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So, dear friends, today is Monday and we continue to disclose the secrets of the image of Tarot Arcana.
But, before we start to discuss the image of the Magician, I would like to thank two magnificent artists @paolobeneforti and @reinhard-schmid for their interesting and informative comments to the first post.
I also invite you to get acquainted with the delightful artwork on the topic of Tarot "Temple of the Secrets" and inform you that every Friday @reinhard-schmid is waiting for you with a story about the images of Tarot Arcana created by him. These are delightful works full of deep understanding of the soul of the Tarot Arcana. The first one "Tarot Friday#1 - where it all begins and "The Fool" is already waiting for you.
I also thank @kidsysco, who advised me to get acquainted with the post "Temple of the Secrets" and, thus, acquainted me with wonderful artist @reinhard-schmid.
Another important point is the correct answers to the questions in the first post. You had to find mistakes. You could partly find them in the comments, but I'll repeat.
The first arcane the Lovers. The mistake is that the angel is aiming in the wrong direction. The meaning of the Lovers is "the choice". We are speaking in this case about Papus Tarot system, which the artist chose for his illustration. Black and white girls are the symbols of the wrong and right choice. It turns out that the angel will hit the young man with an arrow if he does ... the right choice ... Compare these two images.
It turns out that the angel will hit the young man with an arrow if he does ... the right choice! Poor young man! What an evil irony of fate ... And all because of the artist's inattention! ...
The second arcane is the Strength. The whole point of it is that a girl defeats a lion by force of spirit, and not by physical strength. It is about the struggle of the animal, physical and spiritual within man. You can not fight with yourself. I again suggest that you compare two images.
So, the Magician!
It is important to remember that Tarot Major Arcana do not mean people! They denote energies. And the very system of Major Arcana is the spiritual path of a man.
The Magician is the first Major Arcana. The main meaning of the Magician - "the idea given by God". It is easy to draw an analogy with a child and an adult. The child asks: "How do I do it right?" So with the energy of the Magician, a person turns to God asking for help and advice.
So, about what it is necessary to remember.
The Magician should always be portrayed as a man. This is an active energy, directed to change the world. Women's energy, on the contrary, is passive, accepting. This is why those who portray the Magician as a woman make a mistake in the symbolism.
His posture. The magician is always portrayed in a certain pose. Firstly, he always stands. It shows his readiness for movement, for action.
It is believed that the Magician corresponds to the letter Alef. You can even see the similarity in the Magician's pose and in the image of the letter. More about the letter Alef you can read in the post of @hebrew I mean to teach you the ancient language of ibrit - Alef
What do his hands mean? The Magician is not the generator of ideas. His task is to conduct the ideas that God gives to us. The right hand of the Magician is raised upward, and the left hand points to the earth. Please avoid mirror images, since the right and left side of the body also carries a certain energy value. "From above, from the point of the divine, the Magician, with an energetic and active impulse, takes energy and information about what to do with this energy, and draws it down through himself, into our material world." That's what his posture means. Agree that it would be rather difficult for him to do it in another posture.
For example, in this image we see rather some preparation for a manic ritual than the ritual itself.
What should be the age of the Magician? Usually the Magician is portrayed as a young man. He is about 35 years old. This is an active and resource age, when the person already has certain life experience, but, at the same time, he is young enough and has enough vital energy for the implementation of any plans or ideas.
What is the Magician wearing? The Magician is usually dressed in a white tunic. Here, color is of fundamental importance. In the Tarot, the color of the clothes shows the energy that the Major Arcana carries. Traditionally white color means the purity of intentions. The Magician does not have obsessive desires and ideas. He is calm. The idea that he carries to humanity or a person is directed solely to the healthy improvement of life. And here we need to understand that what I am saying is related to the European understanding of the symbolism of color in the Tarot. If in your culture purity of intentions symbolizes another color, I think that you should use the color that corresponds to your culture.
The Magician wears a belt, which means "restraint of emotions." He is calm and balanced. It is impossible to hear the divine impulse, if you jump, like Harlequin!
On the chest of the Magician may be a cross with a red dot. The cross is a symbol of matter, of the material world. The Magician is connected with matter, but is not a part of it.
How does this look like in our daily life? We ask to send us an idea how to resolve a situation, because we do not see the options for resolving it, or we do not see all the possibilities. This is because we are "inside" a situation. The Magician "sees" the situation we are in, from the side. He is not involved in it. Here the saying "From the side is more visible" works.
The red dot on the cross means that to solve the situation the Magician is ready to invest his energy.
On the head of the Magician - uroboros (the snake biting itself by the tail), which symbolizes autonomy. Above his head is the symbol of infinity (the sign of astral perfection).
Sometimes artists draw a ring on the finger of the Magician. This element is not classical and does not bear a special symbolic load. It was added by some artists later, because in ancient times there was a tradition, according to which magicians had to wear a ring.
We also see on the picture four elements, symbolizing the four suits of the Tarot: wand, cup, sword and pentacle. There are for aces. They symbolize:
Ace of Wands (scepter) - social adequacy of the idea, its timeliness, demand for the society;
Ace of Swords - what to do to implement the idea;
Ace of Cups - positive emotions to implement the idea;
Ace of Pentacles - energy done to implement the idea.
They also symbolize the four elements: water, air, earth and fire.
The sword, the cup and the pentacle are on the table, and the Magician holds the wand in his hand. At the end of the wand is a pyramid, which symbolizes the following: "From the point of God, through the triangle of the spirit, through the tetrahedron (the world of four dimensions) the impulse passes to be realized in the material world."
Why does the Magician hold up the wand (scepter)? The scepter symbolizes society. Why do we ask for an idea? In order to implement it in society, without such an implementation, the idea does not make sense.
Oops ... It seems our cat-like Magician has lost touch with reality ...
We are asking for an idea just for the money? I'm afraid that they will not give us anything ...
And, as usual, a little task for your fun. In the Rider-Waite tarot deck on the image of the Magician there are roses. What do they mean? Author of the first right answer will receive from me one 100% me every day until the next Monday.
I also ready to answer your questions.
Have a nice week!