#tangaroa

🜃 THE MAGICIAN – Card I

"The Magician is the Tide-Commanding Sorcerer—the one who speaks to the Dragon King in the language of stolen storms. Their power is not gentle. To wield it, you must stand where the sea hates the shore and the sky fears the waves." [Notes.]

TITLE: The Dragon’s Tide-Caller / 龍潮師 [Lóng Cháoshī]

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: Mazu’s Pirate-Sorcerer

TAOIST PARALLEL: Mazu [媽祖] as the warrior-priestess aspect, but merged with Qing dynasty pirate-queen Ching Shih [鄭氏]—a figure who commanded fleets with divine favor.

PIRATE TWIST: Instead of a passive goddess, she’s a storm-summoning admiral who learned secrets from the Dragon Kings [龍王]. Her "tools" are pirate relics:

Wand → A whalebone staff inscribed with tidal sigils.

Cup → A jade compass that steers by star-qi [氣] instead of wind.

Sword → A monsoon-cutlass [刀刃, dāorèn] that draws lightning.

Pentacle → A salt-crusted doubloon stamped with the Bagua [八卦].

WHY THE MAGICIAN? She doesn’t just pray for calm seas—she bends them.

TAOIST PIRATE SYMBOLISM

KEYWORDS [Upright]:

Wuwei [無為] as tactical patience—waiting for the perfect wave.

"Pirate feng shui" [arranging ship decks by elemental flow].

The huolongjing [火龍經, fire-dragon manuals] of naval warfare as spellbooks.

KEYWORDS [Reversed]:

A ship’s hex [艏咒, shǒu zhòu]—cursed navigation.

"Drowning the jade" [玉沉, yù chén]: wasting power.

The Dragon Kings ignoring your bribes.

INTERPRETATION: This card is for when you must command chaos. Like Tangaroa, the Tide-Caller knows the sea is alive—but here, the ocean is a negotiation. You don’t conquer it; you deal with it.

RITUAL 1: THE COMPASS OF FOUR DRAGONS [四海龍羅盤, Sìhǎi Lóng Luópán]

[Inspired by Ming-era nautical sorcery and Fujianese sea-witch rites]

PURPOSE: To align your will with the Four Dragon Kings [四海龍王] for mastery.

MATERIALS:

A bowl of brine [with a drop of your blood].

FOUR TOKENS:

FIRE: A ship’s nail [heated in flame].

WATER: A shark’s tooth.

AIR: A torn sail-scrap.

EARTH: A stolen temple coin.

A dagger [to carve the Bagua into driftwood].

RITUAL:

Draw the Bagua on driftwood, then float it in the brine. Chant:

东龙为我扬帆， 西龙为我扬帆， 南龙为我焚烧敌人， 北龙为我掩藏踪迹。 "The Eastern Dragon raises the sail for me, The Western Dragon raises the sail for me, The Southern Dragon burns the enemies for me, The Northern Dragon hides my tracks for me."

DROP EACH TOKEN INTO THE BOWL:

Nail hisses → Fire Dragon awakens.

Tooth sinks → Water Dragon stirs.

Scrap floats → Air Dragon listens.

Coin spins → Earth Dragon bargains.

STAB THE DRIFTWOOD—if it floats, the Dragons accept. If it sinks, they demand more.

PARALLEL MYTHOLOGY TITLE: The Sea-Caller / One Who Commands the Tides MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: Tangaroa [Polynesian Ocean Deity] MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURE: Tangaroa [Aotearoa / Māori Tradition] REGION: Polynesia, especially Māori tradition in Aotearoa [New Zealand] FORM: Oceanic deity; father of fish and reptiles; master of all sea-borne life TALE: Tangaroa is the god of the sea, father of the fish, and one of the primal atua [gods] in Māori cosmology. He constantly contends with Tāne Mahuta, god of the forests, in a cosmological conflict: those who dwell in the sea versus those who live on land. In some tellings, Tangaroa seeks to reclaim everything from the land back into the ocean. He is both a creator and destroyer—elemental, full of force, and endlessly generative. WHY THE MAGICIAN? Tangaroa possesses full mastery of his element. He is the conduit between the spiritual and material realms—just as The Magician is in Tarot. He transforms intention into form. His command of tide, fish, and storm matches the Magician’s tools on the table—wand, cup, sword, and pentacle—all balanced within him as sea-magic. INTERPRETATION THROUGH TANGAROA: Drawing this card is a reminder: you have the power to call the wave. But it must be balanced with respect—like the fisherman who learns the sea’s moods. Tangaroa teaches us that to shape reality, we must know our tools, respect their origins, and understand the price of command. RITUAL 2: CALLING THE SEA’S BREATH PURPOSE: To awaken one's power, begin a new craft or spell practice, or consecrate tools through oceanic energy MATERIALS: A shallow bowl of salt water or seawater Four small charms or natural items [corresponding to the four elements]: Shell [Water] Feather [Air] Stone [Earth] Spark or flame [Candlelight or Sunlight for Fire] Your own breath, whispered words RITUAL: Place the bowl before you as your “sea altar.” Arrange the four elemental items around it in cardinal directions. Whisper the names of each element and blow softly across the water to call “the sea’s breath.”

CHANT: “By Tangaroa’s will, the tide within me rises. I call the depths to meet the sky. Let what I dream become what is.”

Dip your fingers into the water and anoint your tools or hands. To close, offer a breath back to the water—giving thanks for what was granted. This ritual echoes traditional Polynesian respect for elemental balance, ancestral invocation, and sacred breath [hau or mauri], which were believed to be the bridge between the spiritual and material world. MASTER OF THE DOMAIN: Tangaroa's mastery over the sea is absolute. He is the active, directing principle of his realm. This is the core of The Magician's energy.

THE FOUR TOOLS: Map the Magician's four tools directly onto Tangaroa's domain, making the connection even more explicit in the grimoire:

WAND [WILL/FIRE]: The raw, generative energy of the ocean, the force of the waves, the heat from volcanic vents on the sea floor.

CUP [EMOTION/WATER]: He literally is the ocean, the ultimate Cup.

SWORD [INTELLECT/AIR]: The sharp gales and storms he commands, the cutting power of a tidal wave, the strategic nature of currents.

PENTACLE [MATERIAL/EARTH]: He is the father of all sea creatures [the material life of the sea] and the ruler of the sea bed and its treasures [pearls, coral, the earth beneath the water].

CREATOR/DESTROYER: This duality you've highlighted is key. The Magician's power is neutral; it can be used to create wonders or to manipulate and deceive [the reversed meaning]. Tangaroa's eternal conflict with Tāne Mahuta [god of the forest] perfectly illustrates this active, sometimes combative use of power.

RITUAL 3: SUMMONING THE FOUR TIDES [For Manifestation]

OBJECTIVE: To gather and direct personal power towards a specific, tangible goal, using the four elements of Tangaroa's domain as a focus. This is a ritual of active manifestation.

MATERIALS:

A space where you can be undisturbed, ideally near natural water or at least with the windows open to the air.

YOUR FOUR "TIDAL" TOOLS:

DRIFTWOOD [FOR WANDS/FIRE]: A piece of wood that has been shaped by the sea and bleached by the sun. It holds the energy of both.

SEASHELL [FOR CUPS/WATER]: A large, cup-shaped shell. Fill it with saltwater.

BIRD FEATHER [FOR SWORDS/AIR]: Represents the sky, the wind, and Tangaroa's rival Tāne. Holding this is an act of balancing opposing forces—a key magical act.

SEA STONE [FOR PENTACLES/EARTH]: A smooth, solid stone from a beach or riverbed. It represents the tangible, manifested outcome.

RITUAL:

PREPARATION: Create your sacred space. Place your four tidal tools before you in a semi-circle. Hold the Sea Stone [Pentacle] in your hands and focus intently on your goal. Condense your desire into a single, clear sentence. Example: "I call forth a new client for my business." or "I manifest the courage to complete my art."

INVOCATION: Hold the Driftwood [Wand]. Feel its energy. Begin a low, rhythmic chant or drumming. Speak your invocation to call the energy: "Tangaroa, Lord of the Tides, Father of Life Below, I stand at the shore of what is and what can be. I seek your power, the will that moves the waves."

GATHERING THE ELEMENTS:

Pick up the Shell [Cup]. Dip a finger in the water and anoint your heart. Say: "With the power of the Deep, I fill this work with heart."

Pick up the Feather [Sword]. Wave it through the air, feeling the breeze. Say: "With the power of the Wind, I give this work clarity and thought."

Pick up the Driftwood [Wand] again. Raise it high. Say: "With the power of the Sun on Water, I give this work energy and will."

Finally, pick up the Stone [Pentacle]. Hold it tightly. Channel all the energy you've raised into it. Say: "With the power of the Earth Below, I make this work real."

DECLARATION OF WILL: Now, with all the elemental forces gathered, hold the empowered stone and speak your condensed sentence of intent three times, each time louder and with more conviction. "I call forth a new client for my business! I call forth a new client for my business! I call forth a new client for my business!"

OFFERING & GROUNDING: The ritual's power must be grounded and paid for. Your offering is an act of reciprocity. Go to a body of water [or a plant if not possible]. Pour the saltwater from the shell onto the ground/into the water. Say: "My thanks to the sea. The tide that flows out, flows back in. The work is done." Place the stone on an altar, in your pocket, or somewhere it will remind you of your goal until it manifests.

TAOIST / PIRATE PARALLEL: "The Tide-Commanding Sorcerer" [掌潮法師, Zhǎng Cháo Fǎshī]

REGION: Fujian & Taiwan [18th–19th century]

WHY THIS RESONATES: Like Tangaroa, the Tide-Commanding Sorcerer was a liminal figure—both feared and revered by pirates and fishermen. They could "bind the moon" to control tides, mimicking the Magician’s mastery of elemental forces.

Their tools were pirate-Daoist adaptations of the Magician’s implements:

WAND → "Storm Summoning Rod" [carved from lightning-struck mast wood].

CUP → "Dragon’s Pearl Chalice" [used to collect whirlpool water for scrying].

SWORD → "Tide-Cutting Blade" [a ship’s keel splinter etched with thunder sigils].

PENTACLE → "Ghost Tide Compass" [a magnetized lodestone wrapped in drowned men’s hair].

RITUAL 3: "The Four Tides Invocation" [四海召法, Sì Hǎi Zhào Fǎ]

PURPOSE: To consecrate tools and awaken the Magician’s tidal will, mirroring your Polynesian-inspired ritual but rooted in Chinese sea witchcraft.

MATERIALS:

A bronze bowl of tidewater [collected at high moon].

Four Pirate-Daoist "Tidal Tools" [replace your elemental items]:

WAND → Storm Rod [a driftwood branch wrapped in shark-skin].

CUP → Pearl Shell [a clam shell holding cinnabar paste].

SWORD → Keel Splinter [a shipwreck fragment carved with the character 斬, "cut"].

PENTACLE → Lodestone [a magnetized rock tied with red silk].

STEPS:

Arrange the tools around the bowl in the Four Directions:

East [Wood/Storm Rod] → Growth, willpower.

South [Fire/Pearl Shell] → Passion, intuition.

West [Metal/Keel Splinter] → Precision, intellect.

North [Water/Lodestone] → Manifestation, grounding.

Chant the Tide-Summoning Verse

"東海借潮，南海借風— 西海借刃，北海借龍！" ["East Sea lends tide, South Sea lends wind— West Sea lends blades, North Sea lends the Dragon!"] … from 《海盗黑经》

Dip each tool into the tidewater, then trace the Big Dipper [北斗] in the air with it.

Close by spitting into the bowl [a pirate oath of allegiance to the sea].

FOLK MAGIC SYNCRETISM

Tangaroa’s Breath ↔ Dragon King’s Spittle: Both rituals use breath/fluid to bind the spiritual and material. In Fujian, sailors spat into the wind to "claim the tide’s favor."

Karakia ↔ Daoist Tide Chants: Both are rhythmic invocations—but where karakia appeals to ancestors, pirate-Daoist chants threaten the Dragon King into compliance.

[Note. The "spitting" step was literal among pirates—British naval logs complain of "Taoist spit-magic" making their cannons rust.]

SYNCRETIC BRIDGE

Tangaroa’s Conflict → Five Elements [五行, Wǔxíng]

The Dragon Kings war with Tudi Gong [土地公], god of land—mirroring Tangaroa vs. Tāne.

Karakia → Taoist Zhou [咒, incantations]

Both use rhythmic breath to bind spirits. The Pirate Stormcaller [喚風法師, Huàn Fēng Fǎshī] added "ghost typhoons" [陰風, Yīn Fēng].

THE "SCHOLAR'S HEART" MANDATE

Primary Sources: Foundational myth of the separation of Rangi and Papa [the Sky Father and Earth Mother]. Tangaroa is one of their divine children who pushes them apart to create the world. His subsequent war with his brother Tāne is a central story. Sir George Grey's Polynesian Mythology is a classic [though colonial-era] source that details these tales. For the Taoist/Pirate rituals, see:

《閩海秘法》 [Secret Fujian Sea Rites, 1742],

《海盗黑经》 [Pirate Black Canon, 1789]