Mary El Tarot - The Magician

Milfoil

Now this one perplexes me:

http://www.mary-el.com/01.html

The background seems very barren and lifeless. Dead, twisted, trees standing like a warning in the shallow water with a pale, washed out sun in the mist behind. A Hooded figure stands both in and on the water holding the energy of the Kaballah? (Forgive me but my kaballah studies stand at 0). Please enlighten me.
 

Babalon Jones

It looks like Metatron's Cube to me. Metatron's cube is a figure of 13 interlocking circles that contains the seed and flower of life designs, and the tree of life, and all of the platonic solids. I can understand why the Magus would have it on the card. I don't quite understand the death-like imagery, though, but I don't yet have the deck or book, I'm just looking at the scan.
 

Laura Borealis

It feels like a winter landscape to me. Leafless trees, a morning fog obscuring the sun. Though the Magician figure is still and upright, there is a sense of it moving swiftly toward us, churning up the waters in its wake. It's very dreamlike. I know Marie dreamed vividly about the cards while painting them, and I'm wondering if some of this imagery was inspired by a dream.

I'll have to read up on the Metatron's Cube -- thank you Babylon Jones.
 

Milfoil

Ah, thank you - metatron cube (will go google). :)

Do you think the magician stands on water or Ice? Is s/he holding all things in potential?(hence the winter scene when life is rather suspended awaiting the life bringing warmth and light of the sun which is glancing over his/her shoulder)

The death-like figure may represent this season of death, an apparent stillness of the bulb or seed in the ground, a time when all things seem dead. His/her energy seems to be one of concealed power, hidden energy and complex transformation. Not the kind of short-lived transformation of the butterfly in the previous card but a complete, profound and necessary death of the ego. Of course, it's not dead really, it cannot be, but the recognition of stillness after such frenetic energy of the Fool makes this energy much more focussed.

The trees in the background, one twists right, the other left. In nature, trees twist to follow the sun so does that mean that the Magician who stands between them is the focus of that energy? I'm not sure, I haven't worked that 'twisted' meaning out yet. :)
 

Debra

He looks like an old hollowed-out tree trunk.
 

DaisyDragonfly

I like the image, very much. It seems to me the figure and its environment represent pure potential: it hasn't even created identity yet, merely existence. Or, identity is beginning to coalesce - there is a figure, an outline, something defined, not merely inchoate energy - but it hasn't done more than collect itself together.

And just as it hasn't yet fully defined itself, nor has it yet fully defined its environment. Self and Non-Self exist, but aren't named. And not until it's named can it be fully realized.

Oh, yes. I like. I like very much. An eerie magician, existing primarily in potential. It's the shadow of a thing, but the most important shadow there is.
 

Bat Chicken

Thanks for that, Babalon Jones. I had a look and the pattern is sacred geometry, the building blocks of matter or the material world?

I remember coming across this in my study of Blake but my brain has lost the key to the files. Too bad Zan isn't floating around here - he read the Bible from cover to cover a couple years back! Metatron definitely has something to do with Kabbalah and the earliest origins of the Israelites from Genesis in the Bible. From what I can quickly gather he is the closest to God. The element of fire is associated with him and it is interesting the card is full of fog and water. Off to my corner with that one....

I agree that the 'emanation' of the magician looks like a tree - the Tree of Life, perhaps is the allusion? (Thought I'd suggest that because Metatron is supposed to have given man the Kabbalah it might be a good allusion, maybe? :) )

Milfoil - thanks for getting this started... Have I said that yet? :)
 

Penthasilia

Hi guys- hope you don't mind someone new jumping in. I love this deck, in all it's hidden symbolism and power, with this card being my favorite.

The Metatron's cube is key to me, in the meaning behind this card. The cube symbolizes life, contained with a powerful sacred geometric shape which incorporates the Fruit/Flower of Life and all 5 known platonic solids.

When I first saw this picture, I was immediately struck by the Norse mythos regarding Ragnarok and Lif and Lifthrasir, the man and woman who are hidden within the tree of life to survive the carnage and create life on earth anew. It is the continued cycle of life, death and regeneration that is the hallmark of many myths concerning creation and post-flood renewal of mankind.

I see the magician as the tree of life, the trunk in which man enters to complete the chrysalis and be renewed in life. The dead background further signifies the death of what has been left behind in order for re-birth/renewal to occur.

A simply fabulous card, with unbelievable power! As I said, my favorite in the whole deck :)
 

Bat Chicken

Hi guys- hope you don't mind someone new jumping in. I love this deck, in all it's hidden symbolism and power, with this card being my favorite.

The Metatron's cube is key to me, in the meaning behind this card. The cube symbolizes life, contained with a powerful sacred geometric shape which incorporates the Fruit/Flower of Life and all 5 known platonic solids.

When I first saw this picture, I was immediately struck by the Norse mythos regarding Ragnarok and Lif and Lifthrasir, the man and woman who are hidden within the tree of life to survive the carnage and create life on earth anew. It is the continued cycle of life, death and regeneration that is the hallmark of many myths concerning creation and post-flood renewal of mankind.

I see the magician as the tree of life, the trunk in which man enters to complete the chrysalis and be renewed in life. The dead background further signifies the death of what has been left behind in order for re-birth/renewal to occur.

A simply fabulous card, with unbelievable power! As I said, my favorite in the whole deck :)
I am so used to FB "Like".... :)
 

Penthasilia

I am so used to FB "Like".... :)

Thanks :)

OK- so I took out the card to reflect more, because that is what I do at 11PM at night :D

We have the re-birth/death imagery in the card- so why the magician??? (This thought came to me when I looked at the sacred geometry tarot and noticed that they used the Metatron's cube for Death.)

Well- I went perusing the book of Enoch again. And the overall story, for those who haven't read it, has an interesting piece regarding how Enoch is taken to the "northern/heavenly lands" and taught by the angels sacred knowledge, more significantly, the ability to use astronomy/astrology and more importantly- HOW to measure celestial movements. It was at this time that he was shown the fiery heavenly structures that would be sent down, and the warning of the flood was given.

Now, depending on how much you buy into the idea of the megalithic yard (a serious theory by both engineers and some archeologists that stone age man DID indeed have a succinct measure to build the structures such as New Grange, etc) which has been shown to provide direct measurements of not only space (both linear and volume) but also time and the use of this measurement to create architecture that would allow for exact measurements of astronomical changes to allow for predicting seasonal patterns (which would be unbelievably powerful for a hard-working community starting to build agriculture).

On top of that, these hallowed areas were able to monitor the changes of Venus, a "star" traditionally seen as being magically/spiritually significant in birthing/fertility rites, as well as death (re-birth/renewal themes again)- you have an ancient sage, "taught" by the lineage of Enoch (and hence Noah) on how to monitor celestial events to provide keen wisdom on agriculture, birth and death rites which all are part of the mysticism of the great priest/magician role.

Layers upon layers, depth upon depth. An unbelievable amount of symbolism in a card that, on first glance, appears stark.

Did I mention how this is my favorite card? :) Just thought I would add in my later thoughts... would love to hear any thoughts/comments.