged battles.

4. A Hermetic Warning

   • In the Book of Thoth, Crowley warns that the Prince of Swords represents the danger of unchecked intellect—"without sufficient material basis for its energy."
   • He is brilliant but chaotic, needing discipline (Saturnian wisdom) or a stabilizing force (perhaps the Princess of Disks as the grounding element).

Key Distinction: Prince of Swords vs. The Fool

• The Fool (Aleph, Air) also engages in seemingly foolish quests, but his madness is divine, leading to wisdom.
• The Prince of Swords, on the other hand, is lost in a storm of his own making, battling windmills of his own overactive thoughts.

Conclusion: The Prince of Swords as Don Quixote

The Prince of Swords embodies the erratic and misguided intellectual warfare of tilting at windmills, where the mind’s momentum becomes its own downfall. His intelligence lacks wisdom, making him the perfect figure for fighting imagined foes in a whirlwind of ideas—a reminder that discernment, not speed, is the true weapon of the mind.

Although he is a charming lover, highly intelligent, and eloquent, he will leave the querent wondering what just happened. However, s/he is not noted for being cruel or purposefully mean, s/he is just like a child chasing his fantasies. Like all court cards, this one is not necessarily gender related; However, this type of personality more often tends to operate a male body or a more male aggressive style of female.

In the right hand, the Thoth- Prince is swinging the Sword of invocation and creation and in his left is a sickle which immediately destroys that which is created. With childlike innocence, the Prince of Swords wields his Sword of Geburah/Severity as the logical mental processes of the prince has reduced the Air (mind) into geometric symbols that represent no real plan but demonstrates power of an undefined purpose.

The Thoth Prince is an image of a madman, as he has a sword in one hand and a sickle in the other. This suggests that he creates with the sharp wit of the Mind and then destroys what he creates with the sickle of death and/or contrary argument. He may seem Utterly mad! But this is not necessarily so, as the astrological sign Aquarius assigned to this card implies affection, kindness and a good heart, as well as a divided mind. The 2 halves of one mind are shown as Sword and Sickle.

The element attributed to Swords is Air; the Prince of Swords represents the airy part of Air and/or the intellectual part of Mind, which as air is directed by "outside influences" such as the heat of passion and the coolness of emotional indolence. Edgar Allen Poe, who was born on January 19th, was a Prince of Swords core personality.

Hence, this tarot birth sign points to madness. However, there is an exceptionally fine line dividing madness and pure genius. The musical genius Mozart (some thought him mad), born January 27th, was also a Prince of Swords personality. Therefore, when the mind is given a creative outlet for this process of creating and then recreating (a process most of us do our entire lives) such as music, literature, or the art of filmmaking, we discover pure genius. Mendelssohn was a Prince of Swords personality, as was the Great Film directors D.W. Griffin and Federico Fellini, and the visionary Emanuel Swedenborg. James Dean was a fine actor who was also born a Prince of Swords, who played Jim Stark, in the film Rebel Without a Cause, and whose portrayal of this fictitious character was the perfect example of the tortured frustration of such a personality.

🌪️ The Fanatic Wind — When Intellect Becomes Idol

However, as it has been noted, when this personality turns its intellect toward divinity, it can become fanaticism disguised as enlightenment. The Prince of Swords (or Knight in traditional decks) often sees patterns so swiftly and with such force of conviction that he mistakes his own mental projections for divine revelation. Thus, he begins to think not merely of God, but as God — convinced that his understanding is the cosmic decree itself.

In this shadow-form, he is the archetypal zealot: the mind possessed by its own certainty. Crowley might call him the “air-element unbalanced,” where the freedom of intellect devolves into the tyranny of opinion. This is the mind that knows how to argue anything, yet rarely pauses to discern whether its cause serves the True Will or merely its own reflection.

This metaphor says it perfectly: “Like an insane used-car salesman from hell, pouring sawdust into a transmission while expounding on the benefits of sawdust to society.”
This is the essence of Air corrupted — intelligence without integrity, cleverness divorced from conscience. It is the Yesodic illusion of reason, the glamour of words that substitute motion for meaning.

Such a personality can dazzle with their brilliance, devastate with their logic, and justify both truth and deception under the banner of “principle.” But as pointed out, those principles are unsettled; they shift like the winds that rule this card.

🜁 Qabalistic Insight: The Unanchored Mind

On the Tree of Life, the Prince of Swords represents Tiphareth (the Son) functioning through Yetzirah (the World of Formation). When Tiphareth’s Solar Light does not guide him, his airy brilliance becomes unbalanced by emotion or ethical grounding. The Air of Air expands without limit — like a cyclone, dazzling yet directionless.

This is the danger of the unredeemed intellect: it mistakes thought for truth, and cleverness for wisdom. Hence the fanatic, the propagandist, and the demagogue are all reflections of this same archetype — intellect that believes itself divine, yet acts without heart.

When this card appears in a reading, it may signify a situation or person whose rhetoric is persuasive but unrooted, whose logic is flawless but heartless. It can also point inward, to moments when we ourselves become “used-car salesmen from hell” — selling ideas patched with sawdust, believing that if we speak them loudly enough, they’ll become real.

🌞 The Healing of the Wind

To redeem this current, the Adept must bring the Light of Tiphareth into the Air of Air — letting the Solar Heart guide the restless intellect. When Love and Reason unite, the winds of the mind become the Breath of Spirit. Then, the same energy that once scattered becomes the Word in motion, the Ruach Elohim that “moved upon the face of the waters.”

Meditatively, one might visualize this healing by stilling the storm: envision the chariot of the Prince descending into a moonlit clearing, where the wild sylphs bow before the Solar Child within the heart. Here, the intellect kneels before illumination, and the winds of thought serve the Will of Light.

That’s the true Hermetic core of this card’s redemption. Insight cuts straight to the essence of what Crowley meant by the rational mind purified through Will, rather than enslaved by dogma. Let me refine and expand this meaning into its full Western Hermetic and Qabalistic articulation.

☀️ The Bright Wind — When Pure Rationale Marries Pure Spirit

There is, however, a radiant clarity that dawns when Pure Rationale aligns with Pure Spirit. In that union, thought no longer serves the fragmented ego or the noisy egregore of society; instead, it becomes a living image of the Logos. When the Air of Air finds its Sun in Tiphareth, the winds of intellect become the carriers of illumination. Ideas cease to be arguments and become revelations.

This is Spirit-infused Reason, the function of the Higher Mind (Ruach ha-Qadosh) — the Solar Intellect that knows through direct perception rather than inherited creed. Pure Spirit (Will), which the ancients called Thelema, does not reside in religion. It cannot, for religion is a man-made architecture of control, a vast egregore built of fear and hierarchy.

Religion praises “God” for creating life while simultaneously destroying life in that Name — a perversion of the Logos that the Adept must expose and transcend. These are the empty winds of fanaticism, the echo chamber of the social mind that calls itself divine yet denies the Divine within.

Hence I often write: "That chaos of ideas belongs to the idiots that praise God for creating life while their fanatical ideas destroy life all around them, especially if ‘life’ is a ‘nonbeliever’.”
 

This is not blasphemy; it is observation. The true blasphemy is the use of the Holy Word to enslave the very Spirit it was meant to liberate.

🌬️ Hermetic Clarity: The Logos vs. the Egregore

From a Qabalistic perspective, Pure Spirit corresponds to Kether — the Crown, the Source of the Will-to-Be. Pure Rationale, when rightly aligned, reflects that Light through Tiphareth, the Sun/Son of Truth. But when intellect identifies with the collective egregore of belief rather than the individuated Solar Will, it becomes the Tower of Babel — a noise of words without the Breath of Spirit.

The Adept’s task is to re-polarize the mind: to let the Sword of Reason serve the Heart of Light, not the machinery of fear. For in this alignment, every thought becomes a ray of the One Mind; and the Word once more becomes creative, not coercive.

🌞 In Summation

The Prince of Swords and his reflections across decks remind us that the mind is neither enemy nor savior — it is the wind that can scatter or soar, depending on whether it serves egoic belief or Solar Will.

• When ruled by fanaticism, it becomes religion’s tyrant.

• When ruled by the Heart of Tiphareth, it becomes the voice of God-within.

Thus, the Bright Wind redeems the Fanatic Wind. The Adept learns to let the intellect breathe Spirit, transforming chaos into creativity — the Logos made luminous once again.

🌊 The Ocean of Spirit — Healing the Winds of Division

The Purity of Spirit is not an abstraction but Life itself — the infinite, living Ocean of the Mother that surrounds, penetrates, and sustains all beings. Spirit is not “out there”; it is as us. It breathes through every thought, pulse, and cell. The Adept who ascends beyond the intellect’s whirlpool comes to recognize that the wind and the ocean are not separate — they are two movements of one current, two expressions of the same Divine Breath.

Hence the eternal command of the Oracle of Delphi and the Qabalists alike:

“Above all things, know thyself.”

For to know thyself is not merely to analyze personality — it is to awaken to the fact that I AM Life, and all that surrounds me is Life expressing itself in a myriad of forms. Every creature, every motion of wind or thought, is the Infinite exploring Its own possibility. The mind that realizes this ceases to divide and begins to include.

☀️ The End of Divisionism

Once this recognition dawns, the illusion of separation dissolves — the illusion upheld by the divide-and-conquer paradigm that masquerades as civilization. This false system, birthed from the diseased patriarchal mind, thrives on polarity and control. It is the same Wetiko of Native American teaching — the psychic virus of predation and greed — and the same Archon of the Gnostics, who feeds on the fragmentation of the Soul.

These forces are not “external demons” but psychic constructs: egregores sustained by collective belief in separation. Their temples are built of propaganda, their priests are politicians, and their sacraments are fear and consumption.

The Thoth Prince of Swords shows how easily the intellect can become ensnared by this Mind Virus — slicing the unity of Spirit into categories, creeds, and wars of words. Yet he also shows the way out: by turning the Sword inward, cutting through illusion, and allowing the Air to merge again with the Ocean from which it arose.

🌬️ The Hermetic Realization

When the Adept integrates this truth, the Prince’s Chariot of Winds becomes the Merkabah of the Spirit. The once chaotic mind now moves with purpose — not to dominate, but to liberate. Thought becomes transparent to Light. The sword of intellect becomes the wand of manifestation.

To “know thyself” is thus the highest revolution — the return of the Wind to the Ocean, of the fragmented mind to the One Life. In that realization, the Archon loses its throne, the Wetiko its food, and the human soul reclaims its birthright as co-creator with the Divine Mother of Life.

Ideas have no purpose unless applied to the function of Life---for that is the Great Work of I AM. Ideas make I AM (identity) in their own image, while The Divine Creative-makes us into its image of Self Awareness!

Aleister Crowley is famous or infamous, for stating, "Do what thou wilt is the whole of the Law. The Law is Love. Love under Will." To understand this statement is to see the obvious; that to know Love is to know thyself! The Soul is Life, and it creates Lifetimes, and as an awake conscious representative of our souls, we are the mercury-observer and action of "what we think we are".

We have the "sleeping mind" (Unconscious) which can be compared to the Hindu preserver god Vishnu, whose dream creates the universe. But the Dreamer is the dream and can't separate themselves from it. Hence, according to this philosophy, the universe died when sleeping Vishnu awakens. Then there is the Creator god aspect of Brahma. However, the awake and dancing god (awake consciousness), who moves within the dream as Avatars, can correct the dysfunctions that can change the universal cycles.

Vishnu and Brahma are not the same god in Hindu cosmology, but they play complementary roles in the process of creation, preservation, and destruction of the universe. Each has distinct functions in the cosmic cycle, and they are part of the Hindu trinity, known as the Trimurti, which includes Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

• Brahma (Kether) is the creator god, responsible for the creation of the universe. He is often depicted as emerging from a lotus flower that grows from Vishnu's navel while Vishnu is resting on the cosmic ocean.

• Vishnu (Tiphareth) is the preserver or sustainer of the universe. He maintains the cosmic order (Dharma) and intervenes through his avatars when there is imbalance or chaos in the world. Vishnu is often referred to as the "dreamer" of the universe because he is seen as resting in the cosmic ocean, dreaming the universe into existence. In some traditions, the universe itself is considered to be Vishnu's dream.

While both Brahma and Vishnu are involved in the creation of the universe, they are distinct deities with separate roles. Vishnu, as the preserver, ensures that the universe follows its intended course, while Brahma initiates the process of creation. Despite their differences, the idea of unity among gods in Hindu philosophy is also common, suggesting that while Vishnu and Brahma are distinct in their roles, they are ultimately manifestations of the same divine source, Brahman, the universal consciousness.

So, while they are not the same god in their specific functions, they are interconnected aspects of the same ultimate reality in Hindu thought. Just as the Unconscious and awake consciousness are aspects of the same Psyche.

In Hindu cosmology, the concept of cyclical creation and destruction is central. This is reflected in the idea of Kalpas (cosmic cycles) and the cycles of creation and dissolution that repeat infinitely. Each Kalpa lasts for about 4.32 billion years, known as a "day of Brahma," followed by a "night of Brahma," where the universe is dissolved and then re-created when the next day begins.

There isn't a definitive number of universes that have existed before this one because Hindu belief emphasizes the infinite nature of these cycles. The universe has been created and destroyed countless times, and this process will continue indefinitely. The idea is that the universe dies and is reborn, with no specific beginning or end.

Thus, according to this belief, there were infinite universes before the current one, just as there will be infinite ones after it.

Knowing this, we who are the Avatars of Vishnu, can be active in the dream and by experience, find the flaws in the Universal Self dream and individually correct them as our own functional dream of Self! Hence, we as awake consciousness can be the lucidity of the Dreamer. Your purpose is far greater than the "little" world of the body. You are Spirit-Mind-Body. Somewhere in the Prince of Sword's consciousness this is known, and he takes nothing as serious. He or she rather dance in the mind.

The primary meaning of the Prince and-Knight of Swords, implies that change is maybe hard to accept: However, it tasks you to use your full potential and reap the fruits of your labor, after careful analysis.

As a person, The Prince/Knight of Swords personality is purely intellectual and implies:

• Overflowing with ideas that tumble over each other in a mass unrelated to practical effort.
• This is a brain that won't quiet itself down long enough to focus well on one thing.
• Intensely clever, admirably rational, with high degrees of thought, yet unstable of purpose.
• There is in this Prince of mind, and indifference to their own thought, as any idea is worth exploring, but not for too long.
• By reducing every thought to ratiocination, this personality has removed all substance from thoughts, making them formal and fantastical, as they no longer relate to any facts; even those upon which the thoughts are individually based.
• Thus, this person is completely free from settled principles and is capable of conceiving and putting out any conceivable argument without the clutter of remorse or regret.
• This is a mind so glib that it can forget the contrary argument it produced minutes before and go sallying forth with a new argument.
• These people often become faddists, cultists and devotees of drink, drugs, theologies, humanitarianism or music and religion, but without stability.
• The querent feels the need to release creative and intuitive thought while cutting through any barrier to this release.
• There is a tendency to think too fast so slowing down the thought process is advised if success is to be achieved.
• The querent is showing the tendency to be overly rational, missing the subtle emotional points that would heed success in communication.

If the querent is able or has achieved the ability to focus their thought, and subdue the "Shadow", they are committed to acting out their ideals and philosophy in their own lives; not really caring about how others do it, as they put incredible energy into supporting or examining beliefs.

• They often present a magnetic personality that is extravagant, careless, and excessive.
• Ruthlessly brilliant, they can have good business judgment. There is a combative nature here that is courageous, turbulent, and skilled in the war of wits.

If ill defined by the surrounding cards, it implies:

• Hastiness.
• Short sightedness. 
• Destructiveness. 
• Erratic changes.

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