1.23.2025
Door #2 . . .
Welcome everyone—and a special hello to new readers.
In progress right now on EP, a series of posts expanding on the structure put forward in Ten Doors to Tarot. And I’ve just updated the order of Doors, based on some considerations I introduced recently.
If you haven’t read those two posts, now would be a great time!
And if you want to catch up to now—last week, in a further exploration of Door #1, I offered a more nuanced look at the terms “esoteric” and “occult.” This week, an excursion into the idea of “magic.”
Quick note: In assigning the Doors originally, I used the spelling “magick.” That’s a common way of distinguishing between stage/performance magic, and occult/esoteric magick. But for the rest of this post, I’ll use the more general spelling. That’s because I don’t want to distract my AI sidekick (Gemini Advanced), who knows without being reminded that we’re not talking about stage magic.
As usual, I’m impressed by the amount of information about Tarot, magic, and related concepts that’s included in the Large Language Model (LLM) Gem has access to—and also by the orderly way the information is presented.
There’s a lot about the philosophy and practice of magic(k) in Part Two of my book, The Tarot: History, Mystery, and Lore. I’m in the process of revising and updating those chapters—but in the meantime, let’s have a look at Gem’s report on this topic.
I started off by asking for a summary of the magic tradition, with instructions to go back as far as possible in history, and consider both East and West . . .
Eastern Traditions: Connection and Continuity
Taoism (c. 6th Century BCE - Present): Rooted in the Tao Te Ching and the teachings of Lao Tzu, Taoism emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao, the natural flow of the universe. Practices like qigong cultivate vital energy, while alchemy aims for longevity and spiritual immortality. Talismans and divination are also employed.
Tantric Traditions (c. 5th Century CE - Present): Found in both Hinduism and Buddhism, Tantra utilizes rituals, mantras, and visualizations to access and harness subtle energies. In Hinduism, it can involve deity worship and kundalini yoga. Buddhist Tantra aims for enlightenment through practices that may challenge conventional morality.
Shinto (c. 3rd Century BCE - Present): Japan's indigenous religion, Shinto, revolves around kami, spirits inhabiting the natural world. Rituals, offerings, and purification practices maintain harmony with the kami and ensure blessings. Onmyōdō, a system of divination and magic, blended Chinese esoteric ideas with Shinto beliefs.
Shamanism (Ancient Origins - Present): Found across diverse cultures, shamanism involves entering altered states of consciousness (through drumming, dance, or plant medicine) to communicate with spirits. Shamans act as healers, diviners, and guides, bridging the human and spirit worlds.
Western Traditions: Variety and Change
Ancient Worlds: Seeds of Magic
Ancient Egypt (c. 3000 BCE - 30 BCE): Magic was deeply intertwined with religion and daily life. Priests wielded heka, a force of creation, through rituals, amulets, and spells for healing, protection, and influencing events. Books of the Dead guided the deceased through the afterlife, demonstrating a belief in magic's power beyond death.
Mesopotamia (c. 3500 BCE - 539 BCE): Magic in Assyria and Babylonia focused on divination (astrology, reading entrails), exorcism, and healing. Incantations and rituals addressed a pantheon of gods and demons. The famous "Code of Hammurabi" even included laws against sorcery, reflecting its societal impact.
Ancient Greece and Rome (c. 8th Century BCE - 5th Century CE): As mentioned before, magic was a multifaceted concept. Think of philosophers like Pythagoras exploring mathematics and music as pathways to understanding the divine (theurgy). Alongside this, folk magic thrived, with spells for love, curses inscribed on lead tablets, and the pervasive fear of the evil eye, countered by amulets and rituals.
Celtic Traditions (c. 8th Century BCE - 5th Century CE): Druids, the priestly class, held knowledge of herbalism, divination, and rituals. While written sources are scarce, oral traditions suggest a deep connection to nature spirits and the Otherworld. Celtic knotwork and symbols likely held magical significance.
Medieval Magic: Grimoires and Mysticism
Early Medieval Period (c. 5th - 10th Century CE): With the rise of Christianity, magic was often demonized, yet folk practices persisted. Early medieval "penitentials" (guides for confessors) listed magical sins, providing glimpses into beliefs about love magic, divination, and harmful spells.
High Middle Ages (c. 11th - 13th Century CE): The rediscovery of Aristotle and the rise of universities led to a renewed interest in natural philosophy and astrology. Arabic texts, preserving Greek knowledge, were translated, bringing in new magical ideas. Kabbalah flourished, influencing Christian esoteric thought.
Late Middle Ages (c. 14th - 15th Century CE): Grimoires like the Key of Solomon became more prevalent, offering detailed instructions for summoning spirits and performing elaborate rituals. Alchemy reached its peak, with figures like Roger Bacon exploring its potential. However, fear of witchcraft also grew, laying the foundation for later persecution.
Modern Magic: Revival and Reinvention
Renaissance Magic (c. 14th - 16th Century CE): Hermeticism was revived, with figures like Marsilio Ficino translating ancient texts. This influenced art, literature, and magical practices. Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy became a key text for Renaissance magicians.
19th and 20th Century Occultism: A resurgence of interest in magic led to the formation of secret societies like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Aleister Crowley's controversial Thelema and ceremonial magic gained prominence. Wicca emerged in the mid-20th century, emphasizing nature worship and goddess spirituality.
Contemporary Magic: Today, magic is a diverse landscape, encompassing traditional practices, neopaganism, chaos magic, and new age spirituality. It continues to evolve, influenced by psychology, science, and global interconnectedness.
I did a bit of tweaking—but overall, I think Gem provided a nice refresher.
If you’re not familiar with “chaos magic” . . . there’s no concise version. But fair to say for now, it’s sort of a crazy quilt made up of pieces from many magical traditions, stitched together with ideas about contemporary physics, bits of neuroscience, et cetera.
One missing element in Gem’s overview is a discussion of the complex history and practices of “natural magic.” And since I think it has connections with the origin of Tarot, I’ll go into that tradition a bit more elsewhere.
Meanwhile—when asked about Tarot and magic, Gem wandered around quite a bit, but did produce this helpful distillation:
Those three tools can be found in various versions and combinations, customized to fit particular approaches, in both individual practices and organized groups.
Gem also offered a nice summary of elements that connect the diversity of magical traditions.
Taken all together, those accounts sketch out what has been and can be found along the path that unfolds from Door #2.
For today’s synchronicity event: I can’t imagine what algorithm put this in front of me—but here’s some amazing news . . .
And if that’s not instantly exciting—read this!
More soon. C