Our next Tarot Key is The Magician. He is numbered 1 but is number 2 in our sequence. The number one has meanings of beginning, initiative, originality, unity, singleness, and isolation. It represents the determining,ruling,and directive aspect of consciousness. In and through human personality it manifests as the waking self-consciousness.
The Hebrew letter attributed to Key 1 is the letter Beth which means house. A house is an enclosure or shelter for the life within. This house is the location and shelter for self-consciousness. A house is a structure that is erected by the application of science and mathematics which at one time were considered the "Mysteries". These were attributed the God Thoth-Hermes-Mercury. House building is part of the Hermetic science and remnants of this are preserved in Freemasonry.
Mercury is the astrological attribution of this card. Mercury was the god who was messenger of the gods. He related messages between the gods and man also. This is where we get the maxim 'as above so below'. We can see this in the image of the figure with one hand raised above and one toward the earth. He is bringing the divine to the world. Astrologically, the Mercury vibration represents intellect.
Before the Magician on a table are the four elemental tools and symbols of the Minor Arcana of the Tarot deck. In practical, everyday life, the four implements represent the four life essentials: Light (wand), water (cup), air (sword), and food (pentacle). The combination of these life essentials in proper order and proportion is the task of very practical occultist.
Concentration and paying attention are the practical or magical uses of this key. If one is lacking in these areas, looking at this key and contemplating its symbology will aid in focusing attention. It also brings about a deeper and broader self-awareness. Being aware in this world will enable one to see what might readily go unnoticed. Paying attention with full concentration will enable one to see through appearances of form. This is why the ancients attributed the Intelligence of Transparency to the letter Beth. The world is transparent to the attentive seer.
Many Tarot Blessings!
