Tarot of Ceremonial Magic Study Group - The Magus

Abrac

The Magus calls things into existence seemingly from nothing. He pulls from the Archetypal into the world of Action. In the card, the Magus is manifesting a new concept, the "liberated woman" or Babalon. The sigil behind his head shows it doesn't come from nothing, but from within the Magus himself.

I don't know if that answers your question, and I'm not positive that's what DuQuette is getting at; it's just an idea I had about it.
 

Michael Sternbach

Thank you, Zephyros, for starting the new thread for the study group. My Thoth deck has 3 different Magus cards, and used to wonder if there are any differences in meanings for each card.

This is true for older editions of the Thoth. Officially, to include another two versions of The Magus that Harris had painted was nothing but the publisher's whim, and due to a demand made by the copyright holder (the O.T.O.), the deck doesn't come with those cards anymore.

However, there are Thoth aficionados who believe that the extra cards were no coincidence, esoterically speaking, and attribute them with different meanings. There are a couple of theories regarding this.

I too think of the additional Magus cards as enriching the deck. But orthodox Crowleyans tend to have a different opinion. Thus, in DuQuette's Ceremonial Magick, there is only one Magus.
 

Zephyros

What would be significance / meaning / connection of channeling Babalon and / to the Magus card?

Babalon is Nuit made manifest, the "interface," if you will. The world that we "know" (in the biblical sense) is Babalon. Emanating from Keter, the Magus is the specific energy that builds structure, as illustrated by his attribution of Beit, meaning "house." In this case the structure is Will:

It represents the Will. In brief, he is the Son, the manifestation in act of the idea of the Father. He is the male correlative of the High Priestess. Let there be no confusion here on account of the fundamental doctrine of the Sun and Moon as the Second Harmonics to the Lingam and the Yoni; for, as will be seen in the citation from The Paris Working, (see Appendix) the creative Mercury is of the nature of the Sun. But Mercury is the Path leading from Kether to Binah, the Understanding; and thus He is the messenger of the gods, represents precisely that Lingam, the Word of creation whose speech is silence.
 

foolMoon

The Magus calls things into existence seemingly from nothing. He pulls from the Archetypal into the world of Action. In the card, the Magus is manifesting a new concept, the "liberated woman" or Babalon. The sigil behind his head shows it doesn't come from nothing, but from within the Magus himself.

I don't know if that answers your question, and I'm not positive that's what DuQuette is getting at; it's just an idea I had about it.

Yes, it is a very good point. I am not sure what is DuQuette's idea putting Crowley's channeling Babalon as image of the Magus card in Tcom. I don't think he gives any explanation in the Books.

I was thinking that the Magus being positive Yang energy, it is dormant until meets with the negative energy Yin, to spark into action, hence the channeling Babalon? Just a guess.
 

foolMoon

This is true for older editions of the Thoth. Officially, to include another two versions of The Magus that Harris had painted was nothing but the publisher's whim, and due to a demand made by the copyright holder (the O.T.O.), the deck doesn't come with those cards anymore.

However, there are Thoth aficionados who believe that the extra cards were no coincidence, esoterically speaking, and attribute them with different meanings. There are a couple of theories regarding this.

I too think of the additional Magus cards as enriching the deck. But orthodox Crowleyans tend to have a different opinion. Thus, in DuQuette's Ceremonial Magick, there is only one Magus.

I also like the deck with 3x Magus cards. They each seem putting emphasis on different perspectives. I use all 3 Magus cards when using the deck totaling all 80 cards in the readings. When 2 or 3 Magus cards turn up together in the reading, which is very rare event, it is definitely putting emphasis on the aspect of the Magus, and they get different interpretations depening on the positional and elemental dignities. Sure they make the deck more interesting and richer in the readings.

The other Thoth deck of my collection, which is called the Greenie, does have only 1 Magus card, and it has usual 78 cards. It is used in standard way.

It is interesting to see Hajo Banzaf's Thoth deck book uses one of the other Magus card rather than the usual standard one.
 

foolMoon

Babalon is Nuit made manifest, the "interface," if you will. The world that we "know" (in the biblical sense) is Babalon. Emanating from Keter, the Magus is the specific energy that builds structure, as illustrated by his attribution of Beit, meaning "house." In this case the structure is Will:


According to the book, Babalon is a Thelemic goddes of The Great Mother, or Mother of Abominations, who is also known as the Scarlet Woman. How could a goddes be also the world?

When you say, "Emanating from Kether," who emanates it? Itself? God? The Magus? Or the magician?
 

smw

What would be significance / meaning / connection of channeling Babalon and / to the Magus card?

As Ravenest has noted around his head is the seal of the A.A. The outer ring has the Latin words "Fraternatatis A.A sigilum Danct. Frater ( brother) so brotherhood and sigil of the A.A. I looked up what looks like Danct and it means dance, though doesn't seem right. (Perhaps something to do with agreement).The seven pointed star within the border is the symbol of Babalon, the Great mother Goddess, also known as Isis. She relates to Binah on the Tree of life residing above the abyss. 'seven letters hath her holiest name'.

The seal according to Crowley is also 'said to be the seal upon the tombs of them that she (Babalon) has slain, that is the Masters of the Temple.'

Maybe the channeling of Babylon for the Magus is already done here. Like the Fool who appears to be an adept jumping over the abyss, this Magus could represent a Master of the Temple who has now crossed the abyss. He/she having drained their blood in the cup of Babalon or I think sacrificed their ego for the service of humanity.

I can't remember where I saw it, there was also a reference to not being able to cross the abyss with out realising the maternal feminine aspect in yourself.
 

smw

The Magus calls things into existence seemingly from nothing. He pulls from the Archetypal into the world of Action. In the card, the Magus is manifesting a new concept, the "liberated woman" or Babalon. The sigil behind his head shows it doesn't come from nothing, but from within the Magus himself.

I don't know if that answers your question, and I'm not positive that's what DuQuette is getting at; it's just an idea I had about it.

That is interesting, the suggestion of the liberated woman or the Scarlet Woman 'girt with sword', it is shown on the Thoth Heirophant, which has the same pointed hand gesture. (I think the one you noted earlier).
 

Abrac

The outer ring of the seal says: Sigilum Sanctum Fraternitatis A. A. [Holy Seal of the Brotherhood of the A. A.] I posted a picture of it before, here it is again.

Babalon Sigil
 

smw

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