The Body
Tarot · Suit of Wands
Ace of Wands
The spark of creation and unbridled potential.
Pure potential before anything is built — the spark is given; spending it well is the whole task.
What it meansThe wand is a cut branch still putting out leaves, and some of them are already falling. Read as the root of fire: an impulse that is alive and therefore perishable. It is offered from cloud, meaning it arrives — nobody in this picture generated it.
Scripture · Psalms
Be still, and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10
— NLTBe still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.
An invitation to cease striving and recognize the absolute sovereignty of the Divine in the midst of chaos.
The passageNot a call to meditation. The Hebrew verb means to let the hands drop, to desist, and the psalm addresses nations that have been making war — the previous verse breaks bows and burns chariots. Read in context it says: stop fighting, and recognise who is God.
Symbol · Symbols of the Religions
Dharmachakra
The First Turning
The wheel of the Buddhist teaching, its eight spokes numbering the Noble Eightfold Path of the first sermon.
What it meansEight spokes for the eightfold path, and the wheel is chosen because a wheel is set turning by someone and then continues. The Buddha's first sermon is called the turning of the wheel: the teaching is described as motion imparted, not as an object handed over.