Card 1:The Magician
© 2006 Honora Finkelstein
If the Fool card represents the Divine force or
potential in each of us before we have taken on the trappings of
physical form, and if the step he is about to take off the mountain
top is his descent into the material world, then the card of the
Magician must represent our ability to make something of ourselves
once we have made that descent.
In taking on physical form, of course, each of
us takes on a specific personality. At our core, each of us is still
one with the Divine nature, which is what Jesus seems to have meant
when he said, “The Father and I are One,” and what his atONEment is
really all about. But once the Divine spark has descended into a
material body and taken on a personality, the human nature takes
over, and it begins to think it is separate and apart from the
Source from which it came. Real magic, therefore, is seeing through
that illusion of separateness and consciously learning to draw on
the energy of who we really are—which is a part of God.
The personality we take on can be pretty
stubborn, especially after we’ve lived a few years in a particular
physical body, with particular parents, in a particular part of the
world—and especially with the influences of a particular natal
astrology chart. That personality is what we really mean by the word
“ego.” And because every physical body and every ego personality is
unique (never seen before and never to be seen again in the entire
history of the Universe), we get caught in the illusion of
separateness.
And yet Unified Field Theory of modern physics
tells us we’re still all part of the great Oneness—that every
thought we think has an influence on us and on everyone and
everything around us. Edgar Cayce, the great 20th-century
psychic channel said frequently in his readings, “Thoughts are
things, and mind is the builder.” This is why it’s important to
learn self-control of our thoughts and actions. (Well, nobody ever
said learning to be a Magician would be easy!)
So the Magician stands in a garden
(representative of the symbolic Eden each of us can return to when
we learn to exercise our powers properly). His right hand is raised
to the heavens, and he holds a wand in it, while his left hand is
pointed down toward the ground. The wand, as we’ll see often in
symbolism, is a channel for energy—zap, we can turn lions into bunny
rabbits if we can just exercise our energies properly! And the
energy travels through us, picking up our dreams, desires, thoughts,
and wants, and manifesting a result of those influences into
something in physical form. E=mc2! And notice, too, that
above the Magician’s head is an infinity sign—the power we have to
draw on is infinite. It’s all the power that ever was or will be,
and it’s here now.
The Magician is the soul, just descended into
physical form—the Adam Cadmon, or prototypic human being—who can’t
help creating the universe around him. It’s what he does, because
that’s what human beings do by their very thoughts.
One can try to avoid responsibility and say, “It’s not my fault, I
didn’t do it,” whatever it might be in any given
circumstance. But the truth of the matter of matter is
that each of us has created the material surroundings in which we
find ourselves, using whatever talents we receive when we take on a
physical body and an ego personality and molding the matter of the
physical world into that which our thoughts direct.
So this card really stands for Talent, and what
we can do with it when we take on a physical body and an ego
personality. Jesus told a parable to his disciples about a master
who gave each of his servants money in a form known as “talents.”
Two of the servants failed to do anything positive with this money,
but the third went out and through application of everything of
which he was capable, he multiplied the amount. One might say that
through his talents (abilities) he increased the number of talents
(money).
The Magician is dressed in a white robe and
wears a red cloak. And the garden is filled with white lilies and
red roses. In Tarot symbolism, white is always the color of purity,
while red represents the desire nature. And these two qualities are
at opposite ends of the emotional spectrum, also suggesting that a
conscious exercise of control over our thoughts is requisite if
we’re to be responsible as human beings for the productions of our
creative minds.
On the table in front of the Magician are four
implements—a coin, a cup, a sword, and a wand. These are the symbols
of the four suits of the Lesser Arcana. The coin, made from the
metals of the earth, represents the element of earth and the
physical nature of human beings. The cup, because it holds liquids,
stands for the element of water and also symbolizes our emotional
nature. The sword, which is double-edged and often held aloft rather
than sheathed, stands for the element of air and is symbolic of our
mental nature—which if left uncontrolled can harm us and others. And
the wand on the table, like the one in the Magician’s hand, is a
device for channeling energy. It is made of wood, and wood burns, so
the wand represents the element of fire (like the fire of the Holy
Spirit). It symbolizes the spiritual nature of the human being. In
the science of the time when Tarot was developed, these four
elements and these four aspects of nature were believed to be all
there were. So symbolically, what we have to work with while we’re
acting as Magicians in a physical body is merely everything that is,
was, or ever will be!
Therefore, the card of the Magician says, “You
can’t afford the luxury of a negative thought. So use your talents
wisely, not haphazardly. Make the most of your magical abilities to
co-create the universe around you. Turn Earth back into Eden. And
above all, take responsibility for your thoughts and learn to
control them, because what you think is what you get!” |
