Princess of Swords
Earth of Air
The Princess of the Rushing Winds; the Lotus of the Palace of Air
Rider-Waite: Page of Swords
Earth of Air: thought brought down to the ground, practical, combative, settling disputes.
| Formula | Earth of Air: Princess is Earth, Swords are Air |
|---|---|
| Mix | Opposed elements, an unstable, high-tension mix |
| Letters | Heh final of Vau (the Name, YHVH) |
| Sephirah | Malkuth, sphere of the Princesses |
| Rules | The quadrant of the earth called the Americas; the heavens around the North Pole above Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces; throne of the Ace of Swords |
| I Ching | Hexagram 18, Ku, Work on what has been Spoiled (Mountain over Wind) |
| Rider-Waite | Page of Swords |
In a reading
Stern, revengeful, destructive in logic, firm and aggressive, with practical wisdom in material affairs and skill in settling controversies; the Minerva of the deck. Badly placed: frivolous, cunning, incoherent, the anger turned to spite.
Working with the card
| As a person | A stern, clever, argumentative person who handles practical matters aggressively. |
|---|---|
| As a situation | Disputes and material affairs that demand firm handling. |
| Advice | Clear the air, then get on with the work. |
| Do | Deal with the concrete problem in front of you. |
| Bring | Firmness, dexterity, vigilance. |
| Beware | Petty quarrels, cunning, constant anxiety. |
| Ask | What practical step ends this argument? |
Correspondences
On the card
A young woman in a helmet crowned with Medusa's head stands ready with a sword before an altar, under a stormy sky and dark, fallen clouds.
Kabbalah and astrology
The final Heh of the Vau: Earth of Air, thought made body, the mind as a practical instrument. She is the throne of the Ace of Swords and rules the quadrant of the earth called the Americas. Crowley's hexagram, 18, Work on what has been Spoiled, is the mountain over the wind: the settling of disorder by firm action.
The Princesses rule no decans. Each holds the throne of her suit's Ace and governs one quadrant of the earth, counted from the meridian of the Great Pyramid, and the corresponding quadrant of the heavens around the North Pole.
I Ching
Crowley builds each court's hexagram from two trigrams, the suit below and the rank above: Swords give Wind, Princesss give Mountain. The result is hexagram 18, Ku, Work on what has been Spoiled (Mountain over Wind). See I Ching and the courts.
Depth psychology
Thinking embodied: intellect used to fix what is actually wrong. As an inner figure, the anima as the one who ends the argument. The four ranks are often read as the four ways the suit's function can be lived: the Knight extraverted and initiating, the Queen introverted and sustaining, the Prince as its intellectual form, the Princess as its embodied form.
Thoth and Rider-Waite
This card corresponds to the Rider-Waite Page of Swords. Crowley renamed the ranks to follow the letters of the Name: Knight (Yod), Queen (Heh), Prince (Vau), Princess (final Heh), so that the Thoth Knight is the Waite King and the Thoth Prince the Waite Knight. The figures' mounts follow the Golden Dawn: Knights on horses, Queens on thrones, Princes in chariots, Princesses on foot.
Related cards
Throne of
The other Princesss
- יPrincess of Wands Earth of FireEarth of Fire
- הPrincess of Cups Earth of WaterEarth of Water
- הPrincess of Disks Earth of EarthEarth of Earth
The court of Swords
Correspondences follow the Golden Dawn system as used in Crowley's Book of Thoth and Liber 777. Paintings by Lady Frieda Harris, © Ordo Templi Orientis. Where sources differ.