Cards that stand out.

Alright, getting this discussion back on track....

Lighthouse said:

Hey Everyone, this is my first time posting, so I to apologize in advance if this has already been covered. I've noticed that the Major Arcana are atributed a Hebrew letter and class indicator ( zodiac, plantary, elemental ). Most of the cards have the Hebrew letter on the right and their class division on the left except for The Magus, The Moon, and The Universe. Were these three meant to stand out ? Is there a special relationship between these three ?

Thanks

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I was just writing in my journal for the 78 weeks exercise, and faithfully, I brought out my 3 Magus card Thoth deck, found the three cards, and laid them out in front of me. Until I read this thread, I didn't realise that one of them has the Hebrew letter on the left, and the class indicator on the right, with the other two cards having them just opposite. Thank you Lighthouse for bringing this to my attention!

I was writing in my journal what symbols are common to all three cards (what I refer to as the straight line Magus, the octopus-star Magus, and the spiral Magus), and I started seeing symbols that were common to two of the three (straight line Magus and octopus-star magus), specifically, the two cards with the Hebrew letter on the right, and the class indicator on the left.

My theory that the lone card (spiral Magus) was the "original" Magus has just been blown out of the water, when I went to look in my larger green Thoth and found one of the two (the more Mercury-looking Magus with straight lines) as the Magus of that deck.

So...why change the Letter and indicator around? Was it intentional? Is the spiral Magus a more stripped down version of the Magus with the octopus-star Magus being a more complex version of the Magus?

Just some thoughts...-PD

You are going to have to be more clear for me to be able to follow you.... I think I know who octopus Magus is But which one is "spiral", and which is "straignt line"? Are you refering to the posture of the figure depicted on the deck?

Sorry if I'm being thick, but I just don't have the deck in front of me at the moment, so I'm having trouble imagining who is who.

No no, heheh, I'm referring to the background behind the main figure. There's a Magus who's background is alot of straight lines, and then there's the one that is alot of spirals.

I call them;

Standing up, mercury magus (the only one in some decks)
Kneeling down, sideways magus
Facing front, many armed magus.

One of them has the coils of a snake behind him.

Yeah, the coils of the snake is the spirally one.

Cards That Stand Out

Lillie said:

I call them;

Standing up, mercury magus (the only one in some decks)
Kneeling down, sideways magus
Facing front, many armed magus.

One of them has the coils of a snake behind him.

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Or: Vertical, Horizontal, Reaching Out (Centrifugal). As if we are dealing with three very different ways of relating to the Universe.--Spirit. Matter. Soul.-- Masculine. Feminine. Unifying. There is something mysteriously important to the three Magi...

Frank Hall said:

There is something mysteriously important to the three Magi...

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So are the other Thoth decks that only have one Magus missing those elements?

PlatinumDove said:

So are the other Thoth decks that only have one Magus missing those elements?

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I would say that Crowley chose the wrong Magus. The one that carries the most meaning for me is tha many armed Magus. If your deck doesn't have this, I think that your are- "missing" isn't the right word, because the symbolism is nearly the same....- but you aren't getting the best representation of this idea IMHO.

-tb

Why do you think that the best representation of the Magus is the many armed Magus?

I have to admit that my preference is largely aesthetic- I think that the many armed Magus is one of the most beautiful cards in the deck, whereas the standard Magus (the one perched atop what looks somewhat like a surfboard) is something of an average card.

But they both have largely the same symbolism- the scroll, the wand & the rest of the suits, the infinity sign above the head, the winged feet of Mercury, and Thoth's baboon.... Tha major difference is that the many armed Magus seems to be working with all these objects at once- he is *active* with the objects- where the standard Magus seems more *passive*. If he is interacting with these objects, it is not depicted physically.

One might say (and they'd be right to bring this up) that the standard Magus is interacting with these objects with his mind. But what I say is that these cards are symbolic. There isn't really a baboon there- it is just a way to tie the Magus to Thoth (etcetera). The language of symbolism is being neglected by not having the Magus "physically" interacting with the objects. The many arms of the Magus graphically depicts his adeptnes in juggling many things (in mind, body and spirit). Both of the other Magi seem to miss this point.

As an aside- Du Quette, in his book "Understanding Crowley's Thoth Tarot" indicates that he thinks that the animal behind the many armed Magus is not a baboon, but a bear (Ursa Major, as a matter of fact). He indicates, in fact, that the seven stars that make up the "Big Dipper" (part of the constellation Ursa Major) may have been the original seven planets because they are circumpolar. I'm not so sure I follow his reasoning with this..... But the "bear"- while it has the ears of a bear, clearly has the hands and feet of a primate. Given that both other versions of the Magus card have a baboon on them, I think it's safe to say that this is a baboon, and that for some unknown reason the baboon was given ears that resemble a bears (perhaps this is why Crowley rejected this version)

I've also seen it suggested elsewhere that Crowley rejected the many armed Magus because it revealed too many secrets of Magick(tm). Well..... I don't know what to say about that, because I don't know anything about that particular subject.....

-tb