The Magus, Hermes Trismegistus, The Alchemical Magician, Mercury, all names given to the being that embodies the energy of 1 in the journey of the tarot. He is the messenger of the gods, speaking The Word to manifest the forms and structures of reality. The myth maker and story teller, the trickster and divine comedian, the Magus rules the human mind and frameworks of experiences. He also embodies and mediates the energies of the Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine, symbolized by his staff with the entwined double serpents. In the great sky clock Mercury rules the transitionary, mutable signs of airy Gemini and earthy Virgo, which governs our throat / voice / 5th chakra and digestive organs / solar plexus / 3rd chakra. Hermes Trismegistus is the Great Alchemist, guiding one on the intense process of soul transformation, distilling and transmuting one’s present-ancient wounding and karma, silly human ideas and other earthly weight, to be integrated as a whole multi-dimensional be-ing of divinity.

In the Thoth Tarot deck that was a co-creation of Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris, there were 3 different Magus cards originally painted, but only one was chosen for the traditional 78-card deck. At some point a publisher decided to print an 80-card edition with the additional Magus cards included. There seem to be a plethora of theories of why this was initiated, but I’ve found little that points to a definitive reason. I also found nada when curiously perusing the internets one day for potential interpretations of each card in its own right, most people saying the additional cards should be extracted and not used in “proper” tarot readings, or just saved as a back up card. I had other thoughts on the matter, as one can clearly see each card has their own personality and very distinct characteristics, these other opinions seemed to be missing something. Well leave it to a blustery Sunday morning at my favorite coffeeshop to sit down for a 5-card draw to pull all 3 of the Magus cards in the reading! I first consulted with my friendly barista, who originally gave me this mysterious deck and is a fellow esoteric researcher, and confirming both of our curiosities for understanding the meanings of the 3 Magus, I really began to tune into each card. A sudden stream of information was unlocked, showing the progression of the journey of the Magus. I humbly offer this channeling of the 3 Magi as they presented themselves to me.

- The Earth Magus

He embodies the transitionary phase of the radical cosmic teenager, dazzled and playing with the burgeoning understanding of one’s inherent power in a way that tends to bring out the more trickster energy that is associated with him. For his intentions can still manifest somewhat sideways at times, as any studying magician can attest to. In this first phase the Disk of Spiritual Wisdom is out of his body above his head and it is filled with a blue energy of mental constructs, as is the gridded background he stands upon. There is still a somewhat linear, yet expanding perception of the order of the universe. He is transitioning out of the material, 3D consciousness. The necessary disentanglement from the collective has progressed to a point to begin to understand how the world is put together on deeper energetic levels, as a pocket of darker energy opens up below his feet. The monkey representing the mind / ego / primal instinct still raises a fist to his ventures of expansion, fighting to stay in its place of power for this human show on earth. The serpents of his staff have only descended to his head and are facing away from each other, showing the Divine Feminine and Masculine energies are still disconnected in their communication and are quarantined in his mental space. The many tools of the Magi are very human objects of creation and he himself is pictured in his most human form. His body is brassy, implying a brashness and edge to his presence.

- The Winged Magus

The Winged Magus has matured to the point of having control over the monkey mind through the act of surrender. The Magus kneels on the head of the monkey with his right knee bent, a surrender to and honoring of the Divine Feminine Mother of Creation. He now swims in her great oceanic waters of consciousness and his tools are made of shells and other organic materials. There is a complete dissolution of one’s self, as he understands that the ways of creation cannot be achieved through pure force or will but must be humbly received. The Disk of Spiritual Wisdom is now illuminated, still residing above his head but it is now free to tickle his consciousness. The serpents have descended to his shoulders, he can now begin to hear and communicate the whisperings of the magic the Feminine and Masculine energies truly hold. The Magus’ body is a Venusian copper and in a more abstract form as it has softened with the love from the Divine Mother.

- The Infinite Magus

The matured Magus. His body and being has completely surrendered to the greater cosmic forces that began this whole journey. He is now in service to and fully animated by this divine energy, call it Source, God, whatever... it’s the Great Mystery that exists far beyond words. He exists in a more expanded, multi-dimensional awareness, shown by the infinity symbol that replaces most of the head and the cosmic spirals of energy that construct reality around him. 

The monkey is gone, this primal force fully integrated. The Disk of Spiritual Wisdom is fully illuminated and firmly rooted at the base of his central energy channel. The serpents are facing each other and in full communication, now serving as the gatekeepers of one’s connection to power. This is the most ethereal painting of the Magus, his body transformed to a many-armed being of gold that gets to hold the tools of creation for the first time, as they are now wielded with embodied wisdom guided by the Great Mystery.