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The Thoth Tarot-Key 1- THE MAGUS & The Night Sun Tarot-THE MAGICIAN:

In Hermetic Qaballah, The Magus, The Hermit and the Hierophant, are called the 3 Magi. The Magi or Magician, as individual, "Stand for Mankind" as a full Tree of Life, that is both Force and Form of all the Planes of Conscious Energy; The Adam Khadmon. For those who think that reading a book will qualify you as a Magus, I am sorry to say, it is a union of Kether's name of Eheieh- "I will be", with the very molecules of your body where the Above flows through the Below in a figure eight spiral which is called the lemnistrate (Greek for Ribbon). A great many trials and tribulations are required in order to awaken this "sleeping giant" that resides in your individual DNA. Oh by the way, this is the Will that started the Great Work of "As above and so below". It behooves us to remember that the Universe is "Will-istic".

As shown on the Tree of Life, the Soul had to build many "Houses" (Hebrew-Beth) before it can ever achieve the manifestation of a Temple of Mercury, a condensed body that is able to flow the Above (Kether) Energy-Intelligence without vibrating beyond vision on the Below (Malkuth). Often, it takes the Soul's diligence and determination of many "life times" (persona manifestations) to accomplish this Magus/Magician as a living persona.

The Magus or the more traditional Magician, is referred to the letter Beth or Bet, a Hebrew letter which means House or Temple, and is attributed to the planet Mercury. Thus, the depiction of winged feet on the Thoth Magus illustration and the wing formed lemnistrate on the Night Sun-Magician.

The ideas attached to this Tarot card are often very difficult to understand and one of the most difficult for modern man is that words are not action. Therefore this card is all about the Action of Eheieh, the "I Will-Be", that began the first motion in this Universe, woven of motion; the Moving- Universe of Vibration- Weaving (The Electromagnetic Spectrum), which in itself is a Beth and/or The Great Temple of the Macrocosm! The Magus is the Son, the manifestation in act of the idea of the Father. He is the male correlative of the High Priestess.

Mercury is preeminently the bearer of the Wand (Phallus) which represents Energy Sent Forth and/or communication. The wand is shown in the left hand of the Night Sun Magician while the Thoth Magus is the wand itself.  The Creative nature of Mercury is the Sun but the path leading from Kether (Crown) to Binah (Understanding) is ruled by Mercury as well. Thus, he is the Lingam that is the Silent Word of Creation. This is not Male as in Sex, it is Male as in "expression", electricity. The ideas illustrated by the Thoth-Magus and Night Sun Magician card are complex and so multifarious that many documents, meditations, and study are usually required to grasp this cards multidimensional message. When skrying the Magus or Magician card, it suggested that one should ask,

" Where should I direct my potential?"

In the Hermetic Qabalah, Mercury/Magus/Magician is representative of action in all its forms and phases--The Divine Will of "I Will Be"- communicated. He is the fluid basis for all transmission of activity. He is the substance of the Dynamic Universe. Modern physics has given him language as that electric charge which is the first vibratory-manifestation of the ring of Ten indefinable ideas; he is thus continual creation. He is a duality; he is both wisdom and folly; he is the law of reason or of necessity and chance. Being that the "Magus within" is unexpected, he unsettles any established idea and therefore appears tricky. The Magus is the very idea of a Sorcerer, which comes from the Latin, Solitaris, which means "to cast lots" and some have interpret it to mean "from the Source"; both are appropriate for all creation is "Will-istic".

From Above the Magus may appear as the second emanation of the Crown (Kether) and thus can be interpreted as the Adult expression of the Fool who is "like the children"; the Magus or Magician, being the Will of the Fool whose first utterance is Kether. The ideas are so subtle and tenuous, that any given description and/or Hieroglyph represents a subtle insistence, however slight, upon some form of pantomorphous idea.

The symbols on both the Magus/Magician card emphasize the creative and dual character of Beth (the honey moon suit of Goddess/god).  As Crowley stated in Liber Magi vv, 7-10 : "With the Wand createth He, With the Cup preserveth He,With the Dagger destroyeth He, With the Coin redeemeth He."

On the Thoth card, these implements of the Magus/Magician are seen floating around the hovering Magus. On the Night Sun Magician card, these implements are shown, wand in left hand, coin in right hand, the cup underneath the levitating Magician, along with the Sword or Dagger. The number 777 which is on the altar cloth of the Night Sun Magician, signifies his indivisible union with the Goddess and/or Feminine Principle. Also, on the Night Sun Tarot's Magician card is a golden Pentacle, representing the element of earth, whereas, the cup represents elemental water, the Sword represents the Elemental Consciousness, the Wand, represents the elemental "Fiery Will"; all of which are the Magician's "magical instruments".

The Whole of the Tarot itself, has been called since the time of Levi,  the Book of Thoth.

To reiterate: In the Thoth Tarot , The first Key, The traditional Tarot-Magician, is called the Magus. In most decks the Magician sports the wand of Mercury, the Caduceus, which encompasses the whole of the Sephiroth, except Kether, who forms the top sphere, on the Tree of Life. In the Thoth Tarot, the Magus is the Caduceus; However, in the Night Sun Tarot, Fabio Listrani, choose to make a caduceus staff, lying beneath the hovering Magician.  The Magician/Magus is the Qabalistic Path of Beth, on the Tree.  Beth, meaning "house", and the Magician represents the original house/dwelling place of the Supreme One Spirit Identity, which is represented by the O-Fool card. Hence, The Magus is the Fool descending towards dense manifestation.

The first matter of the Alchemists was called the Philosophic Mercury, the first in creation, the beginning of the beginning, the stuff that is defined as thought. This card also represents the opposites of life and death, because to create the beginning, an end must also be created. So without the energy of the Magician/Magus, there would be no life or death, beginning or end. The Figure eight (lemniscus; Greek for "ribbon") of the Serpent crowning the Thoth Magus's head, represents this unbroken cycle of form and energy in this universe. This lemnistrate of infinity, is shown as a ribbon like garment, decorated with the "triangle within the circle" symbol of the Alchemical- Philosopher's stone/Philosophic Mercury, draping above, wing like, and down over the shoulders of the Magician of the Night Sun Tarot.  

The Life energy of the Universe is directed by the Magus/ Magician as step 1 in the evolution of Matter. He is called the Transparent Intelligence which is both the Transmitter and the Transmitted, i.e. The Mirror of which He is both sides; the Message and the Messenger.

The Magus/Magician tells us that when the One Energy is transmitted and/or first moved, it became primal matter, which is the interaction of Kether, Chokma, Binah transmitted through Daath (invisible Sephiroth,i.e. Transparent Intelligence) who is not the Creator itself but the bearer of the Creator's Will as Knowledge.

The Thoth Tarot- Magus and Night Sun Tarot-Magician both are a representative of Hermes (Greek), Mercury (Roman) and Thoth (Egyptian) who all are the same deity. This Deity was associated with words, because a messenger must clearly state the cause of the one who sent him. However, these Words are vibration/ sound and not necessarily any spoken language. Therefore, the Magician/Magus transmits the Idea of Self Creation ("I will Be") from the One from above. Hence, the Words (Vibrations of Will) of the magician/Magus are how the Intelligence of the Sephirotic will is transmitted. A word is an intelligence-laden vibration and the idea of the Magician/Magus is the first vibration through which the One Spirit begins manifestation. This vibration encloses the Spirit and the All of Creation. As shown by the two different symbols , the Caduceus, encompassing the Four Worlds of Qaballah and the Sephiroth on the Planetary symbol of Mercury. The encompassing "Will of the Logos", is shown on the Night Sun Tarot, as a large circular golden disc (also reflected on the floor beneath his altar cloth), inscribed with "magic words and symbols", with large ring of Macrocosmic proportions and a smaller inner ring of Microcosmic proportions. The serpent-like woven cords coming from his mouth, represent the woven vibrations- "words"- of the Solar Logos, which is Kether/Eheieh, whose Qabalistic symbols are the Swirling image of the Swastika, The Crown, and the Point.

All created wills are but reflections of the Will that is the Magician/Magus.

A true Qabalistic Magus must allow the Primal "I will Be" to operate through him or her, utilizing all senses. By doing so the control of the senses by the survival mind of good/and bad is overcome with the Greater Will of the One who is "Will-istic" and not concerned with trivia.

In the Thoth Tarot Card, the Magic Mercurial Wand of the Magician---is the Magus himself. Giving us insight into a unseen Truth. The wand has no power, it just focuses the Will-Power of the One who wields it, at a point in time! The Transmitter and the Transmitted become One Point In Time; a magic moment. As stated The Thoth Tarot-Key 1: THE MAGUS, is often called THE MAGICIAN in other decks. No matter what this first Motion is called, it is Key-One, The Path of Beth. Beth is a Hebrew letter, that is shown on both cards, meaning House or Temple and is shown on the bottom left of The Magus card and the upper right on the Night Sun Tarot Card. The Planetary symbol for mercury, is shown on the Thoth-Magus, lower right of the card, and on the Night Sun Tarot, upper left of the Magician card.

The Planet attributed to the Magus/ Magician is Mercury-"The Messenger" of the "Kether".

Dr. Paul Foster Case, in his text, THE THIRTY TWO PATHS OF WISDOM, calls the Path of Beth, the Twelfth Path that is the Intelligence of Transparency. 

The Path of Beth (The Magus) is between Kether (Crown) and Binah (Understanding) on the Qabalistic Tree of Life, making it the transition (Phallus) path of the One undefined Energy, and the Great Organizer, Binah. Thus, the relationship that establishes the  meaning of House, that is the "dwelling place" (Womb) where Spirit resides before "falling" into manifestation.

In this case, it is appropriate to call the Magus/Magician "that which builds the House", in other words, the Magus directs and encloses the  One Spirit (Spiral energy-Vital Life Force)) which is symbolized by THE FOOL tarot card. Hence we can see that, the Will of the Supernal Triangle, is represented by the Major Tarot Cards whose activities are only separated by a degree or less. Thus, the Aspects of the Magus and the Fool are closely linked.

[Mobius strip by Mary Almond]

Scholars of the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch), point out that the letter Beth is the First letter, as the book of Genesis begins with "Bereshith", commonly translated as "in the beginning". Interestingly, Fabre d'Olivet translated Bereshith as meaning "At First, in principle", knowing that Beth symbolizes the "Beginning of the Beginning"; The Will of the One. Thus, it is the First Matter of the Alchemist, the Philosophic Mercury and or "First Principle". Because to create a beginning one must create an end, the Magus also represents the key polarities of creation, Life and Death. Again, as stated, this process is indicated by the figure eight that is lying on its side (lemniscus: Greek word meaning, ribbon) Mobius strip, and or Uroboros, the serpent that eats its own tail, as all represent the closed circle of One Energy, begun by the number One -Beth, acting on the Zero-Aleph, THE FOOL (The Lemniscus/Ribbon symbolizes the Act of Turning upon oneself as a Twisting or Spiraling-Thus creating Male and Female infinite circles of Force in the Circle of ONE Energy). Remember, because there is no Action in the Mind/Head), until "Will" disturbs it! Thus the Magus chant of ," I am the will . I am the way. I am the wealth, I own the Day ", is most appropriate to this card's power and effective as a skrying chant.

[For an entertaining story of the first relationship between the letters Aleph and Beth,  i would suggest one reads the  Zohar, a Qabalistic text.]

However, even though the Magus is associated with Mercury, the Messenger of the Gods, it is not all active. In fact, it is both active and passive, as it is both that which Transmits and that which is Transmitted ! The Magus represents both the One Life Energy which when transmitted becomes the Prima Materia (First Matter). Here an understanding of the fact that the Magus (Mercury) is the "message bearer" of the Gods, meaning he is not Himself the Creator, only the bearer of his Will , as should our personality bear the Will of the Soul to the body. The Magus is the ejaculator of original will; The whole Supernal Triangle is the action of the Divine Phallus and Womb. The Wand in The Magician's hand ( The Night Sun Tarot, Rider-Waite, Golden Dawn Tarot and Barbara Walker-Tarot) symbolizes this "phallic action", showing that the Magick is merely the Transmitted will of the Greater Being that is the Supernal Triangle or Trinity.

 As Stated: The Roman, Mercury, is the Greek Hermes and the Egyptian- Thoth, all represent the same deity, the amalgamation of their qualities having become inseparable in modern esoteric literature.

Hermes, was always associated with words, this makes sense as a messenger must simply state the cause of the one who has sent him. Then there is the Egyptian- Thoth, who reportedly created the Hieroglyphs, developing the necessary means by which a message could be transmitted and recorded. The companion of Thoth/Hermes, was shown as a dog-headed Ape (Cynocephalus), representing words themselves. and their potential for deception and misunderstanding. Thus, we have Cynocephalus, included in the Thoth Deck card, laying at the feet of the Magus.

Not only do words affect the Will, as cause and effect, but they also transmit ideas from person to person in the same way that the Magus/Magician  transmits the idea of Self-Creation of the One -Kether. The Transmitted idea, from The Magus , fertilizes the ONE Womb,(Understanding) Great Mother Binah.  Just as words fertilize Consciousness! Thus the power of Words, is about stimulating the birthing of unconscious ideas into conscious images of understanding, by the Power of Expression, but not necessarily the Truth of Creation, for that Must Be Made Manifest (THE HIGH PRIESTESS)!

Both The Thoth Tarot Magus and Night Sun-Magician are designed on the Greco-Egyptian Gnostic and Shamanic tradition. When these philosophies modified each other, they advance the idea further than any other traditions.

The Egyptian Mercury was called Tahuti or Thoth and in that tradition he was Ibis headed. To the Egyptians, the Ibis was the symbol of concentration (meditation) because the bird stands motionless on one leg. In the Crowley form of Thoth, he is seen bearing the phoenix wand that symbolizes resurrection through the generative process.

Shown in the depiction of the Thoth Magus, his left hand holds an Phoenix wand and around his left ankle is a serpent like cord of a stylize Crux Asana which not only represents a sandal strap [the means to travel through worlds] which is a distinguishing mark of the god-head, but also the Ankh (crux ansata) represents the Rosy-Cross; symbolizing the Phallus-Yoni union that is the God-head and/or The Divine Creative. The woven cord, below the levitating Magician, on the Night Sun Tarot, seems to represent this "sandal strap".

However, this Hermetic symbology represents a deeper mystery than most fear based and/or superstitious self-conscious thought is prepared to go. Therefore, only determined open minded scholar's will need apply their brain to such studies that will lead them to the central mysteries of the Aeon of Osiris whose great secret so diligently guarded from the profane by the "flesh-o-phobes", was that the intervention of the Male is necessary for the production of children, both of Mind and Form. In other words: The "I " ( will to force) intervened with "Am" (Will to Form) to produce the offspring of Force and Form, called a "Me" (Will to be). Since the Christian Father's, profaned their own statement, " that Man is Made in God's own Image", the well studied student of the mind knows that words, the instruments of Thoth and communication, are illusions, fantasy, mere theories and even trickery and the symbol of this card can be studied and seen as : Manifestation implies illusion and/or Reality is "Will-istic" and therefore, not Real.

A Magi/Magician knows that thought is what we manipulate by will, into forms and/or the foundation of ideas that become form and since thought is a tool we the Willful Spirit, that makes our body live, are not thought! You cannot identify yourself by words, only your actions will sound out your name! Again, above all things know thyself! Upon so doing, you'll easily see that everyone you meet is another way of being you. Another Way, is the operative term here. So let them alone! Let them be "another way"....that's why The Greater Self built and builds so many of us. Creation loves "another way", because then the journey of Self-Awareness has infinite possibilities! Each of us is "The Will and the Way": the Spirit is Will and the Body is the Way of Spirit. We are also the wealth of idea and because our bodies are magically made out of time-space formed by Understanding; we are the "Will and the Way, the wealth and We own the Day". For only bodies give us the, Endless Will, a Day. Day's are built of time space and each day gives us the illusion of Time/self and the resulting Power of Limitation. To study Thoth Tarot-----is to know the deepest secrets of Self!

When this card is thrown it implies the querent has:

• Occult wisdom, skill, and is adaptive.
• Initiative
• Willpower
• Choosing
• Beginning
• Astuteness
• Potential
• Persuasive
• There is craft and cunning, indecisiveness, and hesitation as well. All depending on the dignity of the accompanying cards

Thank you for your interest, comments and supportive donations. May you live long and prosper!