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I - The Magus

Description:

The Magus is a mysterious cloaked figure standing before a cubic table.  The right hand of the Magus is swirling above in constant motion in a swooshing figure 8.  (It may be a conjured illusion or perhaps just an artistic goof, but the raised right hand actually looks like a left hand instead !?)  The left hand of the Magus points downward, and from the left index finger emits a silver stream that turns into a spiral of red and green.  A similar red and green spiral appears on the right-hand side of the Magus, like a reflection of the other spiral.  The Magus wears a flowing cloak of black (outside), red (middle) and white (inner).  A mask or hood obscures the head and face.  The Magus stands under a triangle-pitched arch, reminiscent of the shape of a house.

In front of the Magus on the square table are a blue cup, a long magician’s wand crossing over a sword, and a round disk with an embedded shining star or pentacle.  On the front of the table is the symbol for Mercury, and below that the Hebrew letter Beth.  Surrounding the archway are swirling green, purple and white clouds.

Symbology:

The essence of the Magus is to direct the flow of creative energy into form, using focused action.  The figure 8 or lemniscate that the Magus is conjuring with his raised right hand represents the drawing down of the universal essence.  The cubic table is the same “black box” that was carried by the Fool, now providing a base platform for manifestation.   The tools on the cubic table represent the Magus’ Creed:  To Know (sword, air, intellect), To Will (wand, fire, spirit), To Dare (cup, water, emotion), To Keep Silent (disk, earth, manifestation).

The house-shaped arch within which stands the Magus symbolizes the potential form in which divine spirit can reside, the House of God.  The body of the Magus is the house or vehicle in which spirit can experience form.  The Hebrew letter Beth, which is assigned to the Magus, means “house”.  The archway is illuminated from above with clouds of white light, indicating the twelfth Path on the Tree of Life, from Kether (universal breath of life) towards Binah (the eternal Mother).  The dual red and green spirals at the base of the table represent the power of the Magus to divide the world into component parts.

The cloak of the Magus is black on the outside (the unknown or unmanifest), with a red lining (the desire to know), and a white inner garment (inner purity and sacredness).  The Magus is masked, to symbolize the power of illusion that is inherent in the power of manifestation (creating something out of nothing).

Divinatory Meaning:
(from "Tarot of the Spirit" companion book, by Pamela Eakins) 

• Know, will, dare and keep silent

• You possess and wield the tools of magical change

• You are a visionary, but it is not necessary to express this to others

• Trust the lessons of your own experience and insight

• You embody force and power – you hold every key to create change, you have all the resources you need – but only if you operate through *focused action*, the second mode of empowerment

• Be ready to create your world in the image of your choosing

Personal Reflections:

The Magus in the Tarot of the Spirit is clearly making things happen!  Creative action in motion.  Though the creative energies are swirling all around, the Magus appears confident and controlled in the center.  The Magus exemplifies the energy of the Path from Kether (the Source) to Binah (the creative Mother).  (“Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will.” – Magick in Theory and Practice/A. Crowley.)  The Magus is attuned to the center of the Wheel of Creation, the unmoved mover, the hub directing the hubbub.