Magic and The
Magician (An update)
The first thing we need to consider is how much the power of human imagination is capable of imagining anything. The next thing to consider is the power of belief. We are capable of believing just about anything. In consulting the Tarot, acting on our beliefs is best represented by the Tarot card The Magician. We are talking about an ancient cultural phenomenon which, for some, is considered passé. It’s irrelevant — a magical art loaded with superstition and rituals, which hardly anyone believes anymore. Yet, in the past, various cultures have used “magic” to foresee the future/ have
made magical
talismans and charms/ cast spells and invoked other worldly guidance to change
the course of a life, the outcome of wars, and the governance of society.
Magicians were seekers of power, especially in unstable times, and were
attempting to control the basic elements and fundamental events in their lives.
Today, we look at
magicians and The Magician card differently
in Tarot. More people are using the Tarot cards as symbols of archetypes, which
can stimulate and inspire our creative imagination. Each card, with its
specific meaning, can influence us in understanding our subjective experiences.
In our modern society, very few people actually practice magic literally because
we think we must be rational about everything. At least some of us would like
to believe that. Richard Tarnas in his book, The Passion of the Western Mind, (Ballantine
Books 1991) discusses the foundations and
changes of the modern world view since the 17th century:
“…the order of the modern
cosmos was now comprehensible in principle by man’s rational and
empirical faculties alone,
while other aspects of human nature - emotional, aesthetic, ethical, volitional, relational, imaginative, epiphanic - were generally regarded as irrelevant or
distortional for an objective understanding of the world.”
He regarded this situation
as dulled by, “…mechanistic principles
having no special relation to either human existence per se, or to any divine
reality.” (My note: — Mechanistic thinking dismisses
and discounts any other view. So there! As they say.) In the prevalent existentialist thought of
today, some people depend upon their own ingenuity and want to be in charge of
their own actions and resources with a sense of “freedom.” They try to act
according to one’s own will. If this attitude is taken too far, a depressing state
of “negative existential nihilism” can occur where one feels life has no purpose
and no meaning, which defeats the intent of the idea of “freedom.” So, in a more positive sense, we should keep
in mind that in our Democratic Society, we have the freedom to create our own
purpose and make our own choices.
Concerning earlier civilizations, we must
remember that “colonialism” prevailed in many countries and was a step in the
wrong direction where a predominate “Holier than Thou” arrogance of those in
charge resulted in slavery, domination and subjugation of one people over another.
This accounts for prejudice against all differing religions, past and present, against
different people and different customs, and also, the persecution of foreign magical
practices. Remnants of this colonial thought still persist today in America
where we are witnessing big demonstrations and marches by oppressed people and
their allies about “Black Lives Matter,” and “Gay Liberation.” In spite of
colossal problems, the timing of this still represents the ongoing struggle of
Democracy to honor and bring to fruition the meaning of the “Declaration of
Independence,” and the aspiration “…that all men are created equal.” On another
note, regarding colonial empiricist thought, Rene Eisler in her book, The Chalice and the Blade, (HarperCollins 1987) discusses “The Failure of
Reason.” She expands on the difficulties created by empiricist thinking and
action:
“Finally, after Auschwitz and Hiroshima, the
promise of reason began to be questioned… How could one explain the carefully
reasoned military experiments of the effects of the atomic bomb and radiation
on living and totally helpless human beings? Could all this superefficient mass
destruction be called an advance for humanity?
Who or what does The Magician card represent in Tarot
and is it magic?
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| Magician Visconti-Sforza Tarot |
It seems that
most magicians of the past, as described in literature and art, sought help
from outside sources other then themselves. Unfortunately, to the more
scientific thought of today, this implies feelings of powerlessness,
helplessness and victimization. Instead, it was really about acquiring power. In
ancient cultures, early peoples believed in mythological, supernatural, or as
we might think of - imaginary beings—with
magical powers. Magicians, shamans,
medicine men/women, conducted ceremonies and rituals that honored and brought forth
other worldly beings and spirits, which they believed had superhuman powers. Alas,
alongside that, unsavory immoral situations were promoted by incompetent sleazy magicians who attempted to conjure demonic forces to bring misfortune on others. According to Sir James Frazer, author of The Golden Bough, early peoples practiced various kinds of magic in
Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, Asia, Greece, Rome, and other early European cultures,
and his entire book discusses what their practices were. Most magicians of the
past were trying to call upon helpful intermediaries through ceremonial rituals
and complex spells. We are astounded by the range of procedures and rituals that
were performed by the Holy Man or Holy Woman.
“The shaman is the archetypal
magician/priest of the human race, existing or having existed in Northern
Europe, all over Asia, among various native tribes of North and South America
and in various parts of Africa.”
Nigel
Pennick Secret Games of the Gods (Samuel
Weiser 1989)
In old earth magic, particularly in England,
nature worshipping pagans summoned deities of
Today, a Neopaganism
movement is evolving where contemporary Feminist groups are bringing back some
of the magic of nature by envisioning the sacredness of Mother Earth and
invoking the early European Earth Goddess. Activist groups have formed a type
of earth-based spirituality where restorative procedures to conserve and
sustain the land are being carried out. “Permaculture” groups founded by
Starhawk and others, are working on reclaiming landscapes that will preserve the
environment around us. Radical shifts are happening in the way these groups
interact with nature as they rethink land development and how to improve crop
methods. Because of overuse of pesticides and fertilizers over the years, they
are working on ways to heal and cleanse the soil by eliminating toxic waste and
poisonous chemicals.
“Nature is seen as having its own inherent
order, of which human beings are a part.”
“But when nature is empty of Spirit,
forests and trees become merely timber, something to be measured in board feet,
valued only for its profitability, not for its being, its beauty
or even its part in the larger ecosystem.”
Starhawk, Dreaming
the Dark (Beacon Press 1982)
Artist, Betsy Damon, founder of Keepers of the Waters, best known for her Living Water Garden on the Fu-nan River in Chengdu China, is currently
coordinating various water reclaiming projects and developing methods of changing
and cleansing water usage through environmental education. Her activist groups around
the world “…work toward community-based
models of water stewardship,” empowering people to engage in community
organizing and develop educational water projects. Through actual field (water) work, they are learning
how to construct natural filtration ponds, utilize cleansing methods, and how to
understand water flows and drainage in cleaning rivers and lakes. Now, many
such groups are working on restoring and preserving major water sources all
over America and other countries of the world.
In early America,
before the Conquistadores, indigenous natives of the Southwest invoked seasonal
weather-related spirits (Kachinas) of wind, rain, lightning, and animals and
plants, to aid their tribes in growing crops and augment their survival. Wearing
masks and costumes that embodied certain beneficial spirit-beings, participants
danced in ritual ceremonies in secret underground kivasSome religious ceremonies and dancing are still practiced in New Mexico today. All this was to bring about different states of mind and a transformation of consciousness that would bring nature’s power into their environment, protect their communities, and banish unknown forces. Divination, dreams and vision interpretation also heightened their magical practices.
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| Neptune photo V. Husted |
In early Grecian
forms of magic, statues of the gods were believed to be animated by the god
they represented. They believed the god, such as Apollo or Athena, would enter
their symbolic statue representation and empower it so the god could answer
their prayers and perform miracles. Officials often sought advice from the gods
through the mediumistic voices of the Sisters of Pythia at the Oracle of
Delphi. Early Chinese religions worshipped personifications of nature, and
ancestor worship was prevalent. They believed earth spirits inhabited certain
locations and, hidden away, benevolent spirits were worshipped in elaborate shrines.
Most magicians and shamans acted as a bridge between the spirits and the
people. In order to convey the wishes of the spirits, they were invoked in
songs, prayers, dances and magical formulas. Japanese female shamans danced in
trances in beautiful elaborate costumes, as did the Korean sorceresses.
(as in M*A*S*H episode #108, “Exorcism” - loved her costume).
In Biblical
writings, Moses and Aaron were in competition with Egyptian magicians — over a snake (Exod. 8:5-9:12).
Aaron’s rod became a snake
through the will of God. But the Egyptian magicians also produced snakes
through their secret arts and attributes of certain gods. In the end, Aaron’s
rod swallowed them all up. Because of Israelite belief in one God, magicians
and magical practices were forbidden in both the Old Testament and the New
Testament. Especially prohibited was the worship of Ashtoreth, earth goddess of
fertility (1Kings 11:33). In reference to
this, several present-day authors have posed the question — was Jesus a magician? (See Jesus the
Magician, by Morton
Smith, HarperCollins 1978.) In the book, Meditations on the Tarot, the author, Anonymous, discusses the story of Jesus walking on the water toward
the boat full of the disciples. He points out that Jesus’ miraculous acts were
of “divine origin” from the Kingdom of God (See Matt.14:28-31).
Some might interpret this as being from another dimension of consciousness.
It’s up to you to decide how you want to think about that. Peter, who tried to
walk on the water was overwhelmed by FEAR and started to sink. Who hasn’t known
that kind of fear? In our time, we are
impressed by the awesome feat of Alex Honnold who recently solo climbed El
Capitan in Yosemite (7,569') with no ropes or guides and apparent lack of fear.
He displayed superior concentration in each upward pitch, moving steadily with
the strength and skill of a master. It seemed almost magical. (See National
Geographic, February 2019.) In Tarot, the art of focusing, concentration
and skill are the key attributes of The Magician.
In Medieval European magic (before the 17th C), and in some
kinds of hermetic magic, special incantations were used to create, or bring
forth, supernatural effects, using charms, amulets, talismans, and spells. In
an opposite context, a more sinister shadowy world of malefic concoctions was
created in “Black Magic,” with spells invoking “unclean” spirits to inflict
pain and bring misfortune upon others, or so those charlatans wished. And then there were the buffoons, soothsayers,
and street magicians who performed seemingly magic tricks for a coin or two by sleight
of hand. In modern concepts, for most of us, it is almost impossible to go back
to the beliefs and procedures of the ancient past and participate in
ritualistic magic. We just don’t believe in it as our ancestors did. Why? Because
they really believed in what they practiced.
Where does the Tarot fit into all this? Today,
people who dabble in Tarot feel there is more to life than just what goes on in
our everyday materialistic, working world. Some want the adventure of the mind - and sense the importance of
human imagination that transcends human knowledge. Some like to find meaning in
the magic of mystery, randomness and creative thinking. Some find spiritual
consolation in being in touch with one’s private inner world of contemplative consciousness.
Others might just want to overcome the boredom of deterministic thought by envisioning
the symbols of Tarot and find deeper meaning in their lives. As mentioned in my
book, Tarot of Cosmic Consciousness,
“The assumption is that Tarot and
Astrology are irrational, superstitious and unscientific. Yes, they are not
scientific because they are not meant to be. Tarot and Astrology belong to the
realm of philosophy, art, magic and religion.”
The meaning of The Magician in Tarot of Cosmic Consciousness is about the work one does to discern
the difference between reality and unreality, between truth and a lie. One can
become more open to “the heavens above,” so to speak, and be a conduit for Cosmic Energy through concentration and
focusing. Here one focuses on self-transformation by using the “tools” of
Tarot: Wands - establishing one’s true identity; Cups - finding an inner life; mastering your emotions; Swords - having creative ideas; and Coins or Pentacles - putting your best foot forward in the physical manifestation
of your own persona. The so-called “good” magician becomes a servant of divine
providence in seeing the “light” and doing good for mankind. The “bad” magician
uses abusive forces against mankind in selfish, evil purposes to punish, hurt
or destroy others.
My teacher, Gail Fairfield, discusses The Magician in terms of psychological insights in her book, Choice-Centered Relating and the Tarot (Samuel Weiser
2000). The key is discernment. She interprets the
qualities of The Magician in the
sense of people, “… who are analytical, problem solving, discriminating,
discerning.” The information they use is, “…factual, that dispels illusions,
that gives answers.” She says it’s about, “Having
discernment about other people; utilizing analytical or problem-solving skills
in the world; figuring out if something external is based in reality or
illusion.” This is about any magic, which is found in Tarot of how you
interpret the insights and real facts about your situation and experiences. The
choice of solutions is up to you. The best part is that you take responsibility
to work it out for yourself and then make the right choices. Ask yourself if you think your life has a
purpose or, do you just exist?
When you get The Magician in a
reading, the magic of it is found in examining your purpose in life, your
visions and dreams and in honing your skills. Think of how you will manifest
your highest ideals. If you are seeking a spiritual solution, then choose a
spiritual path, practice meditation, send out your prayers. Always sing praises
and gratitude for life, love, abundance, and appreciation for the sacred on
earth. The Magician card invites self-mastery and self-transformation through
introspection and a desire to grow and change. Focus and concentrate on the
energy of the Life-force and bring it into your everyday experience.
Now, I’ve got to go see what those gnomes in the
garden are up to!
