Initiation Into Hermetics: The Magician

Approximately 20 years ago, I encountered Franz Bardon's 'Initiation Into Hermetics' during my exploration of Ceremonial Magick. Recently, I revisited this profound occult text and chose to manifest artworks through meditation and ritual exercises.

In the Tarot, The Magician holds the number one, symbolizing new beginnings. According to Bardon, the Tarot transcends mere cards, serving as a symbolic 'book of initiation' containing profound secrets.

In a deep meditation session focused on The Magician, I channeled an image where the infinity symbol dominates, representing limitless potential and eternity.

I depicted a cloaked figure gesturing towards the Earth, symbolizing The Magician's grounding in earthly realms while simultaneously connecting with the Universe.

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Michelle Driver is a South Australian artist working exclusively in handwoven tapestry. Her practice is grounded in slow labour, repetition, and material discipline, approaching tapestry as a rigorous studio practice rather than a decorative craft.

Her work is shaped by queerness, neurodiversity, and lived experience of trauma, and often draws on gothic aesthetics and unsettling narrative. Through weaving, she explores shadow, memory, and the tension between obedience and refusal, revealing beauty within what is overlooked or difficult to name.

Driver’s work has been recognised nationally, including winning the 2016 Port Pirie Art Prize and inclusion in Radical Textiles at the Art Gallery of South Australia.