ANCIENT EGYPTIAN STUDY GROUP - Princess Disks

rwcarter

The Princess stands in a highly vegetated area, surrounded by lush green plants and trees. The forest is a place of seclusion. It's associated with growth, nature and new ideas. "Can't see the forest for the trees" means to get too caught up in the details at the expense of the larger picture.

Behind her is a cliff face. She holds a disk-tipped staff in one hand and carries a larger disk under her other arm. The staff suggests untapped and limitless potential.

The hieroglyphs inscribed on the larger disk represent earth.

A wild ram stands behind the Princess. The ram is a symbol of power, strength and leadership. Khnum (see the Wheel of Fortune) was depicted with a ram's head.

Rodney
 

teomat

I was a little bit confused as to why there's a ram on this card. It seems to link this card to Aries, but I'm not sure what the connection is (but I know very little about astrology). The Princess represents Earth of Earth - so how does this Fire sign fit in?

I know Barrett got a lot of his inspiration from the Thoth deck (particularly the courts), so I tried looking-up the card interpretation in the Book of Thoth - but Crowley doesn't mention the ram's significance either.

However the connection to Khnum seems to fit very well. According to Wikipedia, Khnum was one of the earliest Egyptian deities, originally the god of the source of the Nile River. Barrett also says he was the god of fertility and creation - so it fits that the Princess is pictured in a lush, fertile setting.

Wikipedia also says that Khnum was thought to be the creator of the bodies of human children, which he made on a potter's wheel and then placed in their mother's wombs. Interestingly, in the Book of Thoth Crowley says 'She bears within her body the secret of the future'.

Could this imply that she's pregnant?
 

rwcarter

teomat said:
I was a little bit confused as to why there's a ram on this card. It seems to link this card to Aries, but I'm not sure what the connection is (but I know very little about astrology). The Princess represents Earth of Earth - so how does this Fire sign fit in?
As you saw, I didn't have a whole lot to say about this card either. But I do know that none of the Princesses have astrological associations.

teomat said:
Wikipedia also says that Khnum was thought to be the creator of the bodies of human children, which he made on a potter's wheel and then placed in their mother's wombs. Interestingly, in the Book of Thoth Crowley says 'She bears within her body the secret of the future'.

Could this imply that she's pregnant?
The Courts generally are my bane in any tarot deck. But as far as pregnancy and the Princess Disks, I think that all the Princesses could be considered to be pregnant with the possibility of their various suits.

Rodney