“May the first Arcanum of the Tarot be always present before us as a kind of ‘guardian of the threshold’; may he invite us to cross the threshold of work and effort in order to enter into activity without effort, and knowledge without effort, but may he at the same time warn us that the more we go beyond the threshold, the more work, effort and experience on this side of the threshold will be indispensable for the attainment of real truth…if you do this, you will be a sage and a mage. If you do not do this—you will be only a charlatan!” -from “Meditations on the Tarot
Let’s talk about energy and how we ‘cross thresholds’ today. The Magician is the first card in the Major Arcanum; after The Fool who kind of exists outside the cards at first, it is the fool who is about to go on this incredible journey and that journey begins with the Magician. So what is a threshold? Is it a doorway; some kind of access point that is perhaps closed and we need to find a way to open it so we might pass through? Or is it a ledge, a cliff, a precipice over some unknown that we must leap from blindly? Or is a threshold simply a starting gate; a point A, a place where a journey, whatever the journey, begins. Sometimes starting is the hardest part. Perhaps the threshold is more metaphysical; a fear that must be confronted, a truth that must be faced or an illusion that must be shattered. Or; perhaps it is something much more tangible; a physical action that must be started or completed (training, therapy, medical help). Maybe you just need to dance. Are there thresholds in the heart? What heart-doors need to be opened up? Maybe you need to love someone differently, maybe you need to love yourself. Or what about creative thresholds? That project you wanted to start; that idea you were thinking about. These doors need opening too. And so The Magician, with his cups, wands, pentacles and swords, shows us how we might start the journey, how we might open the door and cross the threshold. We need those four things to begin with; the heart, the mind, the spirit and the body. We will lose them along the way and they will take on all kinds of other shapes and meanings, but we must attempt to get in touch with those four things first. The Magician is balance; is effortless consciousness. But beware; as we cross thresholds we must think about where we came from and remember to both directions; notice the hands pointing up and down, in one hand a torch to help us see and the other to remind us to keep our feet on the ground.
The work of this world is necessary to cross any kind of threshold into any kind of other world. The other two cards today remind us of this; the two of wands especially, as we see the figure holding the world in the palm of his hands; this person is at the start of a journey as well. His threshold is one of spirit and fire; of spiritual wholeness and growth. The world (also a the last card in the Marjo Arcanum) is where we are headed on this journey of our lives; the ultimate threshold that will usher our consciousness into a new place. But before we get there, we need to get ourselves right. We need balance, alignment and a coming together not just of our own elements but of those we are on this journey with.
The reversed seven of wands reminds us that sometimes our energy can be used in the wrong way; think about how many times you have invested your time, your energy into something that didn’t pay off. This happens all the time on this journey through life and we must find ways to deal with these setbacks. But the wands are our energy; they are the fire waiting to happen. They can be a heavy burden to bear but if we are to become like the Magician and transform work into effortless play, then we must be prepared to burn these effigies that hold us back and use that fire to fuel new progress on our journey.
Seeing these three cards together today makes me think about my own personal journeys and the energy and spirit I need to get where I want to go; exercise and getting my body right, therapy to get my heart right, creative projects to get my waters flowers and other people to keep my mind sharp. These are the tools I must collect, like the Magician on his workbench, in order to start my journeys; to begin my own threshold crossings.