Gonna learn Thoth if it kills me - Majors

Our magician has that pole of light below and above and it makes him look as he is crucified. Feet together. Cross with the dove above. But instead of held, the Magus appears almost ready to fly up and forward. With power from those winged sandals I am sure

If I was doing a reading and this card showed up, I would be urged to get off my backside and take advantage of what is being offered. This magician does not just have all his tools (wands swords etc) he seems divinely blessed to use them.

Regarding the egg and The Magus, in The Book of Thoth, Crowley says, "The present card has been designed principally upon Graeco-Egyptian tradition," and he associates him (The Magus) with Thoth/Tahuti. So Graeco-Egypt seems like a pretty good place to focus.

There seems to have been a myth concerning an egg which was a gift from Thoth. In this Wikipedia article it says:

"In the original myth concerning the Ogdoad, the Milky Way arose from the waters as a mound of dirt, which was deified as Hathor. Ra was contained within an egg laid upon this mound by a celestial bird. In the earliest version of this myth, the bird is a goose (it is not explained where the goose originates). However, after the rise of the cult of Thoth, the egg was said to have been a gift from Thoth and laid by an ibis, the bird with which he was associated."

I Googled, "cosmic egg" Thoth, and found a lot of articles that mention it. There is also a good article about Thoth here that talks about it.

It seems to be the cosmic egg from which the other five symbols were born. Wand=Fire (Vital Force), Pentacle=Earth, Dagger=Air and Cup=Water. The open flame is the fifth element. That's my take anyway.

I rarely read any book that comes with a tarot deck...perhaps I was put off by the pedantic Mr. Waite at a young age. I have picked up a book or two for an occasional 'huh' when I was boggeled at some strange imagery, but generally I go with my gut and what my experience has shown me relating to a specific card. Though I am sure I could use the Thoth in the same way, I know that I would be skimming the surface of the card. Thus this learning if it kills me goal. There are so many esoteric clues on each card, and like so many people, my classical education, as well as my delving into so many diverse philosophical systems, lacks. As much as this is not a discussion of the BOT, I still find I must refer to it when I get futher into each card... beyond the traditional symbols there is a wealth of information I cannot grasp without research. Could I use them without digging? Yes, if I was using them for divination. I use other decks for that though and this Thoth journey seems to beg more.

Nicky

Yayin

nicky said:

As much as this is not a discussion of the BOT, I still find I must refer to it when I get futher into each card... beyond the traditional symbols there is a wealth of information I cannot grasp without research. Could I use them without digging? Yes, if I was using them for divination. I use other decks for that though and this Thoth journey seems to beg more.

Click to expand...

Shouts, I would say, but a reassuring yod is perhaps more accurate.

So much has been written on the subject, both intentionally and unintentionally misleading, that the challenge presented by Thoth’s book may seem at times daunting; but it is very, very simple in many respects. Rather than look at Crowley’s writings, it may be helpful to look where he set his sights - Qabalah, Yoga, Mythology, Astrology, Mathematics, Physics, etc.

the imagery of the cards are a guide only - the real magick is beneatH the surfAce, so-to-speak. somewhat like a Magician’S sleight-of-hand - only here the hAnd isn’t really quicker than the eye - it grasps it.

Hamsa tells us nothing of the ART.

I had a quick glance at the B of T online yesterday (now that Im re-reading DuQuette) and was surprised that - get this - there were things I understood! It didn´t seem as convoluted as Id expected. I think I could probably read it (despite the fact that there will inevitably be things I don´t understand). But I had a look at his comments on certain cards and could make sense of them...

So maybe it needn´t be so daunting after all...

(got Snuffin´s Thoth Companion in the post...)

It seems to me that the key to The Magus is in knowing that Crolwey associated him with Thoth, that is, the Creator.

This information is from the Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology: "According to the theologians of Hermopolis, Thoth was the true universal Demiurge, the divine ibis who had hatched the world-egg at Hermopolis Magna. They taught that he had accomplished the work of creation by the sound of his voice alone."

E.A. Wallis Budge also describes Thoth as the Creator: "In every legend in which Thoth takes a prominent part we see that it is he who speaks the word that results in the wishes of Ra being carried into effect, and it is evident that when he had once given the word of command, that command could not fail to be carried out by one means or another. He spoke the words which resulted in the creation of the heavens of the earth."- Gods of the Egyptians, Vol.1, Pg.407

It seems a picture is starting to develop; The Magus is the Creator who creates through the word. The egg is the cosmic egg from which the universe was born.

gregory said:

Hamsa tells us nothing of the ART.

Click to expand...

I wish something would... my Hamsa hangs around my neck with my Merkaba (I have a very Jewish friend that gives me gifts she thinks will appeal to her pagan pal) but it never speaks a lick.

When I look at the art on this deck I am either uncomfortable or mesmerized.. there is no middle ground.. and I have in the past been quick to say not for me.. the unsettling art was off putting enough to keep me from attempting to tackle the parts of the deck that mesmerized. LFH was brilliant; the way she can make space look like it is being pulled. The colors are sometimes horrid, but I understand that is due to the color scales she was asked to use. I read somewhere AC had her redo some of the cards up to 8 times. Amazing.

Abrac said:

It seems to me that the key to The Magus is in knowing that Crolwey associated him with Thoth, that is, the Creator.

This information is from the Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology: "According to the theologians of Hermopolis, Thoth was the true universal Demiurge, the divine ibis who had hatched the world-egg at Hermopolis Magna. They taught that he had accomplished the work of creation by the sound of his voice alone."

Click to expand...

Would that mean then the Magician does not know he is not the One? I recall the Demiurge thinks He is Diety, not from diety.

If so then our Magus has a hell of an ego.

Nicky

I don't know. I think the encyclopedia entry was simply a reference to the Demiurge as creator, but I understand where you're coming from. That's an interesting perspective. Most hardcore magicians usually do have hellacious egos.