The 12th Path, Beth, The Magician

The Intelligence of Transparency

Late at night you find yourself standing under an arbor of deep red roses, and though the sky is dark, the flowers are like small lamps and radiate light down upon a table that lies before you. The night is cool, but in this sacred space you have all you need for warmth.

The planet Mercury is on the horizon. You concentrate on the small light it casts as you prepare for the work you will do. You say a prayer to the Elohim, the Father/Mother Creators, asking that your will be conducted by Divine Will. You ask for the gift of Transparence, that what you are to do this night will reflect the Highest Power and not be bound by the illusions or fancies of your ego.

The table is made from agate and glows softly beneath your hands. Lying on its surface is a chalice crafted from opal where lightning and rainbows seem to dance. There is also a large golden coin engraved with the Star of David, a silver sword and a simple staff made from wood of a palm tree.

You are an architect and the tools on the table are you to build your new house, a renewal of your spiritual body to co-exist with your physical self in ways that will transform and heal.

Because of the powerful nature of this work, you call upon Archangels to guard the four directions.

Gabrielle appears in the west whose copper halo matches the trumpet she holds.

Raphael emerges in the east. He shimmers with emerald wings and wears a robe that flows around him like a dark green river.

Michael then becomes visible in the south dressed in his holy armor, holding a flaming banner upon which a red cross burns.

Aurial, whose body sparkles with violet, indigo, and silver, brings protection with her from the north.

Thanking them, you look at the planet Mercury again and ask for guidance what you are about to do.

Across the table from you, the god Mercury materializes as young man with dark skin and agate-like eyes. He wears his winged cap and proudly holds his caduceus. Before you have the chance to speak, he reaches out and touches the crown of your head. Flashes of energy zigzag through your body. You are stunned, unable to think or move, but as this energy slowly integrates with your flesh, you become aware that you now grasp a wand of pure white light.

Mercury looks at you kindly and speaks in a quiet voice: What you hold is the tool of concentration. Focus and see the truth within and the luminous reflections of Ain Sof, the Great Darkness, where Truth in all things is born. The blueprint is as close as the lines on the palms of your hands and as far away as what lies beyond the pattern of stars overhead.

You have the protection of the Archangels and myself. I will take care of you for I have traveled this Path innumerable times. Your first step is to bring this wand to the top of your head to the Kether Center. Focus on sending the energy into your body.

You do as instructed. Brilliant white light radiates in all directions and then descends in fiery bursts of pure energy. Chanting the Divine name of Eheieh, Eh-heh-yey, several times, your consciousness opens, becoming a clearer channel for healing and guidance.

Your vision sharpens and the arbor an the night sky, the tools on your table, the eyes of Mercury that look at you with loving attention take on more definition.

As you put down the wand, you receive the next step: Take the sword in your left hand. Cut through the air around your head, throat, and chest.

The sword shines in your hand and the light from Kether runs deeply inside your body to your lungs and then expands into a second ball of light that bathes your throat and chest, flowing upward to your face, and backward to our neck and back. You vibrate the name YHVY Elohim, Yod-Hey-Vaw-Heh Eh-lo-heem, the marriage of Chokmah and Binah, deeply in your throat, chanting as loudly as possible, expanding the power and healing of this energy.

Mercury waits until he knows you are ready for the next step, and then tells you: Exchange the sword for the staff. Balance it on the ground and hold its tip to your heart.

You do so, and light flows down in a column until it reaches the fire center in your chest, transforming into a large, glowing ball of light like the sun at its zenith. You chant the name YHSHVH, Yod-hesh-oo-ah— Joshua, Jesus’ real Hebrew name, until you feel your heart has been ignited.

Mercury patiently waits for you again, and when he feels the time is right, he takes the staff from you and hands over the sparkling chalice, saying simply: Drink.

You take the cup from him. A thick yellow mixture fills it almost to the brim. You drink and find the taste bittersweet and delicious. The elixir absorbs the fire in your heart and sends this energy to your pelvis, reproductive organs, and lower spine to the sphere of Yesod. You speak the words for Almighty Living God, Shaddai El Chai, Shad-di-El-Chi.

Several moments pass before Mercury speaks once again. His voice remains gentle, but he speaks more seriously than ever: The time has come to move to Malkuth, the final sphere.

Your attention turns to where your feet contact earth. The ball of dazzling light has descended to them, expanding downward, blessing both the earth and yourself. You vibrate the name Adonai ha-Aretz, Ah-doh-ni-hah Ah-retz, calling upon the Lord of the Earth with your whole being.

You pause and become one with this vivid column of light which extends from above your head, through your body, running deeply into the earth. The energy points of your body glow like suns. You let yourself bask in this glory.

The scent of myrhh drifts into your consciousness. The incense has been kindled in Mercury’s hands. He holds them out to you and says: This is a potent moment. It is now you may focus on a prayer or thought form.

And so you do, finding what you need too create at the cent of your heart, and projecting it with the Divine Light that encompasses you. You feel as though the walls of the arbor and the roses growing so thickly there are rippling as your manifestation extends beyond your sanctuary.

Mercury quietly lays down his caduceus on the table. As soon as he releases it, the staff transforms into the form of a serpent glistening with jewels made of the same gleaming opals as the chalice. This is my gift. She belongs to you now. The manifestation of my Power will be with you forever. The Truth that lies behind my form will never desert you.

He vanishes then, but the Archangels still stand at their vigil. You thank them and ask for their presence whenever you return to do the work of your soul. They each place their own gifts upon the table and then fade into the violet light around the arbor.

Though you are now alone, you are not afraid to touch the snake. You pick her up lovingly and bring her around your waist where she bites her tail and becomes a sacred girdle that you will always wear.

A sparrow flies around the arbor. You become aware that the sun is rising on the horizon. The arbor and the roses have become the shelter, the sacred space that you can enter for all eternity. You pick up the golden coin and looking at it you see reflected what you created.

You gather all of your tools and gifts, putting them in your magician’s bag, and begin the journey toward your destination, following the path from the arbor that leads you to the greater world.