Thoth Magus Cards

U.k

Me too i think Crowley had always knew what the Magus should look like and his choice of picking the original Magus i thought was correct, sorry to be a stuck in the mud, for those who prefer the other Mages

thinbuddha said:

Tell me it doesn't look like he is standing tip-toed on a surf board!

-tb

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Actually, now that you mention it... he does look like that!

Now I'm going to think of that every time I see this card!

Lillie said:

Now I'm going to think of that every time I see this card!

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Sorry 'bout that! But you have to admit that the boy knows how to surf!

He's sure is one cool surfer, Dude!

(Ok, so I don't know proper surfer talk, but I try!)

I hate to take this seriously - BUT -

I just got Lon Milo Duquette's book on the deck, and one of the things he is big on is the fact that the extra two Maguses WERE indeed rejects and were only put in the print run in the first place to use up the rest of the sheet; there is no special meaning to them, no cachet, no Deep Significance, and while it is interesting to see what was rejected, the one to use is the one on the Muller box.

( surf board..... Oh dear.... I do wish you hadn't said that. Just as I was starting to read up too....)

Well, Crowley certainly had his opinion on which one he thought was the best one. Seeing as how there isn't any symbolism that I can identify (aside from the "surf board") present on the "approved" card that isn't on the other cards, I see it as a matter of aesthetics.

For my personal taste, the "many armed" Magus is one of the most beautiful cards in the deck. The "approved" surfing Magus is a rather unremarkable card.... But really- as long as you know what the card is supposed to mean, you could just as easily use a blank card with the word "Magus" on it as any of the versions.

bedobedobedobedobedo..... whipeout!

-tb

surfing magus

Well I have to say that as a fairly newcomer to the Thoth and still learning the cards, I do tend to favor the "many armed magus" over the others. And, to make matters worse the book I was using had that card pictured while describing the "real" one. However, the reference to the surfboard has cracked me up and that is all I can see now! He is really hanging ten I know I'll always think this with this card, and at least it puts a smile on my face

I always thought that this magus had a nasty, smirky little face.

Now I know it's cos he is so proud of himself for 'riding the wave'.

Really, you have totally ruined this card for me!

Now I laugh at his smirky little face.

Did Harris surf?
Was she laughing as she drew it?

Both Atus titled The Magus have the astrological attribution on the left and the Hebraic letter on the right. Atu The Moon also has the astrological attribution on the left and the Hebraic letter on the right.

The Atu titled The Magician has the Hebraic letter on the left and astrological attribution on the right. The remaining Atus (save for The Moon) all have the Hebraic letter on the left and the astrological attribution on the right.

RChMI said:

Both Atus titled The Magus have the astrological attribution on the left and the Hebraic letter on the right. Atu The Moon also has the astrological attribution on the left and the Hebraic letter on the right.

The Atu titled The Magician has the Hebraic letter on the left and astrological attribution on the right. The remaining Atus (save for The Moon) all have the Hebraic letter on the left and the astrological attribution on the right.

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Actually, you will find this is different in different editions.
For instance, in some decks the Magician, the Moon and the World ar all the wrong way round (when compared to the rest of the cards)
But in my deck all the trumps are laid out in the same way.
(It is a USG 'greenie' from around 2000)
I asume that mine has been 'corrected'.
If you look at the illustrations in the Book of Thoth, which I believe are the earliest renditions of this aspect of the cards, and written in Harris's own hand (though I do not think everyone would agree with that) show the Magician, moon and world as the wrong way round.

The earliest published decks, in the two part boxes, by Weiser and Llewellyn do not have either the hebrew letters ot the other symbols. They are all missing on all the trumps!