Key 1 - The Magician
The Master of Illusion
In one sense, The Magician is the personality, mask, ego, or identity. It is the ability to make distinctions--the ability to remember, to discriminate, discern, divide, and notice differences. A tiny seed of light blooms into a Golden Son. As the Sun rises up out of the sea of the unconscious, he begins to individuate himself from the nothingness. The zero becomes a hero, a something from nothing. He, as a symbol of self-consciousness, grows to become the master of maya (illusion, mother, mater, matrix, and/or matter).
The Magician is associated with Mercury and the pineal gland. Maia, in Greek mythology, is the mother Hermes (or Mercury in Roman mythology). She is one of the Seven Sisters (often portrayed as doves) of the Pleiades. The Pleiades is a cluster of stars located on the shoulder of the Taurus constellation. Taurus, as the second sign in the Zodiac, is ruled by Venus. Taurus is attributed to Key 5, The Hierophant; and Venus to Key 3, The Empress.
In medical astrology, Taurus is associated with the throat center. The Empress, as well as Binah (Saturn), is also linked to the throat (Daath) and the pituitary gland (The High Priestess, Moon). An alluring Venus flytrap as an open mouth, Yoni, black hole, or wormhole (the Apple of Knowledge) comes to mind. This can all be linked back to The Magician when one notes Mercury’s frequent affiliation with the throat chakra.
The Hierophant (Taurus) is related to hearing and intuition. The Empress (Venus) is related to the creative imagination (the mind’s eye and/or mental imagery), the heart chakra, beauty, and love. On the Tree of Life, Tiphareth (as the Sun) is called the Seat of the Imagination. It, too, is associated with the heart center. The Sun, in astrology, is exalted in the first zodiac sign of Aries (the head). The link between the first key and the first zodiac sign should, then, become apparent.
Aries connects us with Key 4, The Emperor. The Emperor is The Magician after having penetrated and impregnated The High Priestess (the subconscious). The Emperor governs sight and reason. The pineal gland is located in the center of the brain that perceives the inner and outer simultaneously. The Magician is wizard of inner vision, insight, and eternal wizdom.
The yellow background we often see in this trump is the gold of Sol, the Sun--our Crowning Glory. In astrology, the Sun, much like The Magician, represents the ego or the personality. The Sun gives out, radiates, projects, and expresses. Leo, which is ruled by the Sun, is linked to our personal self-expression. Expression intimates vocalization, conversation, and/or communication. To express is to press outward and is, therefore, centrifugal. The darkness (invisible light) burns as visible light.
Express can also be defined as a means to swiftly deliver or transport something--whether that be a message, a package, a person, or some sort of cargo. With the actual planetary sphere positioned closest to the Sun, Mercury speedily orbits our Hero every 88 days. News travels fast and the rumor mill is always churning.
The two 8’s previously mentioned bring us around to the infinity symbol, or the lemniscate that’s visible above The Magician’s head. From one perspective, this figure 8 is 0, The Fool, which is +two-: The Twin Flames of The Magician’s wand. Picture The Fool, as an emblem of our unconscious desires, about to fall off of that cliff into the abyss of manifestation. It is the wand, as the will and focus, of The Magician that transports and directs those unrealized potentials from above into the field of existence below.
Energy flows where attention goes, does it not? Even so, the end result that an archetype takes may not be easily recognized--especially if perception is easily swayed by emotion. As any qualified Magician will warn you: Appearances are seldom what they seem. An archetype is an image, symbol, and/or myth that keeps showing up. It’s primordial and fixed. It’s a model, a mold, a blueprint, a seed. Unchangeable in that it eternally recurs, yet forever subject-to-change.
The archetypes show up under countless guises: Partaking of both positive and negative qualities as well as feminine and masculine characteristics. They’re seamless, blended, and nonlinear. As a focal point of awakening awareness capable of perceiving order amidst chaos, The Magician develops the ability to distinguish one archetype from another. This chaos (The Fool or the Limitless Light), however, is not actually chaos. It’s a higher order not yet made conscious. A higher order only attained, or known, through definition and distinction. Since the ultimate attainment is illusory, chaos will always prevail. Yet, it is precisely The Magician’s task to tame and harness this chaos for practical application.
The Magician represents the ability to tune out the noise and singularly focus on one definite object or objective at a time. In doing so, clarity of purpose is sharpened, skills are refined, and talents are cultivated. The idealistic Magician isn't merely a man of thought, The Magician is a man of manual labor. Mental focus (like the lens or the eye of a camera) paired with physical steps make his power of command pragmatic and applicable.
Power is the capacity to work (6th House, ruled by Mercury), to labor, and to toil. Power is that flaming force of activity. As a master of his craft, as an artisan, we can easily compare The Magician to the angelic alchemist in the Temperance (referred to, in some decks, as Art) key. This alchemist is the True Self, or the Holy Guardian Angel, resident in the heart and exalted in the crown.
Whenever we follow or are motivated by our true heart's desires, we are successfully performing the handiwork of God. Whenever we eliminate distraction to actively meditate (aka concentrate), we are aligning ourselves with that still, small voice of intuition. Intuition that guides us through subtle nudges as well as blatant signs (synchronicities). Magic, miracles, and the impossible become possible through this inner guidance.
Sulphur aids Our Mercury. It's not enough just to dream or fantasize (Salt), we must carry out the vision (Sulphur). While The Magician, as self-consciousness, seems to initiate various works--he is merely a lightning rod through which the True Will (superconscious) flows. This True Will is the Puppet Master that's tugging on all of our heart strings, subtly influencing our desires (motivations). The lightning rod, or wand, is a conduit and it specifically represents the pineal gland, the spinal column, and the nervous system.
Mushrooms, motorcycles, masks, the magician's cap, and hands are all symbols seen frequently in relation to this key. The hand is a potent symbol of the power of comprehension. This power of comprehension is the power to harness and grasp universal patterns (order) to discern and facilitate the grander cosmic plan. The hand also represents the will, touch, response, contact, communication, the written word, mediation, the senses, control, and is a symbol of Mercury.
Personal control is an illusion. This can be one of the hardest lessons to learn. The patriarchal self-consciousness is obsessed with this false notion of control, superiority, domination, and power. While it is true that there are some things that we are personally responsible for and must take control of to lead a healthy and harmonious life--even that personal sense of will power is only granted to us through the universal mind.
Still, we do not become passive doormats. We continue to act as if it was of our own doing, shifting our identification with the false personal will by acknowledging the Universal Mercury. When we feel inspired to act, we act. When it's time to sit back and relax, we wait to receive further guidance. And, to reduce disappointment, we graciously surrender our expectations to how we personally think it all should turn out.
The individual is but a mask for the universal. A mask both conceals, deceives, and reveals. Without the mask of identity, there'd be nothing to perceive or reflect on. Without objects subject to observation, subjective (and objective) experience would cease.
Again, The Magician is a smith, a craftsman, an artisan, and a carpenter. An architect commanding gravitation. Through concentration, the will of The Magician is engraved upon the virgin substance in the garden of the subconscious. Through keen observation and brilliant speculation, The Magician plants the seeds that set in motion the fruits of future development. The One, the I/Eye, initiates a new cycle of growth.
When we look at the glyph of the Sun, we see a ring with a dot or an “eye” inside. Like the eye of a tempest or the center of a spiraling whirlpool, that point represents the active still-point from which all movement emerges. Osiris: This is the Oz of the Iris. Oz, in Hebrew, means strength, power, and might. It’s associated with Sulphur (active, Mars), desire, the number 77, 14, and 5. By extension, it has correlations with Venus (passive, Salt), the throat, the fifth sephira (Geburah), the pentagram, Temperance or Art (Sagittarius), and The Hierophant (Taurus). We can link all such symbolism with the red of The Magician’s robe as well as the roses.
Iris, then, hints toward the outer ring of that aforementioned solar symbol. It alludes to the notion of differentiation and individuation. The pure white light of the undifferentiated cosmic mind (silence), as it descends into manifestation (of varying wavelengths), is seemingly ‘broken up’ into the endless creations that we drink in with our own eyes.
But the Mercurial messenger, in his Rubedo Red slippers, must return to its sender. (As if Dorothy ever really left home in the first place!) And therein lies the promise, the promise of the Return of the Prodigal Sun.
Circling back to a phrase mentioned earlier, “…perception swayed by emotion.” Swayed, in this context, being synonymous with colored, clouded, or obscured. The color, which is emotion and desire, provides a filter or marker for distinction. This is vibration disturbing perfect silence, upsetting equilibrium. Which, of course, enters us into the territory of the creative world of Beriah.
The transparency of perfection and purity must have some tinge and tint of imperfection in order for the invisible to be rendered visible.
In one sense, The Magician is the personality, mask, ego, or identity. It is the ability to make distinctions--the ability to remember, to discriminate, discern, divide, and notice differences. A tiny seed of light blooms into a Golden Son. As the Sun rises up out of the sea of the unconscious, he begins to individuate himself from the nothingness. The zero becomes a hero, a something from nothing. He, as a symbol of self-consciousness, grows to become the master of maya (illusion, mother, mater, matrix, and/or matter).
The Magician is associated with Mercury and the pineal gland. Maia, in Greek mythology, is the mother Hermes (or Mercury in Roman mythology). She is one of the Seven Sisters (often portrayed as doves) of the Pleiades. The Pleiades is a cluster of stars located on the shoulder of the Taurus constellation. Taurus, as the second sign in the Zodiac, is ruled by Venus. Taurus is attributed to Key 5, The Hierophant; and Venus to Key 3, The Empress.
In medical astrology, Taurus is associated with the throat center. The Empress, as well as Binah (Saturn), is also linked to the throat (Daath) and the pituitary gland (The High Priestess, Moon). An alluring Venus flytrap as an open mouth, Yoni, black hole, or wormhole (the Apple of Knowledge) comes to mind. This can all be linked back to The Magician when one notes Mercury’s frequent affiliation with the throat chakra.
The Hierophant (Taurus) is related to hearing and intuition. The Empress (Venus) is related to the creative imagination (the mind’s eye and/or mental imagery), the heart chakra, beauty, and love. On the Tree of Life, Tiphareth (as the Sun) is called the Seat of the Imagination. It, too, is associated with the heart center. The Sun, in astrology, is exalted in the first zodiac sign of Aries (the head). The link between the first key and the first zodiac sign should, then, become apparent.
Aries connects us with Key 4, The Emperor. The Emperor is The Magician after having penetrated and impregnated The High Priestess (the subconscious). The Emperor governs sight and reason. The pineal gland is located in the center of the brain that perceives the inner and outer simultaneously. The Magician is wizard of inner vision, insight, and eternal wizdom.
The yellow background we often see in this trump is the gold of Sol, the Sun--our Crowning Glory. In astrology, the Sun, much like The Magician, represents the ego or the personality. The Sun gives out, radiates, projects, and expresses. Leo, which is ruled by the Sun, is linked to our personal self-expression. Expression intimates vocalization, conversation, and/or communication. To express is to press outward and is, therefore, centrifugal. The darkness (invisible light) burns as visible light.
Express can also be defined as a means to swiftly deliver or transport something--whether that be a message, a package, a person, or some sort of cargo. With the actual planetary sphere positioned closest to the Sun, Mercury speedily orbits our Hero every 88 days. News travels fast and the rumor mill is always churning.
The two 8’s previously mentioned bring us around to the infinity symbol, or the lemniscate that’s visible above The Magician’s head. From one perspective, this figure 8 is 0, The Fool, which is +two-: The Twin Flames of The Magician’s wand. Picture The Fool, as an emblem of our unconscious desires, about to fall off of that cliff into the abyss of manifestation. It is the wand, as the will and focus, of The Magician that transports and directs those unrealized potentials from above into the field of existence below.
Energy flows where attention goes, does it not? Even so, the end result that an archetype takes may not be easily recognized--especially if perception is easily swayed by emotion. As any qualified Magician will warn you: Appearances are seldom what they seem. An archetype is an image, symbol, and/or myth that keeps showing up. It’s primordial and fixed. It’s a model, a mold, a blueprint, a seed. Unchangeable in that it eternally recurs, yet forever subject-to-change.
The archetypes show up under countless guises: Partaking of both positive and negative qualities as well as feminine and masculine characteristics. They’re seamless, blended, and nonlinear. As a focal point of awakening awareness capable of perceiving order amidst chaos, The Magician develops the ability to distinguish one archetype from another. This chaos (The Fool or the Limitless Light), however, is not actually chaos. It’s a higher order not yet made conscious. A higher order only attained, or known, through definition and distinction. Since the ultimate attainment is illusory, chaos will always prevail. Yet, it is precisely The Magician’s task to tame and harness this chaos for practical application.
The Magician represents the ability to tune out the noise and singularly focus on one definite object or objective at a time. In doing so, clarity of purpose is sharpened, skills are refined, and talents are cultivated. The idealistic Magician isn't merely a man of thought, The Magician is a man of manual labor. Mental focus (like the lens or the eye of a camera) paired with physical steps make his power of command pragmatic and applicable.
Power is the capacity to work (6th House, ruled by Mercury), to labor, and to toil. Power is that flaming force of activity. As a master of his craft, as an artisan, we can easily compare The Magician to the angelic alchemist in the Temperance (referred to, in some decks, as Art) key. This alchemist is the True Self, or the Holy Guardian Angel, resident in the heart and exalted in the crown.
Whenever we follow or are motivated by our true heart's desires, we are successfully performing the handiwork of God. Whenever we eliminate distraction to actively meditate (aka concentrate), we are aligning ourselves with that still, small voice of intuition. Intuition that guides us through subtle nudges as well as blatant signs (synchronicities). Magic, miracles, and the impossible become possible through this inner guidance.
Sulphur aids Our Mercury. It's not enough just to dream or fantasize (Salt), we must carry out the vision (Sulphur). While The Magician, as self-consciousness, seems to initiate various works--he is merely a lightning rod through which the True Will (superconscious) flows. This True Will is the Puppet Master that's tugging on all of our heart strings, subtly influencing our desires (motivations). The lightning rod, or wand, is a conduit and it specifically represents the pineal gland, the spinal column, and the nervous system.
Mushrooms, motorcycles, masks, the magician's cap, and hands are all symbols seen frequently in relation to this key. The hand is a potent symbol of the power of comprehension. This power of comprehension is the power to harness and grasp universal patterns (order) to discern and facilitate the grander cosmic plan. The hand also represents the will, touch, response, contact, communication, the written word, mediation, the senses, control, and is a symbol of Mercury.
Personal control is an illusion. This can be one of the hardest lessons to learn. The patriarchal self-consciousness is obsessed with this false notion of control, superiority, domination, and power. While it is true that there are some things that we are personally responsible for and must take control of to lead a healthy and harmonious life--even that personal sense of will power is only granted to us through the universal mind.
Still, we do not become passive doormats. We continue to act as if it was of our own doing, shifting our identification with the false personal will by acknowledging the Universal Mercury. When we feel inspired to act, we act. When it's time to sit back and relax, we wait to receive further guidance. And, to reduce disappointment, we graciously surrender our expectations to how we personally think it all should turn out.
The individual is but a mask for the universal. A mask both conceals, deceives, and reveals. Without the mask of identity, there'd be nothing to perceive or reflect on. Without objects subject to observation, subjective (and objective) experience would cease.
Again, The Magician is a smith, a craftsman, an artisan, and a carpenter. An architect commanding gravitation. Through concentration, the will of The Magician is engraved upon the virgin substance in the garden of the subconscious. Through keen observation and brilliant speculation, The Magician plants the seeds that set in motion the fruits of future development. The One, the I/Eye, initiates a new cycle of growth.
When we look at the glyph of the Sun, we see a ring with a dot or an “eye” inside. Like the eye of a tempest or the center of a spiraling whirlpool, that point represents the active still-point from which all movement emerges. Osiris: This is the Oz of the Iris. Oz, in Hebrew, means strength, power, and might. It’s associated with Sulphur (active, Mars), desire, the number 77, 14, and 5. By extension, it has correlations with Venus (passive, Salt), the throat, the fifth sephira (Geburah), the pentagram, Temperance or Art (Sagittarius), and The Hierophant (Taurus). We can link all such symbolism with the red of The Magician’s robe as well as the roses.
Iris, then, hints toward the outer ring of that aforementioned solar symbol. It alludes to the notion of differentiation and individuation. The pure white light of the undifferentiated cosmic mind (silence), as it descends into manifestation (of varying wavelengths), is seemingly ‘broken up’ into the endless creations that we drink in with our own eyes.
But the Mercurial messenger, in his Rubedo Red slippers, must return to its sender. (As if Dorothy ever really left home in the first place!) And therein lies the promise, the promise of the Return of the Prodigal Sun.
Circling back to a phrase mentioned earlier, “…perception swayed by emotion.” Swayed, in this context, being synonymous with colored, clouded, or obscured. The color, which is emotion and desire, provides a filter or marker for distinction. This is vibration disturbing perfect silence, upsetting equilibrium. Which, of course, enters us into the territory of the creative world of Beriah.
The transparency of perfection and purity must have some tinge and tint of imperfection in order for the invisible to be rendered visible.
Mercury Keywords: Information, communication, telecommunication, transportation, news, rumors, gossip, travel, short distances, conversation, exchange, expression, technology, mediation, intermediary, consciousness, self-consciousness, ego, hero, differentiation, knowledge, intelligence, swift, messenger, carrier, mail, e-mail, correspondence, messages, massages, contact, touch, thought, Thoth, words, swords, air, breath, discrimination, discernment, duality, double, zenith, magister lux, light, sight, appearances, charisma, distinguish, reason, rational, logic, spokesperson, wish-master, house, enlightenment, illumination, True Will, will power, magus, focus, concentration, attention, one-pointedness, singularity, unicorn, crown, pineal gland, yellow, command, suggestion, superiority, charisma, respect, above, memory, constrast, Sulphur, action, activity, quicksilver, individuality, demiurge, set in motion, mask, raccoon, curiosity, exploration, speculation, inquiry, prompt, questioning, questing, puppet master, wishes, spells, magic, showman, transparency, deception, lying, duplicity, disguise, detective, investigate, observe, dominate, craft, skill, talent, carpenter, engraver, director, smith, architect, power, determination, goal-oriented, action, initiation.
No comments:
Post a Comment