Greater Arcana Study Group—The Magician

Abrac

A youthful figure in the robe of a magician, having the countenance of divine Apollo, with smile of confidence and shining eyes. Above his head is the mysterious sign of the Holy Spirit, the sign of life, like an endless cord, forming the figure 8 in a horizontal position ∞. About his waist is a serpent-cincture, the serpent appearing to devour its own tail. This is familiar to most as a conventional symbol of eternity, but here it indicates more especially the eternity of attainment in the spirit. In the Magician’s right hand is a wand raised towards heaven, while the left hand is pointing to the earth. This dual sign is known in very high grades of the Instituted Mysteries; it shows the descent of grace, virtue and light, drawn from things above and derived to things below. The suggestion throughout is therefore the possession and communication of the Powers and Gifts of the Spirit. On the table in front of the Magician are the symbols of the four Tarot suits, signifying the elements of natural life, which lie like counters before the adept, and he adapts them as he wills. Beneath are roses and lilies, the flos campi and lilium convallium [flower of the field and lily of the valleys], changed into garden flowers, to show the culture of aspiration. This card signifies the divine motive in man, reflecting God, the will in the liberation of its union with that which is above. It is also the unity of individual being on all planes, and in a very high sense it is thought, in the fixation thereof. With further reference to what I have called the sign of life and its connection with the number 8, it may be remembered that Christian Gnosticism speaks of rebirth in Christ as a change “unto the Ogdoad.” The mystic number is termed Jerusalem above, the Land flowing with Milk and Honey, the Holy Spirit and the Land of the Lord. According to Martinism, 8 is the number of Christ.​
 

Abrac

A couple of things caught my attention.

“. . . it shows the descent of grace, virtue and light, drawn from things above and derived to things below. The suggestion throughout is therefore the possession and communication of the Powers and Gifts of the Spirit.”​

and

“This card signifies the divine motive in man, reflecting God, the will in the liberation of its union with that which is above.”​

These two statements seem to be saying he’s not so much an occult magus, i.e. one who compels the universe to bend to his will, but a conduit for the graces from “above.”

And this:

“It is also the unity of individual being on all planes, and in a very high sense it is thought, in the fixation thereof.”​

This quote from Waite’s book Studies in Mysticism (1906) is interesting in connection to this:

“It is well known, however, and can be learned by any one from the literature of all the mystics—whether such processes were consciously followed out under definite instruction or were arrived at independently by the many mystics who have never passed through initiation—that they are all connected with what is termed the Interior Way, and that the attainment of that state in which it is possible for the transcendental truth to manifest to the individual man has been invariably by the way of contemplation—that is, of fixed interior reflection and the arrest of the insistent flow of communication from the outside world through the senses.”​
 

INIVEA

A couple of things caught my attention.

“. . . it shows the descent of grace, virtue and light, drawn from things above and derived to things below. The suggestion throughout is therefore​

and

“This card signifies the divine motive in man, reflecting God, the will in the liberation of its union with that which is above.”​

These two statements seem to be saying he’s not so much an occult magus, i.e. one who compels the universe to bend to his will, but a conduit for the graces from “above.”

What I am picking up from this; in a different perspective is; A CONDUIT (Electricity. a structure containing one or more ducts. ) Energy, What type of energy do we draw from Above (Space), maybe Solar, if it were Solar, then what is the Conduit, Would our atmosphere be the Conduit? Solar Energy also gives life, everything on earth is living, we live in the Goldie locks zone. Summer, we are more active, Winter we are less active. Summer (more day light hours) Winter (less day light hours). Sun gives (light).

by these two statement, Conduit and Receiver of energy (light) but grace is more a feeling Which would be a Gift. Waite uses the word "POWERS", this again is an energy source. So Spiritually (Conduit) what type of Energy (power) would this be? and then Where is it being channelled too?

ETA: forgot to add, Power (energy) from above, then channelled too (below) then reversed Power (energy) from below, then channelled too (above) as the phrase "As above, so below"

ETA #2: Is, our Physical body a "Conduit", vessel that houses this Energy? and that we can channel this Energy. Where do we channel this Energy too? What makes me think of this is this statement. "the possession and communication of the Powers and Gifts of the Spirit.”
 

INIVEA

I found this in THE DOCTRINE OF TRANSCENDENT MAGIC, by Levi Translated by A.E.Waite

I thought this to be interesting. I Apologize but my computer doesn't put out the Hebrew text/letters, so if you wish to see them please refer to the book.

https://ia801409.us.archive.org/1/items/transcendentalma00leviuoft/transcendentalma00leviuoft.pdf

Pages 160-161 said:
To divine (divinari) is to exercise divinity. The word divinus, in Latin, signifies something far different from divus, which is equivalent to the mangod. Devin, in French, contains the four letters of the word DiEU (God), plus the letter N, which corresponds in its form to the Hebrew alepJi N, and kabbalistically and hieroglyphically expresses the Great Arcanum, of which the Tarot symbol is the figure of the Juggler. Whosoever understands perfectly the absolute numeral value of N multiplied by N final in words which signify science, art, or force, who subsequently adds the five letters of the word DEVIN, in such a way as to make five go into four, four into three, three into two, and two into one, such a person, by translating the resultant number into primitive Hebrew characters, will write the occult name of the Great Arcanum, and will possess a word of which the sacred Tetragram itself is only the equivalent and the
image.
 

Michael Sternbach

What I am picking up from this; in a different perspective is; A CONDUIT (Electricity. a structure containing one or more ducts. ) Energy, What type of energy do we draw from Above (Space), maybe Solar, if it were Solar, then what is the Conduit, Would our atmosphere be the Conduit? Solar Energy also gives life, everything on earth is living, we live in the Goldie locks zone. Summer, we are more active, Winter we are less active. Summer (more day light hours) Winter (less day light hours). Sun gives (light).

by these two statement, Conduit and Receiver of energy (light) but grace is more a feeling Which would be a Gift. Waite uses the word "POWERS", this again is an energy source. So Spiritually (Conduit) what type of Energy (power) would this be? and then Where is it being channelled too?

ETA: forgot to add, Power (energy) from above, then channelled too (below) then reversed Power (energy) from below, then channelled too (above) as the phrase "As above, so below"

ETA #2: Is, our Physical body a "Conduit", vessel that houses this Energy? and that we can channel this Energy. Where do we channel this Energy too? What makes me think of this is this statement. "the possession and communication of the Powers and Gifts of the Spirit.”

The electromagnetic energy that is keeping our planet warm is still physical in nature. The "energies" that a magician uses are of a different order and belong to the etheric/subtle realms. However, it is true that the Sun emanates both types of radiation.
 

INIVEA

The "energies" that a magician uses are of a different order and belong to the etheric/subtle realms. However, it is true that the Sun emanates both types of radiation.

Okay, help me if I am wrong and not understanding this, if the Magician is a Conduit, then he is in the middle ground. like the definition, (A Tube) with which, either energy or water passes through, the energy or water doesn't stay in the Magician, like the electricity travelling down a powerline. so energy (power) passing through the Magician, it comes from and goes to. so where is this energy going to. Or better worded channeled to?

ETA: ie: Electricity has 2 forms, AC and DC, so for the Magician, which of these for example would he represent.
 

Richard

P. F. Case's The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages has a good explanation of what the Magician does and how he does it.
 

roppo

Hello friends. I have a thing to report about Arcanum I.

Recently I found and purchased an intersting item. A “corrected proof copy” of PKT (1971). One of the Rider editors suggested that “derived” in 72p might be “directed”, as you see in the picture. I think it’s reasonable to assume the editors in 1910 had a trouble in discerning Waite's handwriting.
 

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INIVEA

Hello friends. I have a thing to report about Arcanum I.

One of the Rider editors suggested that “derived” in 72p might be “directed”, as you see in the picture.

Thanks, this is very much helpful, explains the Conduit (Channeling) that something is go to something, but what is it going to, so having it say "directed", Therefore Energy (power) is being direct at or to something.

Above his head is the mysterious sign of the Holy Spirit, the sign of life, like an endless cord, forming the figure 8 in a horizontal position ∞.​

With further reference to what I have called the sign of life and its connection with the number 8.​

astronomical concept called analemma. To put it simply, if you take a picture of the sun from the same location every day at a certain time for a whole year, the sun's apparent path will be an analemma. This is due to the elliptical orbit of the earth and the tilt of Earth's axis (23.439°).

In the Magician’s right hand is a wand raised towards heaven (space), while the left hand is pointing to the earth.​

Magician is in between (Conduit) like our atmosphere is our barrier between Space and Earth. If you think about it our Atmosphere has the 4 elements in it.

it shows the descent of grace, virtue and light (Energy), drawn from things above (Space) and derived (Directed) to things below.​

This reminds me of a Thunder storm, you have Sprite (lighning) going above the atmosphere, as well as lightning going down to the earth. Electrical charges.

Tesla (Free energy), then you have ley lines, the grid all over the world, geometrics. <Thinking, Thinking>

The suggestion throughout is therefore the possession (conduit of sort; tube, duct, etc) and communication (Directed, Channeled) of the Powers (Energy)​

It is also the unity of individual being (energy and light) on all planes, and in a very high sense it is thought, in the fixation thereof.​

Fixation? Does not move, stays stationary. (very interesting) The Conduit is stationary and doesn't move. <thinking> Therefore, it is not human, humans move, and the Conduit itself doesn't move, but it's what goes through it that moves, like (energy) and if it were spirit (energy) that moves, but the Magician (Conduit) doesn't. <Thinking>

Okay, I am going to read Paul Case see what he says Thanks LRichard