Zan and BC's Excellent Thoth Adventure: The Magus

Aeon418

Adding to the above...

It might be obvious to some why Crowley says the Book of Thoth - the Tarot - is very good when it comes to mundane affairs, but it is not an ideal tool for answering questions of a spiritual nature.

Spirit = Unity. ;) You will get an answer from the Tarot. But it might be the yes/no - stop/go variety.

Thank you very much Mr Magus....... not! :laugh:
 

zan_chan

Aeon418 said:
It's almost as if he were being Aped. ;)

:laugh: Wow - that's almost as bad as something that I would say!

Aeon418 said:
1 + (-1) = 0

That makes a lot of sense and has given me quite a lot to ponder this evening...

What do we make of The Magus in terms of a practical, everyday reading? Crowley says:

Skill, wisdom, adroitness, elasticity, craft, cunning, deceit, theft. Sometimes occult wisdom or power, sometimes a quick-impulse, a "brain-wave". It may imply messages, business transactions, the interference of learning or intelligence with the matter in hand.

That's an awful lot, isn't it?

Does the business stuff come from him being Mercury and thus mercantalism?
 

Bat Chicken

Aeon418 said:
The Truth symbolised by the Fool is beyond duality. This unitary Truth cannot be communicated. It can only be directly apprehended. So the Fool gives an idiot grin and puts his finger to his lips in the Sign of Silence.

The Magus speaks Truth. But at the very same instant he utters his Word, the exact opposite of that Word is formulated like a mirror image. It's almost as if he were being Aped. ;)
Liber B vel Magi

1. In the beginning doth the Magus speak Truth, and send forth Illusion and Falsehood to enslave the soul. Yet therein is the Mystery of Redemption.

1 + (-1) = 0

That sums it up pretty much, doesn't it?? :laugh: Pun intended?? I think that might be opening us up for the next stop on this adventure....

Aeon418 said:
Adding to the above...

It might be obvious to some why Crowley says the Book of Thoth - the Tarot - is very good when it comes to mundane affairs, but it is not an ideal tool for answering questions of a spiritual nature.

Spirit = Unity. You will get an answer from the Tarot. But it might be the yes/no - stop/go variety.

Thank you very much Mr Magus....... not!
Ahhh - now that never occurred to me...
 

Scion

Merchants are one of the classic rulerships of Mercury:

Lilly said:
"He generally signifies all literated men, Philosophers, Mathematicians, Astrologians, Merchants, Secretaries, Scriveners, Diviners, Sculptors, Poets, Orators, Advocates, School-masters, Stationers, Printers, Exchangers of Money, Atturneys, Emperours, Embassadours, Commissioners, Clerks, Artificers, generally Accomptants, Solicitors, sometimes Theeves, pratling muddy Ministers, busie Sectaries, and they unlearned; Gramarians, Taylors, Carriers, Messengers, Foot-men, Userers. "

Think about him astrologically. He is FAST! Really fast and erratic. Because of the small orbital path, his movements seem more unpredictable (regular retrogrades) and he is always close to the Sun. In Arabic astrology he is often depicted as a Wazir, an assistant to a Shah or a Sultan, because he attends the Sun. Then stir in the mythological material (not just Greek) that informs astrology... A thief, a writer, an adviser, a psychopomp, a swindler, a bard, a wizard, a pimp.

There's something inherently androgynous about him. He is friendly with Jupiter in much the same way Venus is friendly with Mars, which always makes me think there's a bit of catamite (i.e. Renaissance rendering of Ganymede) in him. He adapts to EVERY situation:

Lilly said:
"We may not call him either Masculine or Feminine, for he is either the one or other as joyned to any Planet; for if in Conjunction with a Masculine Planet, he becomes Masculine; if with a Feminine, then Feminine, but of his own nature he is cold and dry, and therefore Melancholly; with the good he is good, with the evil Planets ill."

And in consideration of his androgyny, don't forget Alchemy... you have Salt and Sulphur coming in the Empress and Emperor... so his quicksilver is important here too. His watery dryness (connecting/dividing), his earthy liquid (in the astrology sense and alchemical sense). How could he be anything but a liar if noone can understand or predict him? For that matter, how can anyone speak truth at all?

There's definitely a showbiz quality about him, a razzmatazz snakeoil vibe that undercuts all the ponderous New Age interpretations that treat him like Gandalf the White. The Projective geometry emphasizes this too, the ruthless dimensionality of it. The illusion of turbulent but controlled motion.

I think juggler is a critical name to remember for him and the airborne symbols are part of that. Juggling is transitive. You cannot juggle unless you have a relationship to other objects; it's a relationship with the world around you that is manipulative and entertaining and possibly pointless. The Magus-as-juggler is from the get-go a relationship with the Universe... which in Qabalistic terms is perfect, for the Tree and the B. A little leap from Kether. How do you create the Universe. Bereshit! If a Bereshits in the woods does anyone see it? :laugh: Only if you've created them. Why does the One become many?: in order to experience otherness. It's celebratory. So of course that leap down is both madness (Fool) and magic (Magus). A role that can only exist if there IS a world beyond yourself.

Also worth considering are his decans: Lord of Worry, Lord of Abundance, Lord of Wealth, Lord of Science, Lord of Swiftness. Does it get more Mercury than that?!
 

Bat Chicken

Wow, Scion - the whole thing just took on a whole new dimension with these relationships... Understanding the decans will be really interesting! Must find out what IS a decan... :bugeyed:

Nice catch, Zan.... :)
 

Scion

Not to go off topic, but I'd like to answer your question. I am trying to finish a book on teh Decans right this moment, so I almost can't help myself from answering. :D

In simplest terms, a Decan is a 10 degree slice of one of the 12 signs of the Zodiac. The word Decan refers to this division into tenths. Each sign has 30 degrees, therefore each sign has 3 Decans for a total of 36. 3x12x10=360 Degrees of the zodiacal ecliptic.

Originally the Decans were used as a calendrical mechanic in Egypt (earliest depiction circa 2300 BCE), where they were used todetermine time at night using the rising of certain asterisms. They were absorbed into Hellenistic astrology in which it was understood that each Decan was a Spirit (dæmon) ruling over a portion of the Sky. Their power was so absolute that the 7 planets were understood to be under their sway! No joke. They were often referred to in astrological texts as the 36 Lords of Time or the 36 Lords of the Empyrean...

Naturally, since the Decans controlled so much they began to be associated with magick... and in Hellenistic astrology 36 images were associated with them (often called Faces). The term "Faces" is often used interchangeably with the word "Decan" by people who aren't paying much attention. They are related, but not identical. The important thing to know is that Astrologers understood these 36 Decans as literal Spirits with control over time and space. This is why they are referred o as the "Lords of..." titles in the Golden Dawn material. That idea of the Decans as personified forces is over 4000 years old. Cool, huh? :) Each Decan has a quality, a personality for lack of a better word that makes it useful and powerful for certain things.

The reason they concern us is that the Golden Dawn (most likely Mathers) connected them to the 36 pip cards of the Tarot (2s-10s) and thereby assignmed the meanings used by 95% of the Tarots in print today... even though most New Age publishing completely ignores (or misrepresents) that fact. Since most New Age publishing is redactive and regurgitative, the Decans have been essentially ignored.

Till now! }) The Decans changed my life. Seriously. Literally.

The only book ever written ON the Decans to date was written in German in the 30s. (Think about that: Germany in the 1930s! :bugeyed:) My obsession with the topic has driven me round the bend and I'm trying to rectify this bizarre gap in short order. Like I said, I've been doing research and writing this damn book for what seems like years now, whenever I can steal the time form other projects, but suffice it to say that when you get to those minors I'll be popping in a lot. :D

If you're interested in a deeper history in the meantime, check out Ben Dykes' wonderful overview here:
http://www.bendykes.com/articles/decans.php
 

Le Fanu

That's the first ever explanation of the Decans I have understood.
 

Stormdancer

Le Fanu said:
That's the first ever explanation of the Decans I have understood.
And that's why I was looking for a good astrology book....guess I'm a just gonna have to wait.....and wait.......
NO pressure here :love:Scion})
 

Scion

Thanks y'all... :) And glad to hear it's clear; That's pretty much the chatty version of the first chunk of chapter 2. I'm on it. I promise.
 

Bat Chicken

Thanks Scion! :D
I want to be on the notification list for that book...

This study keeps getting better and better...! :) Off to read article and excellent thread on Decans and investigate Ben Dykes...
There is so much context to this deck! I am excited and overwhelmed... and I wonder why I waited so long to do this...?