78 Weeks: Bateleur / Magician

[valis]

And now I have a question. The Universal Waite Magician holds his right arm to heaven and points his left hand to the ground. Is there any significance to the fact that he raises his right arm?

Doesn't the left side of our brain control the right side of our body? What does left brain vs right brain indicate?

Well, as a semi-newcomer to tarot, I'm not sure I'm perfectly qualified to answer, but consider this: until industrial times, it was believed that the right side of the body was symbolic of godliness, and the left more sinful. The word "sinister" has as its root meaning left-handedness. In Christian mythology, Jesus ascended into heaven and sits on the RIGHT hand of God. Perhaps The Magician - without necessarily implying a right/wrong duality - points to heaven (the realm of the perfect) with his right hand, and to earth (the realm of the unperfect) with his left.

This sort of segues into my reflections on this card:

As above, so below. The Magician stands at the nexus of potential. Before him are all the tools of creation. Note that he doesn't take up any of these tools, however. The Magician is about potential and choice. He is the lightening rod. The infinity symbol indicates that the whole of the universe is his to draw on.

 

[Liz C]

I was thinking about The Magician holding the wand in his right hand this morning, and I thought, right hand = the conscious mind ie making decisions consciously, using logical thinking. This is the opposite of The High Priestess who represents the unconscious and intuition. (Which is why, I believe, many people cut the tarot deck with their left hand).

The Magician stands at the nexus of potential. Before him are all the tools of creation. Note that he doesn't take up any of these tools, however. The Magician is about potential and choice.

Which regard to what I said above, I view The High Priestess as this latent potential, and a time of waiting, whereas, to me, The Magician is about acting, producing something real and tangible, using the conscious mind, and being aware (conscious) of what we are doing.

Cheers,
Liz

 

[Little Baron]

Magic

Magic
Margarete Petersen

“Sun winds are stroking the strings of the sitar,
The song of birds, the air is vibrating, pulsating,
Through the mask it sounds, I AM.
Soul glides into body -
Ever-new self-creation.
Knowing the essence of the elements.
Fire, Earth, Air, Water.
The lively dance of sounds.
Remembering oneness.
Audible breath
I AM”

from ‘TAROT’ by Margarete Petersen.


Looking at this card, I am reminded of two conflicting suggestions of how the world was created.

Firstly, I think of the Big Bang - the explosion that may have created the world. In this card, there is a ‘coming together’ of colour and energy in one big burst. They are all being fused together to make ‘something’. It is a creation.

There is the bright light of yellow at the top.

‘Fire-like’ red shoots from the bottom left corner, while white swirls in the centre of the card, like waves.

And in the background, the earthier shadows sit in their own denser and heavier place.

From this explosion, a face emerges. Infact, to my eyes, many faces emerge. One large face, reminiscent of a mask, is most obvious. But I also see smaller ones within the brush-strokes. And emerging from the darkness at that centre, a strong golden bird stands tall and rises from the elements. Something has been created.

But I also am reminded of the first paragraphs of Genesis in the Torah. Looking at this picture, I think of God, creating the seas, sky, vegetation and animals. The main face looks to me, as if he is breathing life into something. This is a much more physical representation than I am used to. The white in the card reminds me of how the Magician can take energy from the yellow above him and pass if out through his mouth. Releasing it through a channel.

It reminds me of how people blow on a fire to keep it alive.

How people heal with touch.

Or donate blood.

Or how a kiss of life can literally save another human. It is not ‘the life’, but in action, it gives life. A 'gift of life', possibly.

We often consider some kind of illusion or trickery with this card. And I suppose it is hinted at here, with the mask being a main feature. However, it is the dark profile in the back that I look at. This face is raw and shows the naked intention. It is probably he who breaths life through the more ‘soulless’ mask. It might be a reminder to consider someone’s agenda in certain situations. I think that that face is the real ‘magician’, whereas the mask is a symbol of magic itself. And creation, often, can be magical.

Magician - Dr John
New Orleans Voodoo Tarot

This card made a lot of sense to me this week as well. Dr John was a practitioner and sacred drummer of high renown in New Orleans in the 1800s. On his face, tattooed, are red and blue lines, symbolic of snakes. His spirit resides close to Congo Square in St Louis Cemetary No.1.

In the picture, hisn posture is a shadow of the RWS Magician, one hand up to the heavens and the other, beating the drum. His face shows intense concentration. Making contact with the drum is to make something exist. Sound. The first sound or means of communication. It links him with the world of the dead. He is channelling these bursts of energy and power. He is skilled at what he does.

In the week, I tried out a few drums in a shop. It felt good to connect with them. I might pop back and buy a small one as part of this study.

LB

 

[Liz C]

Magic
Margarete Petersen

“Sun winds are stroking the strings of the sitar,
The song of birds, the air is vibrating, pulsating,
Through the mask it sounds, I AM.
Soul glides into body -
Ever-new self-creation.
Knowing the essence of the elements.
Fire, Earth, Air, Water.
The lively dance of sounds.
Remembering oneness.
Audible breath
I AM”

I love this poem. I like the image of "soul glides into body" (The Magician is the birth of the human, into the world of duality, separate from God) and "remembering oneness" (which is to me represented by The Fool). And I like all the references to communication/sound...the strings of the sitar, the song of birds, audible breath.

Looking at this card, I am reminded of two conflicting suggestions of how the world was created.

They could both apply

The main face looks to me, as if he is breathing life into something. This is a much more physical representation than I am used to. The white in the card reminds me of how the Magician can take energy from the yellow above him and pass if out through his mouth. Releasing it through a channel.

I like this mouth as channel association! The idea or thought or sound in one's head is literally channelled through the mouth and then enters the world. The mouth is the bridge between two worlds (the inner and outer).

We often consider some kind of illusion or trickery with this card. And I suppose it is hinted at here, with the mask being a main feature. However, it is the dark profile in the back that I look at. This face is raw and shows the naked intention. It is probably he who breaths life through the more ‘soulless’ mask.

I had never considered this before (its not in my Universal Waite card), but this mask could also represent the idea of our bodies just being vehicles for our journey on earth ie our bodies are just masks, and the real 'us' is beneath them. Like the poem says above "soul glides into body".

 

[Jewel]

Week 1 - 05/06-12/07

DECK: Celtic Dragon

Many of my daily log steps are based on Mary Greer's steps from "21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card."

05/07/07 - LITERAL DERSCRIPTION OF THE IMAGE:
The central figure is a beautiful woman with long black hair and dark blue eyes. She is dressed in a white gown with flueted sleeves trimmed in green and gold. She wear a head-dress which looks like a white veil connected to a gold cown made to look like dragons. She wears gold hoop earrings, of snakes (or wyrms perhaps) swallowing their tails. She wears a gold belt with three celtic knots, beneath it, her has a circle design in green. She also wears a crescent moon pendant. She stands in front of a wooden table. Her hands are on an open book but she is not looking at the book, she is looking towards her left. In her left hands there is a wand with a dragon head. In front of the book there is an ornate gold chalice wtih purple liquid inside of it. To its left, but lower lower, is a dragon head incence burner, and a little further to the left close to the edge of the table a white candle. There is a light yellow circle effect surrounding the wick of the candle. In the air, in every direction are ghost like images of dragons - 8 that I can make out clearly.

05/08/07 - DESCRIPTION OF THE EMOTIONS IN THE CARD:
The magician seems to be listening intently and following her senses. Her attention is clearly drawn to her left (receptive) side. She can feel the dragons she has summoned. She is excited that her summoning worked, but she also feels apprehention ... what has she done ....

05/09/07 - NUMBER: Magician 1
ONES: beginning or cause of all things; primordial force of creation; expressing unity, ego, self identity; uniqueness; wholeness and the infinite; implies initiative, intent and reason.

I am studying the Magician. Ones are about identity and engo and imply initiative and intent.

MODE, SUIT, ELEMENT:
MODE: The mode of the Magician as well as the remainder of the trumps is Major Arcana. They describe a lesson we need to learn and/or are archetypal energies being expressed. They stand for values, principles, laws, archetypes, and our psychospiritual needs. They are they "why".

SUIT: N/A

ELEMENT: The Magician is of the element of Air. Some of the qualities Air I found to describe my Magician card include: mental focus, alret, inquisitive; clever; nervous; impersonal.

05/10/07 - MEANINGS AND SYMBOLS:
Many sources describe the Magician as being the true first trump of the Major Arcana as it is the first numbered card, where the number has meaning. As such the Magician represents consciousness, action and creation, and is a symbol of manifestation. The table, is real and solid and grounds the Magician into the physical world.

Looking at my Magician in relation to the book 78 Degrees of Wisdom, I noted some of the areas discussed that I felt were represented in my card such as the magician having an awareness of power in her life (listening or sensing the dragons). Spirit or excitement posseseing one (again the look of apprehention yet excitement on her face as she senses the dragons); inspiration and excitement to sustain you through a new project of phase of life until the goal is reached (her book learning, ritual tools and garb); creative force and will power that is unified and directed towards goals(actual manifestation of the astral dragons). In a reversal, my card would probably focus on an energy blockage or disconnection possibly even from reality itself.

05/11/07 - PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
This weeks study has been focused on the Magician. Through doing various types of exercises I have decided to conclude my weeks with a comparison of my Celtic Dragon card to the one corresponding to the RWS (Raidian version).

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CARDS:
- female magician
- no "above so below" posture
- indoor setting vs. outdoor
- the CD magician seems to be receiving vs. projecting or directing
- CD magician has a book, candle, and incense burner
- CD magician does not have a sword or a pentacle
- no infinity sign

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN CARDS:
- Orubrus present (CD magicians earrings - RWS magician belt)
- both have a cup and a wand
- both do appear trained and prepared

SUMMARY OF WEEKLY OBSERVATIONS: The CD Magician is more of a conjurer - in the card she is conjuring astral dragons. The card has also been given a very female and receptive slant. The presence of the book, to me, basically links her to the High Priestess on some level. She obviously can direct her will, as does the RWS magician, which enables her to conjure. There is an intresting switch of ying/yang or male/female balance in the CD as compared to the RWS. The RWS uses flowers surrounding the magician to show this, where the CD uses astral dragons (air-masculine element) to bring the visual balance in the card. The RWS magician appears more grounded.

 

[valis]

Okay, now I need a bit of clarification. I've been reading through all the insightful posts about the Magician. They've been helpful. But there's one aspect that I keep reading about, but I don't get the sense of it at all when I look at the card.

I keep coming across descriptions of the Magician in the sense of a stage magician, a potential trickster. But I don't get that vibe at all. I see the Magician as someone so confident, so in control, that he has no need to resort to trickery.

Now, does this concept of the Mage-As-Trickster come from tradition and symbology, or am I just simply not tuned in to something vital?

 

[Jewel]

I keep coming across descriptions of the Magician in the sense of a stage magician, a potential trickster. But I don't get that vibe at all. I see the Magician as someone so confident, so in control, that he has no need to resort to trickery.

Now, does this concept of the Mage-As-Trickster come from tradition and symbology, or am I just simply not tuned in to something vital?

For me it comes from his/her ability to manipulate. The Magician in the Cosmic Tribe actually visually touches on this specific definition to a degree. But I would say that as a rule the Magician's ability to be a trickster comes from the ability to wield power and the mental control and focus he/she possesses.

If my recollection is correct, there is also some historical reference to this as well, and in some older Marseille style decks (I think) the magician card includes cards, dice, etc. JMD or other ATers can give you more info on this, but I know there was a thread not to terribly long ago talking about this.

 

[Tesseljoan]

I keep coming across descriptions of the Magician in the sense of a stage magician, a potential trickster. But I don't get that vibe at all. I see the Magician as someone so confident, so in control, that he has no need to resort to trickery.

Now, does this concept of the Mage-As-Trickster come from tradition and symbology, or am I just simply not tuned in to something vital?

It might depend on the deck. In my Marseilles deck, the Magician is called the Bateleur, and looks more like a stage magician then a Magus (like Jewel said, he has coins and dice). i don't think you're missing anything vital, we're just using different decks.

 

[Jewel]

i don't think you're missing anything vital, we're just using different decks.

I really agree with this. In the deck I am using (Celtic Dragon) my Magician is a woman, and more of a conjurer. I do not see her the same way I do the Magician from the RWS for example. Different decks will render their own interpretation of the Magician, and enhance specific characteristics of the cards range of meanings.

 

[Liz C]

I keep coming across descriptions of the Magician in the sense of a stage magician, a potential trickster. But I don't get that vibe at all.

Look at his title...The Magician. What does a Magician do? He performs tricks, illusions and magic. Generally for entertainment purposes.

But if he was selfish, he could use those same skills to fool people out of their money, or for other selfish reasons.