The Magician (King, Warrior, Magician, Lover)

The Magician

The Magician is the knower and the master of technology. Whoever is guided by the power of the Magician can fulfill these functions by use of ritual initiatory process, usually conducted by the “ritual elder” who guides the process of transformation.

The magician is always an initiate, and one of his tasks is to initiate others, onto knowledge that is hidden and unknown.

The are indications that Jung thought of himself as a Magician. When asked if he believed in God, he replied, “I don’t believe in God; I know.” The energy of the Magician can be misdirected. A leader who is uninitiated can release volatile emotions in those he is leading. Musicians can do this with their audience. Think of a rock concert where the fans are violently destroying everything they see.

The Magician in His Fullness

What does the Magician energy give us in our daily lives? Awareness and insight, but also knowledge of anything that is not immediately obvious. It is also associated with the “observing Ego” and it is detached from the normal flow of daily events, feelings, and experiences. In a way, it does not live life, but it watches it. It pushes the right buttons at the right times to access necessary energy flows. The Magician archetype, and the observing Ego, keeps us protected from being overwhelmed by the other archetypes. It is the mathematician and engineer in all of us.

The Magician is the archetype of reflection and thoughtfulness and is associated with the energy of introversion. And introversion is not shyness or timidity but the capacity to detach from the inner and outer storms and connect with deep inner truths. Introverts live much more out of their centers than other people.

The Shadow Magician: The Manipulator and the Denying “Innocent” One

As positive as this archetype is, it is has a shadow side. Our age may be that of the Magician, but it is also that of the bipolar Shadow Magician. The problem of toxic wastes poisoning, and the planet’s environmental damage are examples. The Shadow Magician handed us the darkest days of World War 2, not just the technology of the death camps, but also the doomsday weapon that hangs over our heads.

Mastery over nature is the correct function of the Magician, but this is running afoul, with catastrophic results.

The active pole of the Shadow Magician is a “power Shadow.” A man under this Shadow doesn’t guide others, he directs them in ways they cannot see. He does want to initiate them, so that they become more competent and fulfilled. The Manipulator controls people by hiding information from them that they may need for their well-being.

Accessing the Magician

If we are possessed by the Manipulator, we will be in the grip of the Magician’s power Shadow. If we are out of touch with the Magician in his fullness, we will be caught in the dishonest and denying passive Shadow pole. In this situation, we will lose our own inner structure, our calmness and clear-headedness.

We will have no sense of inner security. We’re likely to experience inner chaos and be vulnerable to outside pressures that will pull us in many directions. We will be passive-aggressive towards others, and yet claim to be innocent of bad intentions.

If you are interested in reading books about unmasking human nature, consider reading The Dichotomy of the Self, a book that explores the great psychoanalytic and philosophical ideas of our time, and what they can reveal to us about the nature of the self.

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