The Magician Card

[Brian]

We'll ask Mrs. O'Hara. She'll know what to do.

[RiverSnake]

The Magus has one hand pointed too the heavens and the other pointed to earth. He stands between these two polarites and uses his will and gnosis to work with these polarities in order to manipulate the fundamental elemental building blocks of creation (Earth, Fire, Water, Wind). He acts as a bridge for these fundamental powers in order to cause shifts in reality I accordance with intent.

 

In terms of the Infiniti symbol and its meaning...I can only guess that it is a symbol for the Akashic principle or the 5th undefinable element that is the fundamental essence, spirit, promordial mind or divinity that inhabits and enlivens all of existence. The Magician stands in this Light/Gnosis as a he weaves his work. The point above the head in which the infinity symbol usually resides in most cards is also a center or chakra in which I have grown to associate with Higher Mind and Non-Dual "Here but not Here" states of consciousness.

Edited January 11, 2016 by OldChi

[Daeluin]

I haven't studied the tarot in depth or anything, but wandering into a used book store today, there was a Tarot 101 book by Kim Huggens staring at me, and so I opened it to the magician section and liked what I read. Here's a bit:

 

 

I

The Magician

 

Our study of the Major Arcana continues with the Magician, representative of the force and direction that gives the Fool a goal, as well as the resources the traveler has at his disposal.

 

This first card of the Major Arcana is symbolized by the number "1," a number signifying the sense of self, ego, "I," and "I am." The magician is the direction of the energy from the Fool's chaos and potential - he points his magic wand and the energy streams through it, guided to the Magician's goal in the world. He uses energy, talent, skill, personality, and the world around him as a resource to be tapped into. This card represents the focused application of will and energy toward an achievement, just as the Magician directs his energy through his wand to create magic. This card also represents the active principle of the universe that causes change and manifestation to occur. Often, the Magician can be seen as the first divine spark that starts the creative process or puts you on the path toward manifestation.

 

I had already been intrigued by the idea of the hands pointing to heaven and earth, for in the bagua eight mother palms I practice, this posture activates the spark of thunder into the post-celestial change.

 

In one of the ten wings of the Yijing, the Shougua (tl Zhongxian Wu), the pre-celestial arrangement of the trigrams is described:

 

Heaven and Earth settle into their positions; Mountain and Lake intermingle their Qi; Thunder and Wind intertwine with each other; and Water and Fire do not repel each other. The Eight Trigrams interconnect with one another. To learn where we are going is the forward way. To know where we have come from is the reverse way.

 

And then the post-celestial arrangement of the trigrams is described:

 

Supernatural Being makes everything emerge from Thunder. All things are well arranged in Wind, meet each other in Fire, obtain nourishment in Earth, celebrate in Lake, interact in Heaven, return in Water, and achieve in Mountain.

 

The connection is pretty clear to me. The Magician pointing his wand or hands is just like how everything emerges from thunder, giving the ten thousand things momentum and direction, shaping the forces under which they will be grown, connected, matured, transformed, enlightened, realized, and accomplished.

[Nungali]

 

De Arte Magica 

[Nungali]

I like this bit especially ; 

 

 

Heaven and Earth settle into their positions; Mountain and Lake intermingle their Qi; Thunder and Wind intertwine with each other; and Water and Fire do not repel each other. The Eight Trigrams interconnect with one another. To learn where we are going is the forward way. To know where we have come from is the reverse way.

 

And then the post-celestial arrangement of the trigrams is described:

 

Supernatural Being makes everything emerge from Thunder. All things are well arranged in Wind, meet each other in Fire, obtain nourishment in Earth, celebrate in Lake, interact in Heaven, return in Water, and achieve in Mountain.

 

The connection is pretty clear to me. The Magician pointing his wand or hands is just like how everything emerges from thunder, giving the ten thousand things momentum and direction, shaping the forces under which they will be grown, connected, matured, transformed, enlightened, realized, and accomplished.

 

 

Reminds me of the invocation I had to learn for my part in the Rite of Luna. 

 

... By the brood of the Bysses of Brightening,whose God was my sire;By the Lord of the Flame and the Lightning,the King of the Spirits of FireBy the Lord of the Waves and the Waters,the King of the Hosts of the Sea,The fairest of all of whose daughters was mother to me;By the Lord of the Winds and the Breezes,the King of the Spirits of Air,In whose bosom the infinite ease is that cradled me there;By the Lord of the Fields and the Mountains,the King of the Spirits of EarthThat nurtured my life at his fountainsfrom the hour of my birth; By the Wand and the Cup I conjure; By the Dagger and Disk I constrain; I am he that is sworn to endure; Make thy music again~! ... As the flame of the sun, as the roar of the sea, as the storm of the air, As the quake of the earth--let it soar for a boon, for a bane, for a snare, For a lure, for a light, for a kiss, for a rod, for a scourge, for a sword ... "

[Apech]

 

De Arte Magica 

 

How did you get hold of my passport photo?

[Brian]

 

I like this bit especially ;

 

 

 

Reminds me of the invocation I had to learn for my part in the Rite of Luna.

 

... By the brood of the Bysses of Brightening,
whose God was my sire;
By the Lord of the Flame and the Lightning,
the King of the Spirits of Fire
By the Lord of the Waves and the Waters,
the King of the Hosts of the Sea,
The fairest of all of whose daughters was mother to me;
By the Lord of the Winds and the Breezes,
the King of the Spirits of Air,
In whose bosom the infinite ease is that cradled me there;
By the Lord of the Fields and the Mountains,
the King of the Spirits of Earth
That nurtured my life at his fountains
from the hour of my birth;
 By the Wand and the Cup I conjure;
 By the Dagger and Disk I constrain;
 I am he that is sworn to endure;
 Make thy music again~!
 ...
 As the flame of the sun, as the roar of the sea,
 as the storm of the air,
 As the quake of the earth--let it soar for a boon,
 for a bane, for a snare,
 For a lure, for a light, for a kiss, for a rod,
 for a scourge, for a sword 
... "

Bysses of Brightening??? A poetic variation of abysses, perhaps, or something different?

 

EDIT: Stupid spiel chucker...

Edited January 11, 2016 by Brian

[Zhongyongdaoist]

 

... By the brood of the Bysses of Brightening,whose God was my sire;By the Lord of the Flame and the Lightning,

 

by such speech and such rhyming,

'tis a spelling truly Frightening!

 

But one that I am only too happy to make light of.  (of which to make light?)

 

I suppose no one really wants to hear about floppy hats, lemniscates and infinity symbols do they?

[Apech]

by such speech and such rhyming,

'tis a spelling truly Frightening!

 

But one that I am only too happy to make light of.  (of which to make light?)

 

I suppose no one really wants to hear about floppy hats, lemniscates and infinity symbols do they?

 

 

'lemniscates' - thank you I shall drop that word in every conversation I have for the next week.  Just because I can.

[Nungali]

by such speech and such rhyming,

'tis a spelling truly Frightening!

 

But one that I am only too happy to make light of.  (of which to make light?) 

 

A reasonable weaving *  of the way you  make  ' light of '

 

But .....   

 

And if a bird can speak, who once was a dinosaur

 

And a dog can dream; should it be implausible

 

That a man might supervise

 

The construction of light 

 

? 

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmnniO_lPi4

 

 

I suppose no one really wants to hear about floppy hats, lemniscates and infinity symbols do they?

 

 

Sure !  

 

Flop it out then .     

Edited January 12, 2016 by Nungali

[Nungali]

'lemniscates' - thank you I shall drop that word in every conversation I have for the next week.  Just because I can.

 

and when they ask you what it means you can say ; it's a type of  lite affect  brought about by the brightning  of lightening 

 

 

... and here I was expecting a post from you correcting the etymology above to a more Egyptian source  ( like  linen  ( * ^ #36  )  and Mummy wrappings)  .  

 

 

Edited January 12, 2016 by Nungali

[Brian]

Though this be madness, yet there is method in ’t.

[Jadespear]

The infinity symbol is used to symbolize the concept of infinity of course- which is a continuity of creation, preservation, and destruction throughout all densities of realities that exist by the interplay of the 5 absolute elements; akasha, fire, air, water, and earth.  In short - the infinity symbol describes the true story of everything in the universe, and this story can be controlled by the Magician through his mind, by any aspect of it - be it his will, his intellect, his belief, or his imagination. Everything in the entire universe is subject to a person who is actually a real Magician.  Magicians of note throughout history have been the Buddha, Jesus, etc. etc. etc.  The magician is able to control every region of everything that has been created - including the entire physical material plane, the entire astral plane, and the entire mental plane.  And the magician can also - create new planes, can create anything he wants to because he himself has been made in the image ( through the imagination of )....and in likeness of God.  The creator of the universe. The infinite mind, The knower, The true absolute truth that is present everywhere....the absolute and unchanging...many people have their own thoughts on what to call this phenomenon, but everyone eventually finds that it is real, and exists regardless of what anyone can ever think about it or comprehend to believe.

 

Magicians to do higher magic- have to become one with the infinite consciousness of the universe to do very real and seemingly miraculous things.  Creating new realities, materializing new planets, etc. etc. When the mind of an individual becomes absorbed in the universal mind through a systematic synthesis, it gains the ability to do these things.  Hence the infinity symbol is above the magician's mind. Because he attains the power to do anything imaginable - infinity.

 

This card picture I think describes the magician the best.  For people to call themselves magicians they must be able to control the building blocks of reality, which are the elements of akasha, fire, air, water, and earth.  Infinity here is expressed as the mystical letters in succesion A U M.  Note that behind the AUM, there is the ultraviolet light that represents the Akasha principle - the causal mechanism, the all in the all, the quintessence of everything ( God ), and outside of that is the absolute darkness of the uncreated........  all of the rest of it you can probably explain on your own.

[Brian]

Thank you, Jadespear.

[noonespecial]

I think I just may have in the other thread ?   

 

In the Thoth deck he is pictured with the Staff of Hermes (mentioned in the other thread too ) , based on the Egyptian winged disk and showing the intertwined serpents  ( DNA - another form of 'consciousness' -  / Ida  Pingala ) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://hermetic.com/crowley/book-of-thoth/atu.html      @   1. The Juggler 

 

I think AC fumbled with this one. The Waite card on the other hand.

[Michael Sternbach]

Brian,

 

I can't find that post right now, but I recall that you asked about a lemniscate variation of the Ouroboros somewhere?

 

Here goes!

 

 

 

 

[Fate]

This thread has been helpful with intersecting Taoism and Tarot for me.

 

Especially this:

Sorry Brian for that brief interlude of silliness.

 

The image of the magician or magus is very central and key to the Hermetic tradition.  When the renaissance thinkers like Ficino and Pico started study of the Hermetic Texts they were legitimised by the idea that Hermes Trismegistus (the author of the Pimander etc) was understood as an ancient Egyptian who understood and predicted the Trinity and the coming of the Christ.  This was partly a genuine belief and partly a ruse to avoid the inquisition.

 

This allowed the idea of the magus - which means someone who doesn't just wish to be infused with the divine but to operate by manipulating the energies coming from the divine to effect changes in the world.  What the Renaissance inherited through the Hermetic texts written in the early centuries AD was a bit of a mish mash of Babylonian, Greek and Egyptian ideas - on top of which you can add some Hebrew Cabala.  However it was understood to be mainly Egyptian and distinct but standing alongside Gnosticism, Neoplatonism and Cabala.

Thanks Apech.
 

I've always thought true Daoism was about embodying the Fool (0) card and living in complete harmony with oneself.

 

Then the Shaman (Magus) arrived out of the 0, with the High Priestess to balance him, and from 2 came 10,000 things right?

I continue to explore the bolded and why I'm not satisfied with just being the fool and go around messing with things beyond me.

[Spotless]

I have not read this thread but for the opening post so forgive me if I go over something already said.

 

The symbol attained by the magician - that opposites are made of each other - that the bottom is the top and the top the bottom.

The impossible is probable - constraint is illusion - the flower has opened in light and lightness.

 

It is naieve but wise now in knowing its positions were one with their opponents - gaming either side is now effortless.

 

It is easy to disappear in plain view - pluck a cloud and dry in rain.

Edited April 8, 2016 by Spotless

[Michael Sternbach]

This thread has been helpful with intersecting Taoism and Tarot for me.

 

Especially this:

 

 

Thanks Apech.

 

I've always thought true Daoism was about embodying the Fool (0) card and living in complete harmony with oneself.

 

Then the Shaman (Magus) arrived out of the 0, with the High Priestess to balance him, and from 2 came 10,000 things right?

I continue to explore the bolded and why I'm not satisfied with just being the fool and go around messing with things beyond me.

 

Yes, 0 is equivalent to The Fool, a central archetype in Daoism. I talked about this here:

 

http://www.thedaobums.com/topic/38847-the-tao-of-tarot/#entry634625

 

The attitude of the mystic who is satisfied being imbued with the Spitit is represented by The High Priestess, whereas the magus is seeking to use the power of the Spirit to cause change in the world (as the cat has explained).

[Apech]

Yes, 0 is equivalent to The Fool, a central archetype in Daoism. I talked about this here: http://www.thedaobums.com/topic/38847-the-tao-of-tarot/#entry634625 The attitude of the mystic who is satisfied being imbued with the Spitit is represented by The High Priestess, whereas the magus is seeking to use the power of the Spirit to cause change in the world (as the cat has explained).

 

I wish to be imbued with Spit-it.  Bring it on.

 

The relationship between the Fool and the Magician is an interesting one - perhaps you'd like to say more Michael.

[RigdzinTrinley]

I wish to be imbued with Spit-it.  Bring it on.

 

The relationship between the Fool and the Magician is an interesting one - perhaps you'd like to say more Michael.

 

I would like that Michael likes to say more

[Michael Sternbach]

Alright, here goes.

 

The Fool is usually shown as a wanderer, he is everywhere and nowhere. The Magician, however, is usually depicted standing in one place; he has opened the bag that the Fool was carrying (in some decks), spread out his tools, and started putting them to use.

 

If the Fool is a circle, the Magician is its centre - around which the cross of the four elements is arranged.

 

In order for one to continuously create, one must take a firm and balanced stance. From there, the Magician is able to focus the force that pours into him from Infinity. That's the reason why he is frequently shown with a lemniscate above his head.

 

While the Fool is pure potential, the Magus is the realization of the latter. In many decks, he is standing in front of a cube or a square table, symbolizing the physical world into which he channels his transcendental power.

 

On another level, if the Fool stands for the Big Bang and the singular energy it released, the Magician represents the symmetry breaking that lead to the differentiation of that energy into the four known forces (electromagnetism, gravitation, strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force).

 

Both are filled with divine force and therefore ecstatic, but whereas the Fool lets this force propel him wherever it might, the Magician directs it in a particular direction; his ecstasy is an instrument he uses according to his will.

 

Both are related to the archetypal trickster, this is another thing they have in common.

 

Hope this helps.

[Michael Sternbach]

I wish to be imbued with Spit-it.  Bring it on.

 

Sure.

 

[Brian]

For some time now (more than a year, anyhow), I have been carrying in my pocket a 12-sided quartz "ball" about an inch across and a tiny old die (about a 1/4") that came from an estate sale. Never really thought about why I'm carrying them until someone asked me today. I think the former has something to do with manipulating energy and the latter with manipulating probabilities or fate.*

 

 

 

*Post aimed at no one in particular and not really in response to anything...

[Fate]

Well you helped me remember to unpack my quartz crystal into my room which caused a shift in energy!　Just like those items, you can never know what purpose your actions serve until another time/place maybe