Harlequin
Chapter 2 Harlequin
Many are familiar with the image of the Harlequin as well as with court jesters, and aware of their function beyond entertainment as offering sage advice when others might have been too frightened to do so. Looking back through history, one will discover that they have been around a long time, from their dramatic roles in Greek theater, as well as appearing in Mystery plays and with traveling minstrels during the medieval period. They then showed up in Shakespeare plays and puppet shows. While the Harlequin image is said to come from Italy originally with a black half-mask and patches on his clothes, the white-faced Pierrot was later created in France, showing its universal relevance and its different expressions from around the world; some we might be more familiar with.
Having a political function, the Harlequin or clown-figure could provoke or push against society unlike those under its rule. Few could escape the power of the Church. For too long, scientists and magicians have been fighting against the restraints imposed upon them by Christianity, and had the additional worry about being charged with witchcraft and facing being killed. Often they would turn to code and symbols to get their messages secretly across or try to implement other measures of security. Perhaps in other time periods as well as in other countries, only clowns could openly enact the cosmic drama as a way of bringing the truth to the community. They showed another side of reality suggesting that perhaps a magickal realm was interwoven with ours. Imagination and make-believe could be experienced by the lucky few who fell under its mystery. It kept magick alive in the hearts of those who otherwise had little hope or joy in these dark ages. Even adults could experience their inner child and recreate a sense of wonder for brief moments. I’m sure many longed for the spiritual realms that they were denied.
Even today, many magick folk often have to walk the line between 2 opposing sides. Jobs and family might dictate that they keep their occult interests secret. Unfortunately, science and intelligence are also facing a backlash these days. The majority of society might only accept a magic show or some pleasing superficial entertainment while those attempting to explore Mystery or even Art are still considered to be an outsider and a rebel. While some Christians might consider all magick forms as evil, others might equate it with the realm of cults or charlatans, while ignoring those who seek to break free from mental shackles to allow wonder and awe to return. Instead of allowing the universe to be described by someone else’s religion or having limited experience with anyone outside their culture or norm, Seekers will choose to find out for themselves what Mysteries might hold.
Because the world that one comes from can often appear unfriendly and full of danger, we can see how the mask of Zanni came about. Zanni is another version of the Harlequin. See image below. “In his beginnings, this mask was one of the underworld gods and demons threatening the harvest. Zanni’s history can be traced back as far as the primordial rituals for bringing fertility to the land, as expressed with the festivals during the Middle Ages,” so how did this dark origin evolve from there? Zanni became the village idiot, who encountered this threatening darkness and impending doom, but it became a comedic moment when the demons and buffoon came face to face as if in a dance. Though wearing white, representing the souls of the dead, “the Commedia dell’Arte has therefore turned this demon into something people could laugh at, just as it did for Harlequin.”
This helped people face uncomfortable truths or see beyond the snares of their troubles. Really, it sounds quite beautiful and it gave them hope that there is always another side to things. Like the reminder of the changing seasons, we can look beyond what seems impossible or daunting and remember that it won’t stay that way forever. It portrays the resilience of the human spirit and helps us find what we need within to make our journey and ordeals as meaningful and insightful as we can, so that we don’t become trapped or lose our way. We can empower ourselves and others to keep going, even when situations seem out of our control.
"This woman-goddess is Harlequin; she is the partner and fulfillment of The Fool. She is the ultimate illusion which is manifestation; she is the dance, many-coloured, many-wiled, of Life itself. Constantly whirling, under the phantom-show of Space and Time: all things are real, the Soul is the surface, precisely because they are instantly compensated by this Adjustment. All things are harmony and beauty; all things are Truth: because they cancel out. She is the goddess Maat; she bears upon her nemyss the ostrich feathers of the Twofold Truth."- Book of Thoth
The above quote really hits things home for me. I imagine the Harlequin dancing with the Fool, whirling in a mesmerizing dance as if tying these ideas together with ribbons. Even as truths get sewn together, they are still disguised by masks, so perhaps not all is yet revealed. Next, here is a revisiting of the thought about mentors/teachers.
“The Apotheosis Magus, sometimes known as the Harlequin, is typically a master of internal disguise and often external disguise also. The Apotheosis Magus teaches by encouraging emulation and then often finally capping it with outrage. His play which is often never consciously formulated, is to provide a role model for emulation by his accolytes and perhaps later to drive them away and throw them back on their own resources, the horizons of which have been expended by the encounter. The essential trick of the Apotheosis Magus is to present magic as a source of boundless self confidence. If he can convince his acolytes that they are magicians capable of anything such beliefs will tend to become self fulfilling. The Apotheosis Magus implies this through the triumph of the will. The Nemesis Magus implies it by showing that nothing is true. Both aim to set the imagination free. The Apotheosis Magus must be continually alert to avoid the backlash from his own lifestyle and those who have associated with him. He must always be one step ahead of the police raid. He often comes to a bad end. Notable magi operating in this mode include Cagliostro, Giordano Bruno, Paracelsus, Gurdjieff, (Bubba Free John and Aleister Crowley.)”- The Magus, Peter Caroll
Truly brave heroes in my opinion. To me, the Harlequin has become a symbol of bravery and strength as we ever so slowly try to remove the chains of the ignorant past, and perhaps one day, there will be an appreciation for all those maligned by the mainstream, who yet leave a fragile string of hope for the rest of those trying to hold onto what they left behind and perhaps tend its flourishing. What Fools we must be.