Little Baron
Have been making notes in a 'notebook' this morning, as Umbrae has suggested many a time [with a pencil], and found it enlightening.
But wanted to bring them here and discuss them with you guys, if [and that's a big 'if'] any of you actually use this deck.
The aces seemed to open up much more in a 'foursome' than they do when I pick a card, one at a time, randomly.
The 'ones' are as follows -
Damballah Wedo, who is a serpent of air
Ayida Wedo, a serpent of water, who is married to Damballah and is shown in union with a person.
Damballah la Flambeau, who is a serpent of fire.
And from the religion of Santeria, Oludumare, who is a spirit of earth.
All four are linked to the first vessel of the Tree of Life in Kabballah, Kether.
All four are energy in it's purest. Pure fire. Pure air. Pure water. And pure earth. In this, for example, I need to remember that in pure fire, there is little room for emotion. Each element is focused and is a pure influence. Each one creates. Their attention is not wavered.
I have always seen the number 'one' as a new beginning, so it seems appropriate, also, that we have a serpent or snake to stand for three of the aces. A snake sheds it's skin. This shedding could be seen as re-birth or some kind of healing or new start, which is uncompromised by the burdens of past influence any longer.
Damballah la Flambeau is pure fire. He is a flame. He is active and masculine energy. And this card lets you know that what he has got, is available for you to use. However, in the wrong position in a spread, as opposition, you might be up against a bumpy ride, for he can be strong and antagonistic.
I see him as will power and drive. He might, at worst, represent anger and rage, if his energy is used inappropriately. He might be raw ambition.
Fire has always had sexual connotations for me. And so does the serpent. Here, I see his as sex, without love. He is the thrust. He is a f*** without emotion.
Ayida Wedo is pure water. In what we know about the elements, she is therefore pure emotion and creativity. I have always seen the 'Ace of Cups' in traditional tarot to be about pure emotion without a background plot. May that be laughter, tears, tenderness or hate. And here, in it's purest form, the snake mounts the dancer in the same way as emotion can take us over. We can just cry hysterically. Or scream with laughter. It is the laugh or the tear, and not necessarily what provoked it.
Even though each element is pure in the cards, in this one, it does join with the human. Or at least, it shows a human at a point where he and emotion/water become one. In that sense, even though love is often something that develops further into the suit [usually, in traditional Waite-type tarot], this card 'could' indicate the feeling or rush of love that one person has for another, whether it is reciprocated or not. It might not be foolish then, to also think of this card as a new beginning in the realms of relationships, as much as one that just offers the raw possibility of feeling emotional for another human being.
Damballah Wedo is married to Ayida. Infact, he is married to another loa as well - Erzulie Freda [who also has another couple of husbands]. This loa hangs in a tree. The tree is shown as a crossroads and Damballah Wedo is perfectly still. In his stillness, he is contemplation, thought, meditation and consideration. Unlike the fire-dragon Damballah la Falmbeau, he does not just take action; he thinks about it, and it is that thinking point we see him at in the card. He might be making a careful decision. He might be receiving a moment of inspiration.
In the 'ones', we have a feeling of purity running through the four. And in Damballah Wedo, this fits with his personality. Damballah Wedo likes things to be clean and tidy. He does not like cigarette tobacco or alcohol. He doesn't like cursing. He does not like blood. His colour is snow white. And in this, we can connect to the pure and shiny image of the sword that we have referred to in other decks. Mixed with air, we have clarity of the mind. A stillness that omits confusion or self-doubt.
Finally, we look into Santeria at our 'Ace of Earth', Oludumare. Oludumare is a physical spirit, and his creation, unlike the outpouring of emotion, a clear thought or a brash movement, is a real-life birth. Oludumare, in Santeria, gives birth to a spirit known for it's purity and peace, called Obatala.
In the picture, we see that the spirit is constructed by three tears. These tears are linked to the sorrow of a previous creation that went wrong. But here, they still create the intended. In a way, you could look at Oludumare [the eye] as a parent, giving birth to a child, as the three tears [like sperms] fertilise the egg-like ball. This is a physical manifestation. It would not be silly to have this card predict conception and pregnancy, perhaps in readings.
I like this card a lot. It brings out both the upright and reversed interpretations in one image. We can understand the beauty of creation, and regret of loss, all in one go. The eyes bring life through the tears, but also mourns death as well. Generally, I would say, this is a good card though, because in it's purest essense, all it does is create. And in that, it gives us an opportunity to create with it. To make something from something else. To use money as an investment, perhaps. To bring love to life.
I have typed my notes here for a few reasons. Firstly, I find the book that goes with this deck can often be a little confusing, so I have moulded what I have found in there with information from other resources and my own 'simple' ideas. And looking at the 'four' has made this process 'a lot' easier. I can see how the four spirits are all so alike but also having their own unique energy. From this little study [even though it is simplistic in itself], I think I will be able to read these four cards a lot better than I have been able to previously.
Hope it helps you too.
LB
But wanted to bring them here and discuss them with you guys, if [and that's a big 'if'] any of you actually use this deck.
The aces seemed to open up much more in a 'foursome' than they do when I pick a card, one at a time, randomly.
The 'ones' are as follows -
Damballah Wedo, who is a serpent of air
Ayida Wedo, a serpent of water, who is married to Damballah and is shown in union with a person.
Damballah la Flambeau, who is a serpent of fire.
And from the religion of Santeria, Oludumare, who is a spirit of earth.
All four are linked to the first vessel of the Tree of Life in Kabballah, Kether.
All four are energy in it's purest. Pure fire. Pure air. Pure water. And pure earth. In this, for example, I need to remember that in pure fire, there is little room for emotion. Each element is focused and is a pure influence. Each one creates. Their attention is not wavered.
I have always seen the number 'one' as a new beginning, so it seems appropriate, also, that we have a serpent or snake to stand for three of the aces. A snake sheds it's skin. This shedding could be seen as re-birth or some kind of healing or new start, which is uncompromised by the burdens of past influence any longer.
Damballah la Flambeau is pure fire. He is a flame. He is active and masculine energy. And this card lets you know that what he has got, is available for you to use. However, in the wrong position in a spread, as opposition, you might be up against a bumpy ride, for he can be strong and antagonistic.
I see him as will power and drive. He might, at worst, represent anger and rage, if his energy is used inappropriately. He might be raw ambition.
Fire has always had sexual connotations for me. And so does the serpent. Here, I see his as sex, without love. He is the thrust. He is a f*** without emotion.
Ayida Wedo is pure water. In what we know about the elements, she is therefore pure emotion and creativity. I have always seen the 'Ace of Cups' in traditional tarot to be about pure emotion without a background plot. May that be laughter, tears, tenderness or hate. And here, in it's purest form, the snake mounts the dancer in the same way as emotion can take us over. We can just cry hysterically. Or scream with laughter. It is the laugh or the tear, and not necessarily what provoked it.
Even though each element is pure in the cards, in this one, it does join with the human. Or at least, it shows a human at a point where he and emotion/water become one. In that sense, even though love is often something that develops further into the suit [usually, in traditional Waite-type tarot], this card 'could' indicate the feeling or rush of love that one person has for another, whether it is reciprocated or not. It might not be foolish then, to also think of this card as a new beginning in the realms of relationships, as much as one that just offers the raw possibility of feeling emotional for another human being.
Damballah Wedo is married to Ayida. Infact, he is married to another loa as well - Erzulie Freda [who also has another couple of husbands]. This loa hangs in a tree. The tree is shown as a crossroads and Damballah Wedo is perfectly still. In his stillness, he is contemplation, thought, meditation and consideration. Unlike the fire-dragon Damballah la Falmbeau, he does not just take action; he thinks about it, and it is that thinking point we see him at in the card. He might be making a careful decision. He might be receiving a moment of inspiration.
In the 'ones', we have a feeling of purity running through the four. And in Damballah Wedo, this fits with his personality. Damballah Wedo likes things to be clean and tidy. He does not like cigarette tobacco or alcohol. He doesn't like cursing. He does not like blood. His colour is snow white. And in this, we can connect to the pure and shiny image of the sword that we have referred to in other decks. Mixed with air, we have clarity of the mind. A stillness that omits confusion or self-doubt.
Finally, we look into Santeria at our 'Ace of Earth', Oludumare. Oludumare is a physical spirit, and his creation, unlike the outpouring of emotion, a clear thought or a brash movement, is a real-life birth. Oludumare, in Santeria, gives birth to a spirit known for it's purity and peace, called Obatala.
In the picture, we see that the spirit is constructed by three tears. These tears are linked to the sorrow of a previous creation that went wrong. But here, they still create the intended. In a way, you could look at Oludumare [the eye] as a parent, giving birth to a child, as the three tears [like sperms] fertilise the egg-like ball. This is a physical manifestation. It would not be silly to have this card predict conception and pregnancy, perhaps in readings.
I like this card a lot. It brings out both the upright and reversed interpretations in one image. We can understand the beauty of creation, and regret of loss, all in one go. The eyes bring life through the tears, but also mourns death as well. Generally, I would say, this is a good card though, because in it's purest essense, all it does is create. And in that, it gives us an opportunity to create with it. To make something from something else. To use money as an investment, perhaps. To bring love to life.
I have typed my notes here for a few reasons. Firstly, I find the book that goes with this deck can often be a little confusing, so I have moulded what I have found in there with information from other resources and my own 'simple' ideas. And looking at the 'four' has made this process 'a lot' easier. I can see how the four spirits are all so alike but also having their own unique energy. From this little study [even though it is simplistic in itself], I think I will be able to read these four cards a lot better than I have been able to previously.
Hope it helps you too.
LB