Thus far the overarching theme of my deck has been change. its been about shapeshifters. about sloughing off old skins and revealing your true self, and this one is no different.
The beastie who chose to be my magician is an old friend.
Four years ago, I was at my lowest, I won't go into too many details here, but it was crunch time, everything I had worked towards for my adult life was in ruins. The turmoil, in true form had opened up a can of unresolved trauma worms and the future looked bleak.
I made a decision that whatever it took, I was going to fix my life, So on the eve of the 31 August, I threw everything in to a ceremony to bring about that change that I so desperately needed.
That night after the ceremony, I slept deeply and dreamed rather than fought nightmares for the first time in over a decade and the snake that had since I was little, writhed trapped in my belly was freed and revealed himself as a glistening black feathered serpent.
Over the years, he has come to be a companion, guiding me as I shed old skins and my life changed in inconceivable ways as I discovered myself and healed.
Those who have followed my work, have seen him appear repeatedly from the beginning and so when he chose to show himself as The Magician, it was felicitous, if not unexpected.
The serpent stretches towards the sun with his tail in the water, light glowing off his wings. Dog roses grow up around him - a nod to the original card.
He is imbued with and transfuses each of the four elements - earth, fire, air and water while he himself is spirit.
.
The Magician is the card of manifestation. He tells you that you have all the skills and tools you need be successful and that no matter how difficult the calcination is, it will be worth it for what you will achieve.
He symbolises the meeting of the physical and spiritual worlds, his arched posture saying “as above, so below” and inspires you to coalesce both.
The magician urges you to transform in order to reach your potential and to stop holding back.
To dance regardless of who is watching
Snakes and serpents are some the most mythologically ambiguous and enigmatic creatures.
The one of most famous and distinct is Quetzalcoatl. Who's name means "Serpent of precious feathers" . Seem familiar?
He was worshipped throughout MesoAmerica with the earliest documentation of him been from the first century BCE at Teotihuacan - The Temple of the feathered serpent a pyramidal structure resplendent with carved depictions.
He is a complicated being - he is a creator deity as well as the God of the sun, wind, arts & crafts and knowledge and is referred to as "The wisest of all men"
In some cultures is the patron god of culture and civalisation.
Snake mythology is found in almost every culture around the world, both ancient and modern.
Most frequently, they are symbols of fertility, transformation, and immortality, Such as is seen in The ouroboros as well as of sexual potency as in The Kundalini.
They are powerful guardians of temples and other sacred spaces as well as a modern symbol of the underdog willing to fight for their rights due to the snakes refusal to yield to threats.
Serpents are also connected to venom and to medicine - the question of the difference between the two been the dose, as is seen with the Staff of Asclepius been the symbol for medicine used since ancient times and not to be confused with the Caduceus which in it’s convoluted history from been the staff of Ningizzida, a Sumerian fertility turned goddess of healing and magic, to been wielded by The God Mercury which for which it came to symbolize alchemy in the middle ages and has now been adopted by the US Army medical corp.
One of the most interesting stories is that of the Fiery flying Serpent mentioned a number of times in the Tanakh. In one particular story, God, punishing people (again! he seems to do a lot of that in Abrahamic religions) sent fiery serpents which bit the people and they died. In an unexpected turn of events, Moses after praying for the people was instructed by God to take one of the serpents and set it upon a staff after which anyone who had been bitten would heal, should they see the serpent on the pole. Here again we have the image of the Staff of Asclepius.
Modern scientists, based on written clues have identified this serpent as most likely been the Saw scaled Viper - an aggressive desert snake with a deadly bite that feels like fire which is known for throwing itself at threats. The design of my magician is loosely based off this golden creature.
I could talk for days about serpents in every conceivable corner of the human story from gods to dragons to real life snakes because wherever we look, there they are. Their stories interlinking till we can scarely tell which is which and like the ouroboros, coming full circle and back to that winged feathered serpent.
Serendipitously, I finished painting the Magician card on the 31 August - the same day as that first ceremony and meeting four years ago that set me on this path.
The serpent is our mentor, Telling us to take up the robe of the magician and weave our spell.
what do you think of the magician and most importantly, what does he make you feel? have you worked with him?