Part One: The Observer Effect

Constellation (Apple TV)

Dark Matter

Matter and Anti-Matter

You find yourself in liminal space, the no-place between what was and what will be. You have come to a crossroads, the threshold between worlds. A space where the ordinary, the known, dissolves into the extraordinary, the unknown. This is a realm of all-possibility.

A choice point has been reached. It is both a call to action and a call to surrender. Regardless of which path you choose, transformation is inevitable. Trust in the underlying currents tugging forward, those little nudges from your intuition as they silently guide you.

Along this cusp of non-being, one should expect to encounter figures who embody the archetype of the trickster, serving as teachers in disguise. These are not external mentors but projections and embodiments of the Self's shadow—those hidden, suppressed, or repressed fragments that remain unexamined or rejected.

The trickster-teacher's lessons are unsettling yet invaluable, compelling the individual to confront the depths of their psyche. These lessons serve not only to answer your burning questions, but also to help you to discover the deeper questions you haven't yet thought to ask.

This crossroads is not merely a place of choice but a crucible for alchemical change. To engage with these shadows is to integrate the disowned aspects of the Self, a process necessary for reaching authenticity and spiritual growth. The traveler on this path discovers that what was once feared or dismissed holds the key to wholeness.

Choronzon, often called the "Dweller in the Abyss," is a perfect example of a trickster-teacher you might face on your spiritual journey. He's not just there to mess with you—though it can feel like that—but to challenge you by throwing illusions and distractions your way. What 'he's' really doing is holding up a mirror to your own fears, doubts, and fragmented sense of self. If you face and engage him, you're pushed to face your inner chaos and break through the limits of your ego. Ultimately, his seemingly insidious brand of 'tough love' forces you to level up spiritually.

In your everyday life, these trickster figures manifest not as fantastical beings but through the circumstances, challenges, and people you encounter—especially during times of upheaval (The Tower tarot card comes to mind) or uncertainty. A health crisis might force you to confront your vulnerability, unresolved fears, or neglected self-care, becoming a wake-up call to realign your life. Being deceived by others or experiencing betrayal might shatter illusions of trust or control, compelling you to examine your boundaries and discernment. Relationships ending, or even the loss of a loved one, can catalyze profound growth by forcing you to reconcile with impermanence and explore what truly matters.

"The soul needs an outer drama that can help awaken and pull into conscious awareness the inner myth and seeded story it carries within."

These experiences act as externalized projections of the inner myth you carry—the story seeded deep within your soul that longs to be brought into conscious awareness. As the quote suggests, "The soul needs an outer drama that can help awaken and pull into conscious awareness the inner myth and seeded story it carries within." The events that unfold in your life serve as this outer drama, a symbolic theater designed to awaken you to deeper truths about yourself.

In these moments, you are between the past and the future. The people around you may seem to 👂 "come out of the woodwork" to deceive, challenge, or provoke you—not because they are inherently adversarial, but because they embody aspects of your shadow self (projection) that you've yet to acknowledge. Their behaviors reflect unintegrated aspects of your inner world, inviting you to explore your unconscious patterns and unearth the hidden wisdom they contain.

"Maybe the North Star doesn't indicate north. Maybe the mapmaker was drunk. Maybe the moon's made out of cheese. Who knows?! Who knows? Everything is so fucked up on this goddamn road!" - Dead End movie (2003)

The Underworld (implicate/subconsciousness and super-implicate/super-consciousness orders) represents a zone where established constructs (maps) break down. This dissolution reflects the experience of encountering paradoxes, illusions, and "negative existence" where conventional logic fails. This chaos is necessary for transformation, compelling the soul to rely on inner guidance rather than external reference points. Both peril (PiT) and illumination (TiP, garden) are found in these depths (which are also heights).

If Yesod is the Door, Daath is the Key

Janus, the Roman God of Transitions—often associated with Chokmah (Wisdom) and Daath (Knowledge)

The deformed little guys underneath Janus remind me of Kuato (a conjoined TWIN, like Janus) from Total Recall.

Kuato and George, Total Recall

Janus, often depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions, reflects Daath’s dual function as both a gateway and a veil. Daath occupies the threshold between the Supernal Triad and the lower Sephiroth, connecting the divine and the manifest realms. Its dual aspect embodies both creation and dissolution, beginnings and endings. This aligns with Janus' role as the guardian of thresholds.

Daath symbolizes the knowledge or "key" required to traverse the Abyss, representing an initiatory transition (crossroads) from ignorance to enlightenment, or from fragmented perception to holistic awareness. Daath, meaning "knowledge," is not academic (lifeless) intellectual understanding but, rather, the experiential awareness that opens the path to higher consciousness. Janus, as the god of thresholds, embodies the act of stepping into a new state of being, requiring the wisdom (or key) to unlock the door.

The Particle (Persephone/Kore) and The Wave (Pluto/Hades)

Janus symbolizes the interplay between Persephone (Kore) as the Particle and Pluto (Hades) as the Wave. One face of Janus represents Persephone, the embodiment of form, matter, and life cycles, aligning with the Qabalistic sphere of Malkuth (Kingdom), where the material world takes shape. The other face reflects Pluto, the archetype of chaos, transformation, and dissolution, associated with Daath (Knowledge), the mysterious gateway bridging unity (singularity) and duality (polarity).

Positioned on the Abyss, Daath represents a space where opposites converge, requiring the seeker to reconcile unity and multiplicity, form and void.

True Detective, S1E8 "Form and Void"

Yesod, as the Foundation, mirrors Daath but functions on a different plane. While Daath serves as the gateway to higher realms of divine unity, Yesod operates as the threshold to the astral plane and the physical world. It consolidates and channels energies from the higher Sephiroth, shaping them into forms accessible in Malkuth. This intermediary role parallels the function of a doorway, both separating and connecting realms. Doorways (like the crossroads) symbolize choices and transitions, and Yesod serves as the space where archetypal energies are organized and projected into the material plane.

The Lovers - also known as "The Choice"

The Lovers card encapsulates the profound moment of choice, a pivotal crossroads where one must discern the path to follow. Rooted in the energy of Zayin, "the sword," this choice is sharp and decisive, cutting through illusion to reveal truth. It reflects Gemini's duality, symbolizing both the discernment necessary to separate (Cancer) opposites and the alchemical conjunction that unifies them into a harmonious whole. This card calls one to reconcile the dichotomies within—the conscious and subconscious, masculine and feminine, inner and outer. (Alchemical fixation.) Just as a sword divides, it also symbolizes the precision and clarity needed to choose wisely, emphasizing that through discernment, unity and higher integration become possible​​.

Yesod's correspondence to the astral plane reinforces its role as a liminal space. Here, dreams, symbols, and archetypal forms interact with the waking world. This reflects the deeper duality inherent in transitions, where the unseen and seen are bridged. Like Janus' forward and backward gaze, Yesod embodies the reflective nature of thresholds, managing the interface where potential becomes actual.

Yesod can be understood through its many symbolic attributes, which include mirrors, perception, secret doors, hidden passages, tunnels, psychism, the interface between dimensions, the assemblage point, imagination, image and appearance, the unconscious, dreams, illusions, sex and reproduction, magic, and instinct. 

Dark Matter

The Qlippoth

The Qlippoth are the "husks" or "shells," representing the shadow side of creation (or Universe B). They mirror the sephiroth but invert their divine energies, embodying chaos, disintegration, and the raw power of unrefined matter. In exploring the Underworld, one must confront the Qlippothic energies—fragmented aspects of the self that hold keys to transformation when engaged with intention and awareness. The Qlippoth represent the shattered forms that must be reintegrated to move toward wholeness​​.

Update:

10:57AM CST on 1/16/2025

Shortly after publishing this post, while I was doing some cleaning, some synchronistic messages began to come through while YouTube was autoplaying various YouTube videos based on/from my subscriptions. Currently, the energetic themes that I am seeing recycling through are reminiscent of patterns noticed around July 17th, 2024, mid-to-late August of 2024, and end of October-mid December of 2024. I emphasize the October-December energy, because that's when the whole The Tower and crossroads themes really and truly began to take the stage for the latter half of the year.

The Tower...WILL fall. Backtrack🚆 all you want, but the flames of transformation are rekindling. This karmic cycle needs to come to a close, and you're at a crossroads. Drop the baggage and carry-on ✈️, move along.

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— HermaJestar (@hermajestar.com) December 10, 2024 at 1:41 PM

Clips via: Soulful Revolution and Turning Tides Tarot

🎯

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— HermaJestar (@hermajestar.com) December 11, 2024 at 12:42 PM

 

Update #2:

12:12PM CST on 1/16/2025

Shortly after publishing the first update, as I was reviewing the article on my laptop, I noticed a glitch. 

More Thoughts on The Magician

Key 1 - The Magician

The Master of Illusion

In one sense, The Magician is the personality, mask, ego, or identity. It is the ability to make distinctions--the ability to remember, to discriminate, discern, divide, and notice differences. A tiny seed of light blooms into a Golden Son. As the Sun rises up out of the sea of the unconscious, he begins to individuate himself from the nothingness. The zero becomes a hero, a something from nothing. He, as a symbol of self-consciousness, grows to become the master of maya (illusion, mother, mater, matrix, and/or matter).

The Magician is associated with Mercury and the pineal gland. Maia, in Greek mythology, is the mother Hermes (or Mercury in Roman mythology). She is one of the Seven Sisters (often portrayed as doves) of the Pleiades. The Pleiades is a cluster of stars located on the shoulder of the Taurus constellation. Taurus, as the second sign in the Zodiac, is ruled by Venus. Taurus is attributed to Key 5, The Hierophant; and Venus to Key 3, The Empress.

In medical astrology, Taurus is associated with the throat center. The Empress, as well as Binah (Saturn), is also linked to the throat (Daath) and the pituitary gland (The High Priestess, Moon). An alluring Venus flytrap as an open mouth, Yoni, black hole, or wormhole (the Apple of Knowledge) comes to mind. This can all be linked back to The Magician when one notes Mercury’s frequent affiliation with the throat chakra.

The Hierophant (Taurus) is related to hearing and intuition. The Empress (Venus) is related to the creative imagination (the mind’s eye and/or mental imagery), the heart chakra, beauty, and love. On the Tree of Life, Tiphareth (as the Sun) is called the Seat of the Imagination. It, too, is associated with the heart center. The Sun, in astrology, is exalted in the first zodiac sign of Aries (the head). The link between the first key and the first zodiac sign should, then, become apparent.

Aries connects us with Key 4, The Emperor. The Emperor is The Magician after having penetrated and impregnated The High Priestess (the subconscious). The Emperor governs sight and reason. The pineal gland is located in the center of the brain that perceives the inner and outer simultaneously. The Magician is wizard of inner vision, insight, and eternal wizdom.

The yellow background we often see in this trump is the gold of Sol, the Sun--our Crowning Glory. In astrology, the Sun, much like The Magician, represents the ego or the personality. The Sun gives out, radiates, projects, and expresses. Leo, which is ruled by the Sun, is linked to our personal self-expression. Expression intimates vocalization, conversation, and/or communication. To express is to press outward and is, therefore, centrifugal. The darkness (invisible light) burns as visible light.

Express can also be defined as a means to swiftly deliver or transport something--whether that be a message, a package, a person, or some sort of cargo. With the actual planetary sphere positioned closest to the Sun, Mercury speedily orbits our Hero every 88 days. News travels fast and the rumor mill is always churning.

The two 8’s previously mentioned bring us around to the infinity symbol, or the lemniscate that’s visible above The Magician’s head. From one perspective, this figure 8 is 0, The Fool, which is +two-: The Twin Flames of The Magician’s wand. Picture The Fool, as an emblem of our unconscious desires, about to fall off of that cliff into the abyss of manifestation. It is the wand, as the will and focus, of The Magician that transports and directs those unrealized potentials from above into the field of existence below.

Energy flows where attention goes, does it not? Even so, the end result that an archetype takes may not be easily recognized--especially if perception is easily swayed by emotion. As any qualified Magician will warn you: Appearances are seldom what they seem. An archetype is an image, symbol, and/or myth that keeps showing up. It’s primordial and fixed. It’s a model, a mold, a blueprint, a seed. Unchangeable in that it eternally recurs, yet forever subject-to-change.

The archetypes show up under countless guises: Partaking of both positive and negative qualities as well as feminine and masculine characteristics. They’re seamless, blended, and nonlinear. As a focal point of awakening awareness capable of perceiving order amidst chaos, The Magician develops the ability to distinguish one archetype from another. This chaos (The Fool or the Limitless Light), however, is not actually chaos. It’s a higher order not yet made conscious. A higher order only attained, or known, through definition and distinction. Since the ultimate attainment is illusory, chaos will always prevail. Yet, it is precisely The Magician’s task to tame and harness this chaos for practical application.

The Magician represents the ability to tune out the noise and singularly focus on one definite object or objective at a time. In doing so, clarity of purpose is sharpened, skills are refined, and talents are cultivated. The idealistic Magician isn't merely a man of thought, The Magician is a man of manual labor. Mental focus (like the lens or the eye of a camera) paired with physical steps make his power of command pragmatic and applicable.

Power is the capacity to work (6th House, ruled by Mercury), to labor, and to toil. Power is that flaming force of activity. As a master of his craft, as an artisan, we can easily compare The Magician to the angelic alchemist in the Temperance (referred to, in some decks, as Art) key. This alchemist is the True Self, or the Holy Guardian Angel, resident in the heart and exalted in the crown.

Whenever we follow or are motivated by our true heart's desires, we are successfully performing the handiwork of God. Whenever we eliminate distraction to actively meditate (aka concentrate), we are aligning ourselves with that still, small voice of intuition. Intuition that guides us through subtle nudges as well as blatant signs (synchronicities). Magic, miracles, and the impossible become possible through this inner guidance.

Sulphur aids Our Mercury. It's not enough just to dream or fantasize (Salt), we must carry out the vision (Sulphur). While The Magician, as self-consciousness, seems to initiate various works--he is merely a lightning rod through which the True Will (superconscious) flows. This True Will is the Puppet Master that's tugging on all of our heart strings, subtly influencing our desires (motivations). The lightning rod, or wand, is a conduit and it specifically represents the pineal gland, the spinal column, and the nervous system.

Mushrooms, motorcycles, masks, the magician's cap, and hands are all symbols seen frequently in relation to this key. The hand is a potent symbol of the power of comprehension. This power of comprehension is the power to harness and grasp universal patterns (order) to discern and facilitate the grander cosmic plan. The hand also represents the will, touch, response, contact, communication, the written word, mediation, the senses, control, and is a symbol of Mercury.

Personal control is an illusion. This can be one of the hardest lessons to learn. The patriarchal self-consciousness is obsessed with this false notion of control, superiority, domination, and power. While it is true that there are some things that we are personally responsible for and must take control of to lead a healthy and harmonious life--even that personal sense of will power is only granted to us through the universal mind.

Still, we do not become passive doormats. We continue to act as if it was of our own doing, shifting our identification with the false personal will by acknowledging the Universal Mercury. When we feel inspired to act, we act. When it's time to sit back and relax, we wait to receive further guidance. And, to reduce disappointment, we graciously surrender our expectations to how we personally think it all should turn out.

The individual is but a mask for the universal. A mask both conceals, deceives, and reveals. Without the mask of identity, there'd be nothing to perceive or reflect on. Without objects subject to observation, subjective (and objective) experience would cease.

Again, The Magician is a smith, a craftsman, an artisan, and a carpenter. An architect commanding gravitation. Through concentration, the will of The Magician is engraved upon the virgin substance in the garden of the subconscious. Through keen observation and brilliant speculation, The Magician plants the seeds that set in motion the fruits of future development. The One, the I/Eye, initiates a new cycle of growth.

When we look at the glyph of the Sun, we see a ring with a dot or an “eye” inside. Like the eye of a tempest or the center of a spiraling whirlpool, that point represents the active still-point from which all movement emerges. Osiris: This is the Oz of the Iris. Oz, in Hebrew, means strength, power, and might. It’s associated with Sulphur (active, Mars), desire, the number 77, 14, and 5. By extension, it has correlations with Venus (passive, Salt), the throat, the fifth sephira (Geburah), the pentagram, Temperance or Art (Sagittarius), and The Hierophant (Taurus). We can link all such symbolism with the red of The Magician’s robe as well as the roses.

Iris, then, hints toward the outer ring of that aforementioned solar symbol. It alludes to the notion of differentiation and individuation. The pure white light of the undifferentiated cosmic mind (silence), as it descends into manifestation (of varying wavelengths), is seemingly ‘broken up’ into the endless creations that we drink in with our own eyes.

But the Mercurial messenger, in his Rubedo Red slippers, must return to its sender. (As if Dorothy ever really left home in the first place!) And therein lies the promise, the promise of the Return of the Prodigal Sun.

Circling back to a phrase mentioned earlier, “…perception swayed by emotion.” Swayed, in this context, being synonymous with colored, clouded, or obscured. The color, which is emotion and desire, provides a filter or marker for distinction. This is vibration disturbing perfect silence, upsetting equilibrium. Which, of course, enters us into the territory of the creative world of Beriah.

The transparency of perfection and purity must have some tinge and tint of imperfection in order for the invisible to be rendered visible.

Mercury Keywords: Information, communication, telecommunication, transportation, news, rumors, gossip, travel, short distances, conversation, exchange, expression, technology, mediation, intermediary, consciousness, self-consciousness, ego, hero, differentiation, knowledge, intelligence, swift, messenger, carrier, mail, e-mail, correspondence, messages, massages, contact, touch, thought, Thoth, words, swords, air, breath, discrimination, discernment, duality, double, zenith, magister lux, light, sight, appearances, charisma, distinguish, reason, rational, logic, spokesperson, wish-master, house, enlightenment, illumination, True Will, will power, magus, focus, concentration, attention, one-pointedness, singularity, unicorn, crown, pineal gland, yellow, command, suggestion, superiority, charisma, respect, above, memory, constrast, Sulphur, action, activity, quicksilver, individuality, demiurge, set in motion, mask, raccoon, curiosity, exploration, speculation, inquiry, prompt, questioning, questing, puppet master, wishes, spells, magic, showman, transparency, deception, lying, duplicity, disguise, detective, investigate, observe, dominate, craft, skill, talent, carpenter, engraver, director, smith, architect, power, determination, goal-oriented, action, initiation.

4 - The Emperor

Key 4 - The Emperor
Aries (Diurnal Mars)
Fire +
Heh - Window
Path 15 - Chokmah to Tiphareth
Reason

Keywords: Self-consciousness, Sulphur, Order from Chaos, Definition, Super-Vision, Sight.

Description: The Emperor speaks to us of rule, measurement, order, regulation, authority, and the ability to overSEE our affairs with reason at the "head". The Emperor is a curator, managing the visions The Empress has conceived for us.