Lemniscate in the Sky
A lemniscate is the mathematical symbol for infinity. A mobius strip can be used to demonstrate the idea of infinity, in a strip of paper which is twisted and attached at the ends, forming an ‘endless’ two dimensional surface.
In the Waite Smith deck it can be seen above the head of the Magician. Here it can be understood to symbolize the fact that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed. Energy lasts forever, in whatever form it takes. The Magician channels this energy to manifest his will upon the world around and inside himself. Once he has learned to master this energy, he has an infinite resource at his disposal to effect these changes in accordance with his will. (In the Waite Smith deck this symbol can also be found over the head of the woman in Strength, at the top of the wreath in the World, and featured as the juggling motions of the figure in the Two of Pentacles).
In this photo, you see what appears to be a string of pearls, with a twist, hanging in the sky. It’s called The Analemma. We say, ‘the sky is the limit’, as a way of suggesting an ‘infinite’ number of possibilities in a given situation. It is fitting then, to find the symbol of infinity in the sky.
You would expect that if you looked at the Sun at the same time each day, from the same place, it would appear at the same location in the sky. You would be correct, if the Earth were not tilted, and if its orbit around the Sun were perfectly circular. Because neither of those things are correct, what you get in this case is this pattern in the sky.
The Sun will appear at its highest point in the sky, and highest point in the analemma, during summer. In the winter, the Sun is at its lowest point. The remainder of the year makes up the rest of the analemma pattern.
Photographing the analemma is a daunting challenge, simply because it takes an entire year to get the complete image. According to Sky and Telescope Magazine, more men have walked on the moon than have successfully photographed the analemma. The very first successful image of it, was taken by Dennis di Cicco.
Grasping infinity is difficult for the human mind. Meditation on the lemniscate can help us to grasp and understand it. In the Tarot it points to the endless energy available to us once we learn to tap into it. And in the Analemma, we have another of nature’s wonders to remind us of the infinity of energy in it’s many manifestations.
As Above, So Below
Lately I have been meditating on a selection of Tarot cards to effect a change in my life. Things have been tough, and they are slowly getting better. I am using these meditations to support and encourage the changes that are taking place in my life.
One of the four cards I am using is The Magician.
Generally when I see this card in a reading, the phrase ‘making things happen’ is what comes to mind. The Magician is using his experience, skill and power to take control of the energies around him to carry out his will. He creates, he causes to become, he manifests his will in the world.
The most commonly recognized version of this card from the RWS deck reflects the principle of ‘as above, so below’.
This message theorizes that man is the counterpart of God on earth; as God is man’s counterpart in heaven. Therefore, it is a statement of an ancient belief that man’s actions on earth parallel the actions of God in heaven. This pivots on the belief that “all things have their birth from this One Thing by adaptation.”
To the magician the magical act, that of causing a transformation in a thing or things without any physical contact, is accomplished by an imaginative act accompanied by the will that the wanted change will occur. The magical act and imaginative act becomes one and the same. The magician knows with certainty that for the change to occur he must will it to happen and firmly believe it will happen. Here it may be noted that magic and religion are akin: both require belief that a miracle will occur. ~ mystical.org
In meditation, The Magician says to me, “Spirit begets the material world, and the material world begets the Spirit.” Have we been created by God in his image, or have we created him in ours? Does it really matter? The lemniscate above The Magician’s head represents the eternal loop of infinity.
In meditation, The Magician guides and helps me to ‘make things happen’ in my life. He manifests his will on his world, and may I continue to succeed in doing so as well.
