The Magician becomes The Master

Old Energy

In the old and new energy this is the archetype of mastery. In the old energy mastery is not something you have, but something you must attain. In the old energy this is The Fool submitting to the task at hand which is, depending on who is sitting in the chair in front of you, personal, moral, or magical mastery. Should the idiot prove to be amenable to instruction, should the individual seem willing to learn, should the chela “choose” to submit, the work can begin. “Use that which has been given to you and prove yourself,” you are told. Of course, you are not a master yet, but with submission, struggle, sacrifice, and the willingness to dominate others you will attain that which you seek.

Many commentators rightly pick up a deeper undercurrent of submission to authority in the Masonic version of this card. Commentators often point to the position of the arms and say they indicate the magician is learning to manifest “divine will.” They are correct. In the old archetype, submission of will to a “higher” authority is required. Of course, it is not “god” that the Magician is following, nor is it Divinity that the Magician manifests. For all the fancy robes, scepters, swords, and accoutrements that the Magician surrounds himself with to prove to himself otherwise, he’s really just learning to follow the profane power of earthly authority, and no amount of fancy pants self-deception will ever change that fact. Call the King, Grand Pooh Bah, or president  God’s blue-blooded royal “representative” of Divine will all you want, it is really just about greed, power, privilege, and control.

New Energy

In the Halo/Sharp new energy version of this card, the message is different. In the new book  the message is still about mastery and the manifestation of divine will, but the difference is that in The Halo/Sharp deck the message is not that you might become a master if you submit to somebody else’s “will,” the message is that you are already a master and the divine will that you are manifesting is really your own! The truth of the matter is, this is not your first life time around the block. You have followed the golden road into incarnation many times and as a result, you have gathered wisdom, experience, and knowledge from countless incarnations. If you wish to access your true power and potential, and all the experience, wisdom, and knowledge of your cosmic mastery, all you have to do is accept the Joyful truth of who you really are, respond to the calling, and awaken.

Of course, given the imposition of The System and the prevalence of the old energy archetypes in your consciousness, at this point you may not feel like the master that you are. Depending on how badly you were damaged by the socialization process, you may actually feel more like dirt than a true cosmic master. Self esteem can be fixed, however, and the way to start that process is to recognize that you are not some foolish reject from the Garden of Eden, or some dirty, unevolved, or violent ape, but a master in sheep’s clothing just waiting for the time to empower.

Accept your immortality and divinity.

Accept your power.

Accept your responsibility.

Become The Master that you are.