Key 1 (The Twelfth Path)

Key 1 - The Magician - Bet - House
Gematria Value: 2
12th Path Storax, Mastic, Mace | Agate, Opal

THE MAGICIAN / MERCURY

AS ABOVE, SO BELOW

Will, mastery, organizational skills, creative talents. Ability to turn ideas into reality.

Self conscious phase of personal mental activity.

Mercury / Sukkah / Alchemy

Mercury and the mind rules here. The Magus is the channel between the infinite and the human realm.

"Bet" means "house" in Hebrew, and is the protected space of the individual mind.

"B" is a contained sound, first developing in a space enclosed by lips and mouth, an internal activity, and so also, the symbol of "house."

The letters jumped from the crown of the Creator, starting with Tav, pleading to be the first letter said.
Every letter has a shortcoming, disqualifying it, until Bet, the first letter of "BeRESHeet," (in the beginning), the first word in the Bible.
Aleph was left behind, so God compensated by making Aleph the first letter of the alphabet, and of the 10 commandments.

Bet is a "Double Letter," with two sounds.

The first letter in the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) is Bet, beginning the word v'resheet - "at beginning":

"Bet" is also the first letter of "Barukh" - the first word in a Jewish brakha, or prayer. Translated as "blessed," it is primarily praise, and an expression of awe and gratitude for the Creator, to whom the prayer is addressed.

"BRKH", is a verb that means "to bend the knee," or "to praise, adore, to bless," and is used by the prophet Isaiah: "Every knee will bend" (Isaiah 45:23). One interpretation has it that this also means that the Creator, with infinite Mercy/Chesed, is on bended knee, in order to bestow glory on Earth's creatures below.

It is useful to see the aleph-beyt as a Hebrew tale of creation, beginning with Aleph and ending with Tav. In this scheme, Bet is the contraction of Tzimtzum, coming after Aleph, the undifferentiated infinite.

Bet is the other, generated from within the Infinite - Creator making boundaries within itself so that difference becomes possible. From primal unity in Aleph, springs olam ha'pirud - the "World of Distinctions," or "World of Separations."

Bet is a housing for the divine energy, the form necessary for the unfolding of creative potential. Every particle of creation is a bet of God. Aleph becomes Bet - God becomes World.

The gematria of Aleph is one, and that of Bet is two, again pointing to the differentiation process - the unity creating other out of itself - from one to two.

The arbor over the Magician is another house, one of the simplest kind. This house is conceptual, and thus "portable," in a similar sense as the portable "body house" of Key7.

The rose arbor is the succah, a temporary house built during the week-long Feast of Tabernacles, to remind us of how fragile our security really is, and to keep us in touch with the moon, stars, and wind. The flimsy walls and roof of the sukkah are like the permeable membrane between our consciousness and the Infinite, restoring our connection to the outside world, it's danger, beauty, and comfort.

Tradition has the nightly meal in the succah, with guests both real and imaginary. Friends visit, and each night has a prominent Biblical personality in memorial attendance.

Sepher Yetzirah says that "Bet" reigns in wisdom. Thoth, Hermes, and Hanuman are compared. This path is called "Transparent Intelligence," resonating with Hod. This "transparency" is also a reference to "transmission" from the spiritual realm to the material, like a window pane, powerful and clear.

The alchemical characterization of Bet/Mercury is that of a flowing, shifting, unstable principle, always adapting and changing. This flightiness explains the monkey who attends Thoth, and Hanuman, the monkey god. This "Tossing of the mind" is called Vikshepa, discussed in Key 6, and Gemini, ruled by Mercury.

Mercury is the Quicksilver Messenger; his winged helmet and sandals transmit thought with dispatch. He is a sharp, sparkling, quick wit.

Mercury says: "I am he who carries his father's commands through the sky, the son of Jupiter himself." Ovid



The number "one" refers to concentration, attention, and focusing the field of activity.


Key 1 is the first of the first seven, commencing the powers or potencies.

Role of the son, ways in which the son remains part of the father.

This is also Norwegian Odin, the eternal wanderer, who according to legend does not create the world, but only plans and arranges it. Odin was also the inventor of poetry and Norse runes.
The Magus holds his arms in the "coagula/solve" position - meaning "coagulate (or join) - and "dissolve." The "coagulation" is a drawing-in of energy. The "solve" is the use of the energy to dissolve, or cut like a laser. This illustrates the maxim: "As above, so below." Keys 0, 1, 3, 4, 11, & 15 share this symbolism.

Mercury

Mercury's placement at birth sets the character for the person's mental style. It shapes the way our minds work; it is the connection between the spirit (Sun) and the personality (Moon).

Mercury infuences communication. Afflictions to Mercury commonly create misunderstandings, or mental phenomena like dislexia, speech impediments, or stuttering. Strong Mercury aspects give the native brilliance in speech, wit, writing or music. Mercury is dexterity, as best shown in Virgo; but undoubtedly many a jeweler, juggler, or surgeon has good Mercury placement. Mercury moves quickly, completing it's orbit around the Sun in 88 days. As one of the 'personal' planets, it's constant changing reflects interpersonal dynamics we see around us, and short term mood swings in ourselves and others.

Mercury retrograde causes misunderstandings, false starts, lost keys, and missed opportunities.

Mercury is Exalted in Aquarius, and Rules Gemini/Virgo. Mercury's detriment is Sagittarius, and its fall is Pisces.

The Sepher associated with Mercury is Hod

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