Let us have a look at some of symbolism before we look in greater depth. He stands facing forward with one arm raised to the heavens holding a vertical wand to serve as a divine lightning rod. The wand is phallic in nature, which would actually fit in well with this card given its links to active energy. His left arm points to the earth below in which he is going to ground the energy. He himself is simply a conduit for the energies of heaven passing through him to the ground. His arms create a slanting angle which is reminiscent of the kabbalah's lightning flash.
The lightning flash is the way in which energy travels through the tree of sephiroth from high to low in a zig-zag fashion. This lightning flash shows how heavenly energy moves through the layers of creation from idea to construction to completion. Every single act of creativity requires that these steps are followed. First there must be space in which an idea can be born, then comes the flash of inspiration which fills that void. This in turn is followed by a process of limitation which defines the concept with realistic boundaries before it can make its way into the world. It is then follows the zig-zag of expansion and contraction, until it is fully constructed.
The Magician card represents that instantaneous generative force, completely active in nature, the flash of inspiration which is then channeled into form. The magician himself is the conduit or channel for that power.
He wears a white robe, which represents his purity of purpose along with a red cloak above it symbolising vitality and the connection with the material. White and red are often seen as powerful symbols of creation. In the Grail legends Merlin was believed to have remarked on the forces of creation as being a white and red dragon eternally locked in twisting battle. They are also the colour of blood, milk and seminal fluids, which are all connected with the act of creation.
Above the Magician's head is a lemniscate, which is a the symbol representing infinity. This symbol actually appears over the heads of several of the figures in the Tarot. It represents the divine forces sublimated into the characters of the cards and the universal binding of forces. The energy systems of the body create a upright lemniscate, circulating universal life force around our beings.
Around the Magician's waist is a belt in the form of a snake biting it's own tail also known as an Ouroboros. This symbol is known to represent the eternal ring of life, where the end is only the beginning and so forth. Anyone who has seen the Neverending Story will have seen this before! In the Nordic legends Yggdrasil the World Tree's roots are encircled by a huge snake or dragon called Nidhogg whom holds its tail within its mouth. When it wakes it will evoke the end of the age through Ragnarok.
The table represents an earthly plane on which all the four elements are lain out before him. A Chalice representing the element of water. A pentacle representing earth. A staff representing fire and a sword symbolising the mental plane of air. This shows the magician's mastery of all the elements in the service of the divine. It is also connected with the use of ritualistic magic, through the careful application of elemental energies.
Beneath the table flowers bloom, both lilies and roses..again the red and white. They represent divine love, purity and innocence.
The card holds a great deal of symbolism and each aspect could be taken further and further. There is a great profusion of information here and just absorbing the symbols within this card gives some clues to its many mysteries. The main element revealed within this card is that of the connection from heaven to earth. The Magician himself is a very strong archetype that is found within mythology and stories the world over. Just think of Gandalf, Merlin or Dumbledore! He is the active principle of the divine, able to conjure flowers or fire from the very air through his knowledge of the workings of the cosmos. He is not the passive mystic who sits and ponders and asks the universe for its bounty. Instead he is the active element who literally draws forth the elements to do his bidding.
One may be tempted to believe that the modern scientist is an example of this card, but this archetype has one distinction that the modern scientist is yet to understand. His will is also that of the divine and that is why he is able to draw forth such power. He is cosmically connected and serves through his application of will.
For me, that is the essence of this card and what it has to teach me. I have taken mainly the path of the mystic, who follows in the pathway that is shown to me. That one should remain open and passive in order to best serve.
The Magician is the complementary of that. He applies his will and force knowing that because he is a servant of the divine that the way will be opened. He is placed where he needs to be in order to function effectively. His acceptance of ritual magics shows he does not doubt his own effectiveness and is capable of changing elements to suit his will, which is tied to the divine. In doing so he becomes the very elements themselves.
Another important principle within this card is that of the linking of Above and Below. Hermes Trimegistus (The Thrice greatest) was reputed to have created the Tabula Smaragdina (Emerald Tablet) in which he wrote "What is above is also below and what is below is also above". This linking principle connects the heavenly and earthly realms, that there are correspondences both in heaven and earth. Through the Magician's application of this knowledge he is able to alter one to influence the other.
Of course, outside of all this symbolism what is one to take from this card? It shows a great deal of the mysteries, but how to apply this knowledge in the earthly realm we live in? Once we are done with looking at the symbols, what can we then take home?
For me it shows it is time to apply the knowledge one has to create something in line with the divine. It does not mean waiting for the universe to hand you the solution, but to take the tools you have at your disposal and do something with them. It means taking a step forward and actively using what you have to achieve what you want.
I find that this card brings up a feeling of trepidation. I am so used to waiting for the correct time, or waiting for the right opportunity, that to act without "waiting" carries a seed of fear.
Yesterday I spent the day playing football (soccer) with some friends. I happened to find that there was a muscle that was very tight in my right leg and I was unable to stretch it out fully before the game began. As the game went on it got worse and worse. I found myself unable to kick with any power or to move with any speed. It was as though every time I tried to move, there was a delay or hesitation before I could get moving. This second of slowness meant that my opponents could run circles around me and I would miss simple passes because I couldn't get started quick enough.
This injury reminds me of my own hesitation before embarking on any endeavor of my own making. Every time I want to take action I hesitate to make sure it is the right thing and often end up messing up my footing. Some people are so confident that whatever they do is the right thing that they never stop to consider it, much less fumble their footing trying to decide which way is best to go. The Magician is the perfect example of someone so attuned and confident in their own actions that there is no hesitation and their timing is right because of this. For some, life is a constant hesitation as they try and figure out the best way to move without stepping on toes, crossing someone's line or upsetting emotions.
It is not a constant for me, but it is enough to cause me to often question my instinctual impulses so that the moment is lost. The balance between active and passive is weighed too heavily on the passive side for me and the Magician is here to remind me that that balance needs to be redressed. That I am aligned with the universe, I do have the tools necessary and there is no need for hesitation....Lightning does not ponder before it strikes!
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