The Magus

March 28, 2017 by sarah 1 Comment

MAGUS

Numerical Value : 1
Esoteric Title : Magus of Power
Path 12 : Beth (House)
Kether – Binah
Planet : Mercury
Double Letter : Life – Death
Sepher Yetzirah : Intelligence of Transparency

The Magus inspires the transmission and exchange of new ideas and information, and potentiates our powers of communication. He has the ability to charm and persuade with words, resolving dualities and bridging separation. The Intelligence of Transparency suggests a revelation of inner truth that only honest communication can provide. It is a great unifying power teaching us that we are all One. Everyone we communicate with has some contribution to make to our (mutual) liberation. Staying open to new ideas and information is what keeps us vital and alive.

The staff of the Magus is planted firmly in the earth, underlining the vital importance of grounding ourselves in reality and cultivating our earth contacts before attempting to rise on the spiritual plane. When our channels are open the energy flows through us coming from above and below in a continuous life giving loop. This is the circuit of kundalini symbolised by the two snakes on the staff of the spine. “As above, so below”, the great mantra of Esotericism indicates that earthly forces are just as sacred as those of the spirit and that the godhood resides within each incarnated soul. Communicating directly with the godhood within is a prerequisite to any kind of creative work and establishing this contact through meditation and receptivity gifts us with wisdom and purpose.

The magic of communication creates connections between individuals, and interaction causes sparks of transformation to fly and catch fire, leading to a collective shift in consciousness and the evolution of the species. This is why the internet is such a powerful and revolutionary medium, allowing an unprecedented dissemination of esoteric knowledge as well as unlimited interpersonal connections. It seems to have accelerated the pace of change and transformation, both for better and for worse. The web is the natural element of the Magus archetype but its wise to remember to earth ourselves regularly by returning to nature and to the pleasures and demands of material reality. Without a solid connection to the earth the Magus cannot function as an effective channel for higher forces.

The Magus is adept at influencing and manipulating worldly affairs, and enjoys sprinkling the glittering dust of illusion and glamour to enchant and beguile the populace. In traditional interpretations he is often depicted as playing the conman to the dupe of the Fool. The Trickster figure in mythology represents the collective shadow, and is both a source of mayhem and chaos and of healing and enlightenment. We manifest the Trickster archetype in our own personal shadow, which is the source of our unconscious self sabotaging behaviour. Our inner Trickster often seems malicious and senselessly destructive, but when brought into conscious awareness it becomes the main source of our spiritual development and psychological healing. Its role is to stimulate the evolution of our consciousness. The bewildering and paradoxical nature of this idea reflects the innate contradictions within our own psyche. Every profound concept describes an energetic union of opposing forces.

The Magus is known as the Juggler, because he is so adept at keeping an infinite number of ideas and connections in the air at once. The ability to happily maintain contradictory ideas at the one time is the mark of a truly developed mind. At the base of the card is a five pointed star with the symbols of the four elements around it, plus the symbol for Aether at the top, the elusive fifth element. Aether is associated with the Major Arcana, while the four elements represent the suits of the Minors. The elements are the tools of the Magus, which he juggles to manifest his magic.   The Hebrew letter of the card is Beth, which means house or dwelling place of spirit in the world of duality and illusion. The symbol of the house is a reminder of the earthly foundations that stabilise and centre our spiritual aspirations. The aim of existence is to make of ourselves a house fit for spirit to live in, a process of building our inner temple. The path of Beth leads from Kether to Binah and forms a roof over the Tree together with the path of the Fool (Aleph). The Word of Beth is a container for the elemental life breath of the Fool. As the path from ineffable Kether to the form building sphere of Binah it brings spirit directly into the material world, which is why the double letter is Life and Death. The house of Beth also symbolises the shelter and accommodation that mankind has found in co-operation and team efforts, for which communication is essential. Our skills with words and with writing have made us the dominant species on the planet. Recorded and transmitted knowledge has lead to the evolution of our uniquely self conscious species.

The card is attributed to Philosophic Mercury which in Alchemy is the dynamic transformational quality present in a substance. Mercury resolves the duality of Sulfur and Salt and so is associated with the equilibrating middle pillar of the Tree and with the white
sphere of Kether. It is associated with the deity Mercury or Hermes, known as the God of Communication and Exchange and the Lord of Illusion. Hermes symbolises balance and reciprocity and is a communicator between worlds, bringing the wisdom of the Gods to mankind and guiding us from this world into the next (a psychopomp). He is a later manifestation of the Egyptian god Thoth and the Mesopotamian god Ningizzhida, who was the original owner of the staff entwined with two snakes, and who was himself a Snake God. This staff is known as a Caduceus, and is a heralds staff as befitting the Messenger of the Gods. Its two intertwined snakes are traditionally dark and light, good and evil, wound into harmony around a central staff or in some legends copulating. The symbol of the twin spiralling snakes is also associated with the shape of our DNA in which the wisdom of all our ancestors is encoded. It is this intrinsic information that is revealed in altered states of consciousness.

The Caduceus also fits very well into the Tree of Life. If you consider the winged globe at the top of the staff as Kether, the shape and the intersections of the snakes and the staff correspond to the arrangement of the spheres of the Qabalah. The central pillar of the Tree is represented by the staff and the two snakes are the pillars of severity and mercy. The Caduceus is a symbol of a fully actuated individual who has realised and reconciled the divided and repressed elements of their personality, and found the Middle Way of harmony and balance. The snakes are the Yin and the Yang, the dark and the light, the angel and the animal which resides in us all. The androgynous Magus must accept and embrace all these contradictions in order to become a channel for divine power to manifest.

On a personal level meditating on the Magus teaches us to become aware of the power of our communications and to use them wisely. Our words can easily betray us, revealing our intentions in unintended ways. Words are destructive because once something has been named and defined it is diminished and contained. The most powerful and profound truths are always ineffable. It’s wise to make our communications mindful and to the point as they are magical acts with consequences. Concentration and clear focus are what gives our words and intentions the power to transform. The quality of our communication reflects the quality of thought behind it. Furthermore words must be spoken with genuine emotion in order to be effective and meaningful. It is a weakness to become disconnected from our emotions, and it diminishes the power and effectiveness of our communication, and our ability to honestly connect with others.

In my version of the card the winged globe of the Caduceus has become a flying fox with a flowering heart. The flying fox is a highly intelligent and social winged primate, the perfect symbol of the evolving human being. It is also my personal totem and magical companion and appears throughout the deck. The symbols of Yin and Yang and of Chaos and of the blossoming five petalled Rose of consciousness are lined along the length of the staff. These symbolise the diverse combination of mysteries that have informed my path of creation. The path of Beth is a receptive one, and leads to the sphere of Binah and so the hands of the Magus have eyes after the fashion of the Qat Inanna, the ancient symbol of the hand of the Mesopotamian goddess Inanna. They signify that the Magus is acting from a place of conscious awareness, as do the myriad eyes of his peacock coat. He is the manifestation of the Peacock Angel, the mythical result of the combined will of the divine twins. The divine twins represent the two outer pillars of the Tree of Life, and the uprights of the doorway of transformation. The Magus is a card of resolving opposites and bridging worlds, the great force of unification.

The Fool

March 5, 2017 by sarah 1 Comment

THE FOOL

Numerical Value : 0
Esoteric Title : Spirit of Aether
Path 11 : Aleph (Ox)
Kether – Chokmah
Element : Air (Maternal)
Sepher Yetzirah : Scintillating Intelligence

The Fool is the first and last card of the Major Arcana tying the journey together in a loop represented by zero. The circular nature of existence defies the limitations of linear time, revealing it to be an illusion. A holy wanderer in a sun decorated coat with a warm and child like spirit of play, the Fool is utterly free from inhibitions and limitations and welcomes all experience joyfully. Being a guilelessly honest and harmless soul expressing unconditional love for all other beings gives an appearance of stupidity, but also the charisma of an idiot savant. The innocence of the Idiot is a state of divine grace and holiness.

The Hebrew letter Aleph is the first letter of the alphabet, meaning Ox, suggesting an honest, earthy lack of pretension. The Ox pulls a plough, digging up impacted earth to allow new life to grow. The shape of the letter resembles a plough, and also a whirling swastika, the glyph of the birth of chaos. The path of Aleph travels between Kether (Spirit) and Chokmah (Wisdom), in one direction the ultimate union with spirit and in the other a manifestation into being, both a beginning and an ending. The Fool is also associated with the hidden sephirah Daath representing Gnosis, the intuitive spiritual knowledge which we osmose from the ineffable.

The Spirit of Aether is the quintessence, the mysterious fifth element which unites the four elements of manifestation and gives them life. The Maternal element of Air suggests emptiness, a vacuum into which the life breath of all creation flows. It is the state of no-mind valued so highly by Zen wisdom. An open mind is ready to receive inspiration and divine guidance. The Greek word Pneuma means breath and also spirit or soul. Breathing is the instigator of life and life is defined by its presence. Breathing techniques are the foundation of all esoteric spiritual disciplines. Air is the element that lifts us into higher consciousness, the elusive medium of freedom, independent thought and enlightenment. Scintillating Intelligence, the title given to the letter Aleph in the Sepher Yetzirah, suggests a sparkling, bright, dazzling and stimulating energy, a manifestation of pure light and joy. Merriment and loving laughter disarms all opposition, innocence and joy overcomes oppression effortlessly, bringing healing and creative inspiration into the world.

The Fool is sexually naive, balanced on the cliff edge of puberty, an androgynous entity on the brink of becoming in every respect. The act of dancing with a huge crocodile demonstrates a complete lack of fear. Interaction with dangerous animals is a metaphor for Initiation and the Fool is the card of the Initiate. To trust the beast is to make it your playmate. The crocodile is an animal of two realms (land and water) and so represents the transmission of the divine will. Crocodiles make a purring vibration which sends drops of water into the air dancing on their backs.
Initiation into the mysteries is an experience of death in life leading to a descent into the underworld. We are always acting out this initiation, descending into the pit of our own misery and sickness and finding healing and inspiration and rebirth. The descent into the Abyss is metaphorically associated with the dormancy of nature in winter and its inevitable resurrection in spring. The Fool is the Green Man, the vital energy of renewal, representing the moment when nature bursts into life again, vibrant and lush, after the death of Winter. Dostoevsky’s holy Idiot has been condemned to death and reprieved at the last minute. Faced with certain death he realises separation is an illusion and that we are all one. When his life is unexpectedly saved he resolves to act with loving kindness to all, and in doing so makes himself a laughing stock.

We have to be prepared to lose the respect and approval of society and family or we will never find our own authority. The ultimate goal is to truly think, feel, sense and desire for ourselves at all times, even if that means standing alone. As the captain of our own ship consciously charting our individual course we are no longer vulnerable to outside influence and manipulation. When we find our strength within, and generate our own ideas and opinions we can gain true confidence in our own path and become impossible to dominate or intimidate. Succumbing to the social pressure to conform and accumulate possessions and status results in clinging desperately to a false security. It’s a tragedy to discover too late that we have wasted our lives fulfilling the expectations of others. Permanence and certainty are a delusion and death and decay and loss are inescapable.

A fearful or cynical state of mind impedes the unconditional giving and risk taking that is necessary to achieve great things or even to enjoy life. Counting the costs of every venture virtually guarantees inertia. Our fundamental acceptance of the natural ebb and flow of life gives us strength and freedom to enjoy its abundance and endure its privations.
Manifesting a healthy Fool archetype is extremely liberating and empowering. Openness and kindness to others and to the Universe gifts us with an intuitive sense of direction and the assistance of all those we encounter. The Fool is like Hexagram 25 of the I Ching, Wu Wang or Innocence, which counsels that our egos must be disengaged before we can awaken our divine guidance. Innocence is the absence of the selfish ulterior motives which stain our actions with unworthiness. The Fool ignores all of the expectations and conventions of society and embraces freedom, liberation and individuality. Taking the first step of a great journey, an adventure into the unknown, it is essential to let go of everything. If we love our own fate, and to accept that it is all exactly as it is meant to be, we can live fully in the moment and enjoy good humoured serenity. To those who value social hierarchies, conformity and wealth a person like this seems like a Fool. Enlightenment and inspiration often do seem like madness and idiocy. If we love and honour our inner holy idiot we can be liberated from our shackles to truly enjoy life, love and creativity.

From The Asherah Tarot
by Sarah Wheatley

hello

March 28, 2012 by sarah 3 Comments

An update! Finally. Sorry it’s been so long, but I’ve been working hard on the deck.

I’m doing the Princesses right now, so the Courts are almost finished. Then all I have to do is redo the entire Major Arcana! XD Kidding, but certainly at least half of them if not more. My style has changed so much and I have so many fresh ideas to incorporate that I really have to have a Major overhaul. I redid all the Courts except for two queens who refused to budge.

As you might know I am a HUGE fan of Dion Fortune. In fact if anyone is the guide for these cards it is she. So you can imagine how excited I am that my cards are being featured in the journal of The Society of Inner Light! They are accompanied by the wonderful Tarot Poems of Tiger Brite.

I also want to mention my friend Laura Fitzgeralds’ Tarot facebook page, as her sagacious advice and our conversations about the Tarot have been very inspiring to me.

Mercury retrograde so my mercurial skills are down and I won’t rabbit on. I just wanted to give some credit where it is due.

Thank you very much to ALL of YOU!

Three of Discs

March 5, 2011 by sarah 7 Comments

When you hurt a spider
You hurt the goddess.

This card is the suit of form in the sphere of form, Binah. Binah is the dark mother so I chose spiders to represent her. The spiders are Arachne, the weaver, who creates beautiful but useful art. Anyone who has seen a spider web sparkle with early morning dew knows the meaning of aesthetic functionality.

Personally I am a great believer in useful art. Art that is used every day becomes a part of people, seeps into their consciousness much more effectively than art that sits on a gallery wall. It is devalued by the establishment because of its feminine attributions, just as Binah, the dark mother has been, and by association, the beautiful spider. These are the type of spider that decorate my garden, and in fact the whole city, dangling everywhere from trees and power lines and reaching sometimes the size of a mans’ hand. They aren’t white though…that is my artistic license and a symbol to me of trying to subvert the cliche of evil dark spiders. My spiders are the good guys. There is certainly nothing to fear from Golden Orb Weaver spiders, whatever colour they are, unless you are an insect. They are such industrious and creative creatures, but they also know how to wait, which seems to me the perfect formula for work of a spiritual and artistic nature.

If you want to understand more about the Qabalah and the system and meaning it gives to the minor arcana there is no better book on the subject than Dion Fortunes “Mystical Qabalah”. Witty, amusing and crystal clear…there are very few occult tomes you could say that about. Quite often she makes me laugh out loud.

Hell of Mirrors

September 23, 2010 by sarah 3 Comments

Hell of Mirrors is a story by Edogawa Rampo. Its about a man who sends himself crazy with mirrors…I’m not going to spoil it more than that. But the general idea is that he was unhinged by being forced to look at his own demon.
Like in the movie Chinese Oddysey, a version of Journey to the West. Monkey is reincarnated as a human and forgets he is King Monkey. But someone gives him a mirror which reflects inner demons, and he is shocked to see his Stone Ape face.
And the Lady of Shallott and her mirror of course, because she is a metaphor for the curse of the artist, doomed to reflect life rather than experience it. Being gifted with a resident demon, such as this one. The DEVIL is a great patron of the ARTS.

A quote within a quote…
“A disturber of the peace, a spoiler, a serpent or corrupting agency is necessary to “get the play going”. It must function as “Lucifer”, a bringer of light, of new information and awareness. Initially the disruptive element will tend to be percieved as evil, and the disturber who personifies it will be rejected and made a scape goat.
The Greek word “DIABOLOS” means “confuser”.

Goethe makes god say:
For, man’s activity can easily abate
He soon prefers uninterupted rest
To give him this companion hence seems best
Who roils and must as devil help create.”
(Faust)

Quite clearly, creativity is implied by the poet as the intention and purpose of the “devils” antagonistic function”.

Whitmont MD
Alchemy of Healing

I’d certainly say that no other card has affected me more strangely than this one, and it still does. I finished it almost a year ago and have kept it hidden away since then. It spread a dark haze over my life last summer but ultimately it has been liberating. Maybe I had to keep painting to come to terms with it. Also to reward those of you who actually read the blurb I have put a photo of me in the in Enter the Tarot page, just to prove I’m really NOT the DEVIL. XD
Not on the surface anyway.
I certainly have one resident though, or maybe even several.

Hermit

December 3, 2009 by sarah 7 Comments

The Butterfly Collector

The light that is one though the lamps be many.

Narcissus of self love. It was picking a Narcissus that caused the Earth to spring open at Persephones’ feet.

Leary identified it as the Teenage Barbarian.
“The Hermit monk rejects or postpones hive-parental responsibility and searches for a higher role.
Extended adolescence is the genetic blossom of a successful species.”

Research by Carl Jung concludes that when one has been alone for an extended period of time, ones psyche produces visions and revelations.

The butterfly…hm. I found it on the path.