The falcon in the Nine of Pentacles

To examine the falcon/woman alone in this card, is to miss part of the card itself.

Take a good look here at the Nine of Pentacles. Notice anything? How about the Falcon and the Snail.

Fibonacci brought back from Egypt the concept of the Zero, that started the Banking Industry in Tuscan in the early eleven hundreds but he is remembered for the "Golden Mean.”

The “Golden Mean” was important to occultists of old – proof that God(dess) was found in mathematics.

The Snail represents, and equals 1.618033963.

Which relates to both the Falcon and its handler in myriad of ways. Begin at your knuckles. Measure the individual finger joints. What is the ratio between them? What is the ratio between the distance from your mouth to chin in relation to the distance from mouth to nose?

What is the size difference between each spiral on a snail cross section?

1.618033963 is referred to as the ‘Golden Ratio’. It repeats itself in all living things. It also represents the ratio between Fibonacci numbers, which are referred to as the Golden Mean.

To tame a bird of prey, to hunt on command, takes discipline and patience. One must develop a bond that goes beyond complete trust. Failure to develop such a relationship results in disaster. In addition, the practiced handler must exude confidence at all times.

The Nine of Pentacles is about successful relationships, personal and mathematical, a right reward for someone who has served others well and increased the benefits for everybody.

Empty nest is a concept that does not mix well with the number Nine.

o.k. Umbrae you get a 10.
But I tried.

A Ten from me, also....I seem to remember from my distant past
40+ years or more ago...about Fibonacci's Sequence....something about adding rectangles of equal size and continuing to " build" a new rectangle that would ultimately approach the Golden Mean
or "Golden Rectangle" If I understand, this relationship is about a delicate balance established between the falcon/nature? and the woman...and it must be fair/equal to approach it's "golden mean."

I always love it when you post. I learn so much...ty

terri

WalesWoman said:

I read Rachel Pollack's "Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom" about the 9 Pentacles representing creative discipline and thought that was a good theory, but she said nothing about the glove.

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There is nothing about the glove in there, but perhaps the glove is just there to show that the bird is a bird of prey, something that you do need a certain amount of protection from, otherwise your arms would get all bloodied up from the claws.

In Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom Pollack does say this about the falcon:

A soaring hunter, the falcon, respresents the intellect, the imagination, the spirit. The hood however subdues it to its mistress, that is, the conscious will. Therefore, while at a first glance the card means success, a more intimate knowledge of it, shifts the meaning of it to that of discipline. Entry through the Gate of this card will help bring one to the joy of true discipline, which does not cripple, but soars.

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But, there is no mention of the snail. Looks like I'm back to researching the Golden Mean. How does the meaning of discipline in the card relate to the Golden Mean which is represented by the snail?

'78 degree's of pith' is a lovely overrated book. On a cold night...with little to no kindling - it displays its best use.

The Glove - and the Falcon MUST go together. You cannot tame birds of prey without protection, or your flesh will be flayed to the bone.

As I said, "To tame a bird of prey, to hunt on command, takes discipline and patience. One must develop a bond that goes beyond complete trust. Failure to develop such a relationship results in disaster. In addition, the practiced handler must exude confidence at all times."

To most folks a bird of prey is a bird. Simple, stupid - bird brained...and the opposite is true.

Birds of prey are smart individuals. However they are, wild animals, and they can (and will) turn on you.

Just as the snail, will destroy your garden...

They are symbols.

Umbrae said:

The Glove - and the Falcon MUST go together. You cannot tame birds of prey without protection, or your flesh will be flayed to the bone.

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Yes Umbrae, that was exactly what I said. In fact my exact words were: "There is nothing about the glove in there, but perhaps the glove is just there to show that the bird is a bird of prey, something that you do need a certain amount of protection from, otherwise your arms would get all bloodied up from the claws. "

Umbrae said:

Birds of prey are smart individuals. However they are, wild animals, and they can (and will) turn on you.

Just as the snail, will destroy your garden...

They are symbols.

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Symbols of the need for control? For discipline? For discipline to control? For order?

Obviously the garden is well-tended and not wild, which means the plants have been controlled in their growth patterns, either by using fertilizer, or water, things in volumes they would not get normally out in the wild.
If the wealth that the woman has achieved is self-achieved, then that would imply a certain amount of discipline and control of herself.
As for her controlling the bird of prey, it does require a certain amount of discipline and self-control, it takes time, years sometimes to establish the kind of relationship needed between a bird of prey and its person.
The snail is there, yes, but it is only one that is there. And its presence hasn't adversely affected the garden...yet. Perhaps this is a sign of a certain amount of chaos in the order that has not been seen yet and controlled.

but there is only one snail....which alone cannot destroy the garden...so the environment is near the "golden mean"....She has earned the trust of the falcon, her environment has the one snail....there is no chaos here, but order that has emerged from discipline. And it is a a very small snail that she can easily destroy if she needs to...but maybe one snail is ok in this balanced scene

terri