2 of Wands
[I thought I'd post to the study group threads instead of a separate IDS, but this one's 10 years old. Hope that's okay!]
Chockmah, primal element of Atziluth/Fire/Spirit and specific element Yod/Fire. Mars in Aries (with Mars ruling planet and the Sun exalted). -- Whole lotta fire.
Where Crowley says, "For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect," I think of Buddhist principles of non-attachment, which fits, since he's chosen a Tibetan Buddhist symbol as the focal point.
"The pictorial representation is two Dorjes crossed. The Dorje is the Tibetan symbol of the thunderbolt, the emblem of celestial Power..."
Two crossed Dorje create a diamond in the center of the card, though I don't know if that was an intentional reference to the fact that Dorje are Vajra, the (indestructible) diamond? It appears due to Harris painting the Dorjes occupying the same space instead of one being behind the other, but she does that in most of the cards in this suit.
The horse on the demon's head on the two Dorjes: Near as I can tell, this is Hayagriva Vajra, who's the swift and wrathful one - and the wrath is unpredictable and unconstrained, which makes me think of force not being directed or limited by form yet. I like that this Dorje reappears as the two front Wands in Oppression, where force is once again unconstrained, with different results.
Actual horse head Dorjes seem to have 2 snakes at the bottom just as they do on this card, but it looks like maybe Harris painted it so that the snakes on the bottom right corner on the 2 of Wands are set over a circle to look like their heads have just pierced it -- incorporating Crowley's "virgin ovum" quote in the posts above? I could be reading too much into it!
"Six flames issue from the centre. This indicates the influence of the Sun, who is exalted in Aries. This is the creative Will." -- I assume this is strictly a reference to Tiphareth at 6 as the sun. If it has additional meaning, I didn't catch it.
This is the first card in my study of each, so my thoughts are a bit all over.