The Father
The Forty Servants in Theory & Practice
Hello, good people of the internet, and welcome to The Forty Servants in Theory and Practice, a new series where I take a deeper look into the philosophy, use, and evolution of The Forty Servants system, drawing on nearly a decade of hands-on experience and magical experimentation.
A lot of this series will be for paid Patreon Members only, but I will also be doing lots of free posts in this newsletter too. In this free section of the series we will be looking at each individual Servant with regard to their magick and divination use, along with background on the art, sigil, and symbolism. We will also look at what Servants work well together, and anything else that's relevant.
If you would like to support this series, please consider a paid Patreon Membership, or sending a donation!
If you know nothing about the magick and divination system The Forty Servants, then have a look at this link HERE. You can start using The Forty Servants straight away, as there are totally free resources available at that link that give you access to everything the system has to offer.
So let’s let’s go!
THE FATHER
The Father shows us tough love, guidance, and wisdom so that we can face the challenges of life for ourselves. He encourages us to learn the lessons for ourselves so that we handle future problems with greater wisdom and insight.
ARTWORK
The artwork for the Father came about from me wanting to do an older version of my character Roman from my comic THEM. For those unfamiliar, THEM is a comic hypersigil project that I did around 2013 that explored themes such as identity, trauma, and transcendence. While Roman is the main character, he isn’t the main driving force of the story – The Idea is, but we will come back to that later in the series.
The reason for using Roman is that in the story he really gets put through the wringer but manages to come out on top. He has taken all that life has thrown at him and become all the better for it. As such, I felt he, as an older mature version of himself, would be a perfect mentor or the perfect father figure.
The scarf worn by The Father is Roman’s, and the landscape behind him is taken from the desert that appears in the opening scene of THEM—the same terrain that shows up behind The Mother, and The Adventurer1. They are all part of the “real-world” Servants, firmly rooted in material existence.
The Father is standing with his hand inside his jacket—the Napoleon pose—a gesture commonly found in portraits up until the mid-19th Century which is meant to indicate “leadership in a calm and firm manner.”
His expression is serious, but not unkind. He’s not judging you—he looks at you with compassion, but he isn’t hiding the horror from you. He isn’t sugarcoating the truth or giving you false hope that “everything will be alright”. He is there for you to offer support, advice, companionship and mentorship—but he’ll not do the work for you. He can’t. No one can do the work other than you. No one can live your life for you.
THE SIGIL
When I created it, I had no real symbolic meaning behind it other than I just knew I wanted it to feel like a signature. I wanted it to carry the weight of authority—like a legal signature, a doctor’s signature, or a mark made on a pact, contract, or agreement. The final dot is made aggressively or with finality. There is no going back. The word has been given, the promise made.
It can be used when you need to make difficult decisions and stand by them. It’s very useful to use when you are unsure if people are just telling you what you want to hear. It will help cut through the bullshit and reveal the situation as it is. It’s a sigil of cold hard reality. It reveals not what you want to hear but what you need to hear.
Try placing the sigil under a mattress or pillow if the issue is weighing heavily on the heart before sleep. Let the Father speak through dreams.
Sigil Quick Uses: Seeking life advice, making big decisions, taking on a leadership role, cutting through emotional fog, reinforcing discipline or structure.
DIVINATION
When The Father appears in a divination it’s a call to step up and to take responsibility. The Father tells you that you have to go through something and that no one else can do it for you. Life is tough, and we can’t always rely on other people to do the hard bits. We have to have those difficult conversations, we have to show up for those uncomfortable events, we have to say sorry when we have done something wrong, and we have to face what we fear in order to move past it.
The Father tells you that he can’t mend your broken heart, but he can sit with you while you mend it. His heart has been broken many times so he knows what you are experiencing and knows that the only way out is through.
The Father will offer you every bit of wisdom and guidance he has, not because he wants to take the burden off your shoulders, but because he wants to see you carry it well. His love isn't soft and indulgent; it’s steady, firm, and focused on helping you become capable in your own right. He knows that the best way to truly learn something is by doing, even if that means messing up a few times along the way.
Life is difficult. That’s just part of the deal. And The Father doesn’t try to shield you from that — not because he doesn’t care, but because he does! He knows there’s strength to be found in facing things head-on that builds the kind of resilience no book or lecture ever could. You only really learn not to touch the fire after you’ve been burned. Experience teaches in ways theory, or stories, never can, and The Father understands this.
And remember that in Divinations The Father isn’t always denoting a male character in your life.
Shadow Reversal
Shadow Reversals in The Forty Servants don’t signify the opposite of the normal energy of the Servant but more a dysfunctional version of it, or a detrimental misuse or misunderstanding of the qualities.
Reversed, The Father’s energy can turn into authoritarianism, coldness, control, or tyranny. It might indicate that you, or someone in your life, is trying to dominate under the guise of “guidance.” The reverse Father can hide behind statements such as “I’m just being honest” or “I am just saying it like it is” when in fact what they are doing is being insulting and unkind.
Or perhaps you’re being too hard on yourself, internalising harsh standards and mistaking them for wisdom. Are you struggling to forgive your own past mistakes, carrying a weight of shame that no longer serves a purpose? Are you needlessly punishing or scolding yourself for past mistakes? The Father says: You’ve learned. Now move forward.
On the other side, reversal may point to a refusal to take responsibility. Are you blaming others, avoiding hard truths, or waiting for someone else to make the tough decisions? Are you stepping up? Or are you still waiting for permission?
MAGICK
If you’re standing at a crossroads in life, The Father is one of the best Servants to turn to. He’s especially helpful when facing the kind of real-world decisions that keep you up at night! The Father is an incredible ally in any working involving maturity, leadership, clarity, or guidance. He is especially helpful when you need to make a major decision, or you’re preparing for responsibility such as parenthood, leadership, teaching, etc.
He's useful to evoke if you’re trying to gain clarity around a difficult choice, or you need support during emotionally heavy times. You could invoke him if you want to build or restore discipline or order.
Call on The Father like you’d call a wise uncle or a mentor who doesn’t coddle but always shows up when it counts. Be honest. Be direct. He’ll meet you where you are.
You could write your situation out in a letter, then burn it after asking for his guidance, and trust that the right answer will come.
But writing a letter, while often helpful, isn’t necessary, simply place his image or sigil in front of you and call out to him like you would call out to someone in the next room. Then, just speak to him—out loud—about what is troubling you and what you require help with. Speak clearly. Be honest. Don’t embellish. Don’t beg. Just ask: What’s the wise thing to do here? And then listen. The answer may not come immediately, but it will come.
You can use his image or sigil while journaling, meditating, or making a difficult choice. Light a candle and ask him to help you see the next step clearly. He’s not interested in long rituals or elaborate offerings—he’s interested in whether you follow through on what you say you’re going to do.
Show up, do the work, and thank him afterwards.
The Father and Saturn
To me, there is a connection between The Father and the archetype of Saturn. Both represent structure, wisdom earned through experience, boundaries, and the necessity of facing reality as it is. Saturn isn't interested in excuses or shortcuts. He demands discipline, patience, and integrity. Likewise, The Father isn't here to rescue you, but to help you stand on your own two feet, even if that means letting you fall first.
Working with The Father can be like stepping into Saturnian energy: it can feel heavy, even cold at times, but its intention is always growth. True self-respect comes from knowing you’ve faced difficulty with clarity and strength. When you work with The Father, you're not just asking for help, you’re committing to do what's required.
SERVANT COMBINATIONS
The Father has a deep connection with The Mother. Where she offers shelter, comfort, and unconditional support, The Father brings structure, perspective, and the kind of guidance that prepares you for the real world. He understands that some lessons can’t be avoided or softened—they have to be lived. While The Mother does everything she can to protect and nurture, The Father steps in when it’s time to stand on your own, even if it hurts. Together, they form a complete system of care: one holding you close, the other helping you walk forward. Both are rooted in love, just expressed in very different, but equally necessary, ways.
The Father works well with The Guru, if you’re trying to bridge inner wisdom with outer guidance.
The father combines well with The Fixer, for problem-solving with a realistic mindset.
In spiritual work, pairing The Father with The Dead can create a beautiful dynamic for ancestral guidance and inherited wisdom, especially around family, tradition, or life lessons passed down through generations.
THE FORTY SERVANTS IN THEORY & PRACTICE SERIES SO FAR
ARTICLES:
THE WITCH
THE GATE KEEPER
THE MOTHER
PATREON VIDEOS:
001 - Introduction
002 - Beg, Borrow, Be.
003 - Art History
And that's it for this time, I hope you got something good from it. If you'd like to chat about it, you can leave a comment below, or come find me on Bluesky!
If you would like to support me in doing all the things I do, then feel free to join the PATREON, buy a FORTY SERVANTS deck, get me a book or something from my Amazon Wish List, or just send me some money via PAYPAL. It all really, really helps, and is very much appreciated.
So, until next time,
MAY YOUR BEST DAYS BE AHEAD!
Tommie
The Balancer also has this desert rock in her image, but she is part of both the material and the spiritual worlds.