Knight of Disks

This is a complex card. We can observe and underground cave, full of minerals, crystals and riches. In the center of the card a serpent and a unicorn are fighting for dominance over the fate of the world. The arena, containing a chessboard is a symbol for earth and our inner world. The unicorn represents the fertilizing sword. This is a reference to the liberator or the alchemical „Spiritus Mercurius“ in context to the woman who eventually catches and bridles the unicorn. Depending on the myth or folklore, this woman in the right corner of the card, can be a virgin or a harlot. In Christianity she is represented by both – the Mother Mary and Mary Magdalena, but also the suffering Sophia in a gnostic light. In Malkuth she is the bride or in more casual words „mother earth“, exploited but pregnant with the celestial son.
She has her hand on a scepter, as a sign that she is not helpless, but still carries veiled power.
In the upper area of the card we can observe an empty throne. No one is watching the fight, neither from the throne, nor from the tribune. An empty throne can be found in countless pieces of art over the centuries. In a kabbalistic context, this refers to Tzimtzum, which means that the creator has left its place. This entity is not able to intervein or harvest anything from its creation. The act of harvesting the fruits (of the creation) is fulfilled by its ruling children (the archons in Gnosticism).
The fire fox in the lower area hides. This archetype usually is wise, but a scoundrel by nature. He can be connected to „0 – The Fool“ in Assiah. He smiles, like he knows a secret. In his negative aspect, he can be correlated to a charismatic, but false messiah.
The messiah and the king are two contrary archetypes. The Fool in Assiah is the secret king, who came down from his throne to roam the earth. Patriarchal characters such as Zeus, Odin and other god-kings tell us more about this mythology.
The narrative varies only in details. They get bored and travel down to earth to pursuit their adventures in disguise. Usually, this disguise can be a beast or a beggar. These adventures are usually accompanied by tempting humans or abusive behavior. Mostly innocent people or virgins suffers from their patterns of conduct. Although he can’t harvest from his throne, he participates in consuming the fruits of creation in a physical way. The crown on his left, and the scepter on his right indicate his hidden self and power, which cannot be used in an active way. Decoupled from accountability, he knows no rules, unconsciously aware of his remaining omnipotence. We must beware, to not behave like this archetype, or we will inherit his dilemma. We should remember, there is a difference between exploitation and harvest, enjoying the fruits of life and forcing ourselves on others.
Both, the hidden king and the suffering mother can only be liberated through their son, (the unicorn) which much fight its own dark side, like each and anyone of us (the serpent). This fight refers to the messiah dilemma, who is only able to liberate, if he resists the temptations of power and omnipotence, inherited from his tumbled father. In an occult context we can compare this key mystery to both, the „Horus-twin“ or the „Lucifer-Christus“ analogy. A connection to „the ruler“ or Yaldabaoth can be established and experienced with the help of these given keys.