All About Wizards
Today’s post will be centered around Wizards
Wizards are not all old. They are not all male. And some are young. They are not all fictional. But there is fiction about them. Some are our community heroes. And some are more local. Some come from myth. Some are quite charming. And some are pure fantasy. The label Wizard came into being with the rise of Christianity. For previous centuries, the Druids had been the educated class of the European Celts and provided the doctors, lawyers, scientists, advisors, diviners, story tellers, and poets of that civilization. Some of the Druids blended into the new culture as monks or scholars. Those who continued to stand apart as diviners, advisors or scientists became known as Wizards. Even though there were women in prominent positions among the Druids, wizards are now seen to be male, and have thus received better press than witches, who are assumed to be female. Both perceptions are false, but they go along way in feeding the stereotypes of both groups. Examples of Wizards in our popular culture are Albus Dumbleldore and the other faculty at Hogwartz School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Harry Potter. And then there is Merlin in the legends of King Arthur. Examples of modern day wizards are Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein. There are other wizards of lesser fame, some of them female, and we shall go about how to spot them.
Wizards appear when least expected, are always in a hurry, and don’t stay long. Wizards prefer standing to sitting, and pacing to standing. Wizards fear few things, and are equal to most of them. In modern fashion, since Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, Wizards wear pointed hats with brims, especially when they are outside traveling and desire protection from the weather. Thus they were easy to spot, unless they were in disguise. But being a Wizard has far more to do with attitude and abilities than with styles of dress. A modern day Wizard might appear quite “normal” in a crowd.
It used to be that a Wizard would wear a conical hat with no brim, in contrast to Witches in their pointed hats, with brims. The Wizard’s hat was decorated with moons and stars. A mocking evolution of this is the “Dunce Cap.” Once upon a time in school, a loud and unconventional child would be made to do a time-out by sitting in the corner and wearing the Dunce Cap. Other labels for Wizard have been magus or magician. In contrast, sorcerer and sorceress are merely the French words of Witch. The term Wizard can be confusing in conventional gender roles. Not all wizards are male, just as not all witches are female. Witches might be secretive, but a wizard can keep a secret. Wizards tend to be solitary by choice. In contrast, Witches are said to prefer to gather in groups for instruction, social life, or magickal workings.
Wizards are not into healing. They apply themselves over hot crucibles, pouring over scrolls, tomes, tablets, and tracts. They bend things to their will. A Wizard uses powers of observation, and deals with forces mysterious and/or unsavory to others, in order to produce results. The key word here is “observation.” A wizard is highly educated and might specialize in alchemy, mathematics, astrology, obscure knowledge, or in foreseeing the future. This particular wizard was named Maria Salomea Sklodowska. Born in Poland in 1867, she worked mainly in more tolerant France as a physicist and chemist doing pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the only woman to win a second in a second field. Pretty good for a girl? History clouds her memory in the shadow of her husband, and calls her Madame Curie. But, that’s a wizard!
If you have been gifted with the Spanish language, you know the distinction between Mago and Bruho. A mago, or the female maga, is a Wizard, and likely a worker of good. A brujo, or the female bruja, is a Witch, and likely a worker of evil, or so it is said. The Wizard of Oz es El Mago de Oz. The Three Wise Men es Los Reyes Magos. But the Wicked Witch of the West es la Malvada Bruja del Oeste. South of the Border, herbs are sold in a Witches Market or un mercado de las brujas. And what do British imperialists call a raucous clamor over some minor or ridiculous cause? A brouhaha!
Wizards are not fond of working with their hands, but will fabricate magical objects if no apprentice is available. . Wizards are always a little overworked. Remember, Wizards are not into healing. That is a province of the Witches. It is Witches who are gifted with herbs, animals, and divining with tools. Thomas Edison (born 1847) was known as the Wizard of Menlo Park, New Jersey. A Wizard may take on a few apprentices to do menial tasks in exchange for training. Wizards do not suffer well incompetence or stupidity in others.
Wizards use their skills to build or tear down, reveal hidden objects, or create illusions and apparitions. They set good forces against evil. How can we talk about Wizards without naming Albert Einstein? Here was a man with a PhD, brilliant enough to flee academia and take a government job in the US Patent Office. Wizards may belong to Councils, but they are not gregarious or sociable. Wizards may be fond of holding appointments such as “Royal Wizard in the Court of the King,” but if they remain in residence, they will require a small private tower near the postern gate. In the patent Office, Einstein had plenty to time to think and theorize without the distraction of teaching class, dealing with grad students, or going to meetings. It was early in life that Einstein came up with his theories of relativity. At that time, he looked like a nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn. These glories, served him well through life, as his long white hair added to his image as the stereotype of genius.
In Greek legend, perhaps you remember Jason and the Argonauts? Jason was a Ulysses kind of guy on his way back from a war and traveling across the Mediterranean. There was a big deal movie back in the 1960s. Then there was the Lady Medea. Medea is described in most stories as an enchantress and is often depicted as being a priestess of the goddess Hecate. That would be another name for clergy. She lived on an island, was very bright, and clever, and she did not hang around with gal pals. All was well until this ambitious guy, Jason, showed up, and Medea fell in love with him. Jason was looking to advance himself by retrieving the Golden Fleece. What’s a Golden Fleece? It’s a sheep skin, not just any sheep skin, but one that is golden. Medea offered to help Jason, if, in return, he would marry her. This legend sounds a lot like a guy entering graduate school looking to earn a PhD. Like many a grad student, Jason was assigned a burdensome thesis project. First, he had to plough a field using fire-breathing oxen. Medea gave him a magick unguent with which to anoint himself, to protect him from the bulls’ fiery breath. This does sound like a graduate school thesis project to me. Then, Jason had to sow the teeth of a dragon into the ploughed field. The teeth sprouted into an army of warriors. Medea warned Jason, however, and told him to throw a rock into this crowd. Unable to determine where the rock had come from, the warriors attacked and fought among themselves. In graduate school, you select a committee to evaluate your research, your thesis project, and they must agree to approve you. Sounds like a successful thesis defense to me. Finally, there was a watchful dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece. Jason had to fight that too. With Medea’s help, he put the
beast to sleep with narcotic herbs. Sounds like encountering objections from the University Registrar who blocks your graduation until you give them missing paperwork. (Toke up) So they hand over your degree and then go back to sleep. So Jason got his Golden Fleece and sailed away with Medea. Our story would have ended happily, except that upon arriving on the next island, Jason got hired by the king. To advance himself, he saw an opportunity to marry the king’s (read that the boss’s) daughter. To do this, Jason had to dump Medea. She got really angry about this, ran off with their children, and worked a lot of magick against him.
Some say these Greek legends are all made up, and have nothing to do with real life. But in them I look for parallels to our own modern world, and look to spot a wizard. Medea was a Wizard! Wizards can be tricked. Wizards can trick you. A Wizard can be corrupted by the forces she or he wheels. Such a Wizard begins to believe that she is better equipped to run the world than anyone else. The very elements that she once controlled will then turn
against her. Her stature will diminish until she becomes a lesser being.
So what does all this Wizard talk have to do with Unitarian Universalism?
We UUs do have our Seven Principles. This is as close as we come to a religious creed. How about Principle Number Four: “A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” That sound like something we see our Wizards doing. How about Principle Number One? “The inherent worth and dignity of every person.” Well, Wizards can become a bit impatient with a slow apprentice, and they do not suffer fools gladly. And then there is Principle Number Seven: “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” They do seem to understand that one, as they work their magick. How about our own Unitarian Wizard: Ralph Waldo Emerson? (His friends called him Wally.)
Mr. Emerson was a giant among intellectuals. He discarded the use of the Christian Holy Communion, when mainline Unitarians were still doing it. When asked to sum up his work, he said his central doctrine was “the infinitude of the private man.” Ah, the rugged individual! Born in 1803, Emerson was an essayist, lecturer, and poet who led the transcendental movement in the mid 1800s. Born in Boston and the son of a Unitarian minister, he attended Harvard and was ordained a Unitarian minister in 1829. Three years earlier, when faced with poor health, Emerson went to seek out warmer climates. He came down here to Florida, St.Augustine to be exact, where he took long walks on the beach, and began writing poetry. While in St. Augustine, he made the acquaintance of Prince Achille Murat. Murat was the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, the French Revolutionary. They became extremely good friends and enjoyed one another’s company. The two engaged in enlightening discussions on religion, society, philosophy, and government. Emerson considered Murat an important figure in his intellectual education.
Also while in St. Augustine, Emerson had his first experience of slavery. At one point, he attended a meeting of the Bible Society, while there was a slave auction taking place in the yard outside. He
wrote, “One ear therefore heard the Glad Tidings of Great Joy, whilst the other was regaled with ‘Going, gentlemen, going’!” Perhaps it would be more true-to-life to remember Emerson as he looked in his 30’s. It was in this era that Emerson resigned from his Unitarian congregation and did his most prodigious writings. Emerson is claimed as a hero in our Unitarian Universalist circles. He was ahead of his time, in espousing values that are now mainstream to UUs.
Within the world of the occult, there are many specialties that you might choose to take up. There is astrologer, alchemist, astronomer, magus, shaman, adept, bard, magician, enchantress, and maven. These titles tend to get lumped together by the uninitiated. If you are going searching for a Wizard, do take a look behind the curtain. Wizards appear when least expected, are always in a hurry, and don’t stay long. Wizards may take new names from time to time. When traveling, they are often disguised in a cloak. A Wizard will use a staff with some sort of talisman at its tip, but never ride a broom. And if you are really searching for a Wizard, take a look in the mirror.
That Wizard – just – might – be you!
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