Exegesis THE MAGICIAN (I) Sentences 10–12
10 A woman with night-dark eyes appeared, veiled, the new moon as a crown above her
11 In her onyx hands, the book of revealed knowledge, the quintessence
12 She was the source and the delta, her name was Maa, and she spoke to me in thought.
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“A woman with night-dark eyes appeared, veiled”: This figure directly reflects Arcana II, the High Priestess. She is veiled because supreme knowledge is hidden, accessible only through intuition and the soul. Her night-dark eyes signify perception of mysteries, the unconscious, and unseen truths. Mat, she embodies Isis, the Black Virgin.
“The new moon as a crown above her”: The new moon represents pure potential, the unmanifested, a receptacle for all coming lights. It crowns the High Priestess with sovereignty over the invisible world and mastery of cosmic cycles.
“In her onyx hands, the book of revealed knowledge, the quintessence”: Onyx, a protective black stone, was once polished into mirrors in ancient Egypt, used to glimpse hidden truths and visions beyond the ordinary. In her hands, it connects her to the night, the depths, and the unseen realms. The book she holds is “revealed knowledge,” no longer secret but offered, embodying the quintessence—the fifth element, divine substance that unifies and transcends the four classical elements.
“She was the source and the delta”: Maa embodies the universal feminine principle: she is both the origin (the Source, the primordial Mother) and the culmination (the Delta, where the river of knowledge flows into the ocean of Being).
“Her name was Maa”: The name evokes the maternal root “Ma” and resonates with Ma’at, the Egyptian goddess of Truth, Cosmic Order, and divine justice. Maa is the structuring principle of the universe. In Arabic, “Maa” also means “water,” symbolizing fluidity, life, and purification.
“And she spoke to me in thought”: Communication transcends physical senses. Knowledge is transmitted directly from archetype to soul, through spiritual telepathy, revealing truth in its pure, initiatory form.
