Little Baron
I think that jumping about from 'major to minor' and 'number to number' is somewhat confusing me, so I am going to look at sticking to the minor arcana and tying it together by number. Also by Tree of Life vessel.
All four aces in the NOVT relate to Kether - vessel #1.
This shows each suit at it's purest.
Three of the four, show a serpent. A serpent in it's deepest state of contemplation, which is apparently perfect for the aces. It appears to be concentration that is not interrupted and is completely unadulterated.
Petro. Damballah La Flambeau. From the 'Hutchinsons' dictionary, the meaning of 'flambeau' is 'burning torch', which is obviously a good definition for the suit of fire. In Vodoo, Damballah is the eldest and chief of the Loas, a primordial serpent deity who created the world and the Gods. He, along with his wife Ayida, is sometimes likened to the Kundalini serpent of Hindu mysticism. Damballah has many aspects, including his Petro manifestation, Damballah la Flambeau (Damballah torch). In this card, he is bright red and burns, showing that he is all fire. In the book, we are told he begins to meld with the attributes of a dragon.
I see his energy as one of extreme strength. Fire, in it's strongest, can burn down forests and destroy others. Maybe the reason that Ayida is symbolised by the suit of water (Congo) explains that only his wife has the ability to calm and tame him when he gets a little too hot around the collar.
Bringing us onto Ayida, we see what appears to be someone whom is possessed by her. Someone that is in the 'inbetween' stages, since the image is of half serpent and half human. It is only when you look at the card for a little longer than you might when slipping through and see how the snake has moulded with the human, that it actually becomes quite an uncomfortable picture to view. In the book, positively, it is described as an 'ecstatic union'.
She is the rainbow serpent. Her creative element is water. We are told that the influence is that of the Great Mother - creating freely through the subtle pressure of the Waters. In traditional tarot, we might look at this element as 'emotion'. Here, I feel it has more to do with creation. Sharing and blending. Water may point to pleasure, happiness and nurturing of some kind. I think that maybe she tempers Damballah to some extent, when he is at his harshest.
These are just feelings that I get.
In air, we have 'Damballah Wedo'. Now, I am a little confused by the names here, so this is where it would be great if someone more experienced would step in.
Is Damballa Wedo different to Damballah la Flambeau? Is this the same serpent but with different aspects/elements? What does Wedo mean? He certainly looks the same.
This serpent hangs in balance, we are told. There is no tendancy to move, even though we are told there is potential for action. This card seems less pure and extreme than the other two mentioned already. If the serpent is so still though, I can see there being a clarity or pureness to the mind (a stilling of the mind) in the form of an ace and Kether, if we are indeed, relating it to traditional air-aces in tarot. It appears that his state will not be prolonged. He will need to jump into action at some point. Possibly provoked by this card.
And then we have the 'odd man out'. The one card that is not a serpent, but what seems to be an eye - Oludumare.
An eye that cries, forms and protects an egg-like growth on the bottom section of the card.
Oludumare is the creator of the religion of Santeria. So we are reminded, once more, that all four aces create. Here, though, we are reminded of the physical creating of earth. The three streams are tears. And what is being created is Obatala. He is is patron of peace and purity and can be seen in the fourth card of the Santeria suit (one of my faves, I might add).
We are told that sorrow plays a part of this card. It is apparently about embracing one's sadness. All aspects of the material are held here in this card - both extreme wealth and poverty.
This post is just a start. But I would like to discuss these four 'aces' in more depth because I can not completely get my head around them. They do not feel as 'pure' as they are intended to.
LB
All four aces in the NOVT relate to Kether - vessel #1.
This shows each suit at it's purest.
Three of the four, show a serpent. A serpent in it's deepest state of contemplation, which is apparently perfect for the aces. It appears to be concentration that is not interrupted and is completely unadulterated.
Petro. Damballah La Flambeau. From the 'Hutchinsons' dictionary, the meaning of 'flambeau' is 'burning torch', which is obviously a good definition for the suit of fire. In Vodoo, Damballah is the eldest and chief of the Loas, a primordial serpent deity who created the world and the Gods. He, along with his wife Ayida, is sometimes likened to the Kundalini serpent of Hindu mysticism. Damballah has many aspects, including his Petro manifestation, Damballah la Flambeau (Damballah torch). In this card, he is bright red and burns, showing that he is all fire. In the book, we are told he begins to meld with the attributes of a dragon.
I see his energy as one of extreme strength. Fire, in it's strongest, can burn down forests and destroy others. Maybe the reason that Ayida is symbolised by the suit of water (Congo) explains that only his wife has the ability to calm and tame him when he gets a little too hot around the collar.
Bringing us onto Ayida, we see what appears to be someone whom is possessed by her. Someone that is in the 'inbetween' stages, since the image is of half serpent and half human. It is only when you look at the card for a little longer than you might when slipping through and see how the snake has moulded with the human, that it actually becomes quite an uncomfortable picture to view. In the book, positively, it is described as an 'ecstatic union'.
She is the rainbow serpent. Her creative element is water. We are told that the influence is that of the Great Mother - creating freely through the subtle pressure of the Waters. In traditional tarot, we might look at this element as 'emotion'. Here, I feel it has more to do with creation. Sharing and blending. Water may point to pleasure, happiness and nurturing of some kind. I think that maybe she tempers Damballah to some extent, when he is at his harshest.
These are just feelings that I get.
In air, we have 'Damballah Wedo'. Now, I am a little confused by the names here, so this is where it would be great if someone more experienced would step in.
Is Damballa Wedo different to Damballah la Flambeau? Is this the same serpent but with different aspects/elements? What does Wedo mean? He certainly looks the same.
This serpent hangs in balance, we are told. There is no tendancy to move, even though we are told there is potential for action. This card seems less pure and extreme than the other two mentioned already. If the serpent is so still though, I can see there being a clarity or pureness to the mind (a stilling of the mind) in the form of an ace and Kether, if we are indeed, relating it to traditional air-aces in tarot. It appears that his state will not be prolonged. He will need to jump into action at some point. Possibly provoked by this card.
And then we have the 'odd man out'. The one card that is not a serpent, but what seems to be an eye - Oludumare.
An eye that cries, forms and protects an egg-like growth on the bottom section of the card.
Oludumare is the creator of the religion of Santeria. So we are reminded, once more, that all four aces create. Here, though, we are reminded of the physical creating of earth. The three streams are tears. And what is being created is Obatala. He is is patron of peace and purity and can be seen in the fourth card of the Santeria suit (one of my faves, I might add).
We are told that sorrow plays a part of this card. It is apparently about embracing one's sadness. All aspects of the material are held here in this card - both extreme wealth and poverty.
This post is just a start. But I would like to discuss these four 'aces' in more depth because I can not completely get my head around them. They do not feel as 'pure' as they are intended to.
LB