The Magician, Path 12 on the Tree of Life

Walking Path 12 on the Kabbalah Tree of Life

The Magician walks Path 12, called the Path of Bet (Beth), on the Tree of Life. This path travels between Keter (Crown) at the top of the middle Pillar of Balance, and Binah (Understanding) at the top of the Pillar of Severity. As an archetype of this path, the Magician represents the power of manifestation and the ability to channel creative energy into tangible results. His journey through the Tree of Life describes mastering our creative power and aligning our will with the divine will.  It is a reminder that each individual possesses the power to create their reality and that by aligning with the divine will, one can harness the limitless potential of the universe to manifest their desires and achieve their goals. This is the life path for realizing our abilities – physical, emotional, mental & spiritual.  It does not confirm that they are fully trained – just that they are present & can be developed.  The path of hopes, visions & magic.  This path awakens the realization that we have all we need to succeed.  However, we must learn to use our tools.  This path is lined with the clairvoyant.

The Hebrew Letter representing this path is Bet (Beth) the House. The letter bet can be observed at the start of the story of creation.  As the first letter Aleph is actually silent in Bet we have the beginning of duality seeing both the creator and created.  Beth is often represented by a house as it implies the idea of a container or vessel by which the created world may come into being.  Just as the body is the container for soul it is the idea of a container though nothing yet contained.  In a simpler sense this is the same this is the same unmoving power as Aleph, but now it has become aware that it may organize itself in some way.  It can represent the basis of the awareness of multiplicity within unity.  Bet is the first letter of the first word in the Bible – be-rashith meaning In the beginning.  It is used to represent creation.  A house is a container for the household: consequently Binah, the Great Mother, is considered to hold the creation of all of the lower worlds in her womb.

In her book Kabbala Pathworking, Sandy Anastasi suggests some of the areas Path 12 can helps us work on include:

Dissolving creative blocks; Getting in touch with your true creative ability; Becoming aware of what your own blockages are, and what is needed to overcome them; Learning to identify your emotional 'buttons', getting in touch with your own karmic-problems; Learning to let go of your identification with your resistance and blocks; learning to be responsible for everything that your project and create.

Andy Matzner, in his book Tarot for Transformation, Using the Major Arcana to Discover Your Best Self and Create a Life Worth Living says of The Magician:

The Magician's message is that you already possess everything you need to be the hero of your own life. That if you are willing and able to honor and then balance different types of energy, anything is possible. The magician knows exactly how to tap into the unending flow of energy that surrounds us in order to manifest his desires. He understands that the key is balance, with nothing in excess or lack. All elements are equally valid and must be equally honored. having dedicated himself to his craft, the Magician easily becomes a channel for the universal forces that will bring his creative impulses to life.

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.  Christopher Reeve

In his book The Soul's Journey, Finding Spiritual Messages in the Tarot, James Ricklef says of The Magician:

Based on its title, this card is obviously about magic and miracles. Most generally, though, it it also about our creativity. Its numerological association also relates it to both our uniqueness and our oneness with the Divine.

One of the ways he suggests one might wish to use his book is to do a daily draw and review the basic messages and then consider one of the messages for the card as a lesson or insight to keep in mind throughout the day. In the case of the Magician the messages to choose from are: What is a miracle? We are all divinely creative; Channeling creativity; Our miraculous uniqueness.

While both Andy Matzner and Sandy Anastasi focus only on the Major Arcana, James Ricklef also has information on the Minor Arcana. Since I chose a card for each of the Sephirot I thought I'd share some of his information on these too.

Four of Pentacles: While material security and stability are indicated by the Four of Pentacles, there is a dark side to this card as well. It warns us of possessiveness, of becoming dependent upon material things, and of clinging to our possessions as if they, in and of themselves, are important. In short, there is a risk of letting our possessions separate us from our humanity. His messages to consider with the Four of Pentacles are: True Wealth; The root of all evil; The value of stability; Filling the imaginary void and How other people affect our needs.

King of Pentacles: This kin is adept and enterprising. Having the easy generosity that comes from wealth (or at least financial security), he typically becomes a benefactor or philanthropist.

His messages to consider with the King of Pentacles are: The flow of wealth; A spiritually successful businessman and A material "what" and a spiritual "how".

Where will your journey take you?