The Magician

I've recently taken it upon myself to add more stuff to do in my life by writing a book. A book about tarot, to which there are endless examples of. To add increased pressure and stress my book will not be a treatise or essay like those penned by Crowley or Barlow ( a feat in itself ) but instead will be yet another book which accompanies a deck.  My vision of this book and deck which will hopefully set it apart from the plethora of already existing deck/book combos is that I hope to craft a book which provides practical and realistic views of the cards that a novice can pick up and begin reading quickly rather than feeling lost at the prospect of learning astrological and Kabbalistic associations to the cards.

I thought I'd share a little as a particular card speaks to many magicians on several different levels. The Magician card.

“The Magician is the first transformation The Fool undergoes along his journey through the Arcana. The Magician is representative of the will, the ability to create that which he desires as well as using the tools available to do so. Everyone is the magician even if they do not practice the occult arts or realize their power. Every person manifests their desires some more astutely than others. The magician has the power of the elements and their alchemical attributes at their disposal.  Be it with the Wands of the Will and desire, The Cups of emotion and spiritual connection, The Swords of intellect and analysis or the Pentacles or Disks which represent the material assets the Magician puts to use to attain his desires or the Spirits he calls upon on his and others behalf.

The Magician must know himself and both his strengths and weaknesses to put these powers into productive use in his life in a balanced and strategic way. He must know his motivations and understand where they come from. When applied correctly the Magician and the Will he represents is reminded of the magic he witnessed when he was The Fool and the world through his eyes was full of amazement and wonder. He may literally watch his desires and wishes unfold before him.

When the forces the Magician commands are applied incorrectly the Magician encounters disappointment and it is up to him to look deep within himself as to where the problem lies or he may place his growth in peril by becoming jaded, and cynical. It is all too easy for the Magician to allow his ego to get the better of him, especially once he sees the apparent ease of which he may manifest his desires and see the results of the influences he pushes into effect. The Magician must stay ever mindful of his own weaknesses and tendencies or else his manifestations will not be to his liking but will still be the result of his own doing and his devil-may-care approach to his situation.”

 

The fact is that every person is a magician to an extent, be it the CEO of a major corporation living in a lofty penthouse or a guy living in an RV, be it a Ceremonial Magician vibrating names of power in a marble floored temple or a Shaman getting lost in the poly-rhythms of the drums he dances to in a meadow. We are all responsible for the manifestations around us, that is not to say that we are all meant to be rich and famous and mind blowingly successful. What it does mean is that we are all capable of making our lives as enjoyable as possible and that in itself can be a terrifying prospect, especially in an age when victim hood and reliance on elected officials has robbed the majority of any sense of self empowerment. It's far easier to look at others as the cause of why one is the position they find themselves rather than looking inward to see where their own choices have brought them.

As magicians we owe it to ourselves to step back from time to time and both put things in perspective and reevaluate our priorities, look at what we are doing and it's effect as well as reflect on the changes made in ourselves since embarking on a goal.

We all face hardships and pitfalls in our lives, to be the Magician rather than the Fool means to examine these hardships and understand how to apply them in a constructive way that allows growth and better prepares us for the next manifestation of our journey.