The Librarian
The Forty Servants in Theory & Practice
Hello, good people of the internet, and welcome back to The Forty Servants in Theory and Practice, a series where I have a deeper look into the philosophy, use, and evolution of the Magick and Divination system: The Forty Servants.
Each entry will focus on one Servant at a time, offering background insight, design history, divination reflections, shadow aspects, magical applications, and how my personal understanding of each has shifted or deepened over the years.
If you know nothing about 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. You can start working with the Servant today without having to open your wallet or sign up, or anything other than read some web pages.
If you would like to support this series and the rest of the stuff I do, then please consider a paid Patreon Membership, buying me a coffee, or sending a PayPal donation! All amounts, even very small ones, all really, really help to keep the engine running here.
So, let’s go…
THE LIBRARIAN
The Librarian shows us the theory behind the subjects that interest us. She encourages us to study, and ever increase our knowledge.
THE ARTWORK
The artwork for The Librarian has an interesting origin story. It comes from a comic that was published in a very short-lived anthology called Tommie Kelly Presents. The comic was called Pictures of Songs And Devotion, and it was a sequel to my previous comic From Rags to Rock Stars, which was itself a sequel to my earlier webcomic, ROAD CREW. (As a side note, the title was a play on the Depeche Mode album Songs of Faith and Devotion, just swapping “songs” for “pictures” to suit the different medium).
In the comic, there’s a scene where the God of music, Amoroso, who after explaining how the Gods and the cosmos actually work, hands a book of music to a character known simply as the “Girl with the Guitar.”
The anthology didn’t take off and the subsequent storyline never got told. But, when it came time to create The Librarian for the deck, I realised I already had the perfect artwork ready to go. The final page of the comic is the girl holding the book, which fitted perfectly with what I had in mind. OR perhaps it was the other way round, it’s hard to recall now. Maybe the image inspired the Servant. Or both inspired each other.
I changed the background to a series of bookshelves rather than a backstreet and adjusted the colours from a cold blue hue to a warmer purple tone. I changed drawing a bit to suit her new career by removing her guitar, fixing her hair slightly and changing her eye colour.
Looking back it is interesting that the book the librarian holds is a book of music. This seems like an untapped resource waiting to be explored, at least for me.
THE SIGIL
The sigil also has an interesting backstory too, in that it was originally used for a different servitor I created. The role of this original servitor was exactly the same as The Librarian, but it had a different name, and in the sense that these things have a gender, was male rather than female. I had ceased to use the old servitor, and it seemed happy enough to be reincarnated into this new form. The old servitor was called LIBR, a version of the Latin for book, Liber. I suspect that the Librarian would still answer to this name, but try it and see for yourself. To me, The librarian is a bit snarky, so it may all depend on her mood.
The design of the sigil is very simple, it’s a pictorial version of an open book. If I was designing it now I would probably make it more simplistic, but the sigil as it is, is the correct sigil and I am certain I would massively ruin the Servants if I tried to go all George Lucas on them now.
Her sigil is an absolute must-have tool for students, book collectors, researchers, or anyone trying to gather complex information, which I assume covers most people who would read this.
Place her sigil in your study area, stick it on your laptop, or draw it on your notebooks so that you retain much more of the information you are reading. If you are taking tests or exams, keep a copy of her sigil on you (in your pocket or drawn on your skin) when you go into the exam hall to help you recall what you’ve learned. You can place her sigil over the name of a rare, out-of-print, or specific book you are trying to track down to bring it to you synchronistically.
Sigil Quick Uses: to help retain information, help recall what you’ve learned, to track down books or information, to help you file, categorise, and organise your thoughts.
DIVINATION
When The Librarian appears in a reading, there is often a strong sense that you need to gain further knowledge on a subject or problem before you act. The Servant is essentially telling you that you don’t have all the facts yet, so stop guessing and go look it up!
She is all about studying, researching, and gathering information. In strict contrast to The Guru, she represents theory and knowledge rather than practical application. She is interested in knowing rather than doing. Also, unlike The Guru, The Librarian is mostly about being an autodidact, which is a self-taught person who learns through self-study rather than formally from a teacher.
Her appearance can be a sign that education and learning (whether formal education or self-taught exploration) is vital to your current situation or is about to play a big part in your life. It may be a sign that you need to get your nose into the books, do some heavy research on the issue at hand, or perhaps even consider a return to coursework or formal education.
If I had to put into a simple sentence what The Librarian likely means in a reading I would say: more information is needed. But it also asks a pointed question: Are you relying on assumptions, gossip, or “gut feelings” when the actual, concrete data is readily available to you? Go do the research.
SHADOW REVERSAL
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.
In her shadow aspect, The Librarian represents information overload and analysis paralysis. It is the energy of buying stacks of books but never actually reading them, or having access to crucial information but completely ignoring it. Or using learning as an excuse never to begin something.
When reversed, this energy can also manifest as a fear of knowledge or the unknown. You might be apprehensive about learning the truth of a situation, choosing instead to bury your head in the sand because you simply “don’t want to know”.
MAGICK
The Librarian is a brilliant ally for anything related to information, study, and research.
If you are having difficulty procuring a rare, out-of-print, or specific book, she is a great Servant to enlist. Simply make a candle offering to The Librarian with the name of the book written on a piece of paper underneath it. This also works for tracking down specific audiobooks, PDFs, comics, or any sort of media.
Equally, if you are looking for a specific piece of information or data, such as a lost password, a forgotten name, or a missing detail, ask The Librarian to help track it down.
She is also an essential Servant for students. If you are studying, taking tests, or doing exams, a series of candle offerings (or even a good old Novena) to The Librarian can be highly effective for memory retention and recall.
Because she is a master cataloguer, you can invoke her when you are suffering from brain-fog or feeling completely overwhelmed by a massive amount of data. Ask her to help you sort, file, and organise your thoughts into something coherent and manageable.
For more esoteric workings, The Librarian could be the perfect guide for accessing the Akashic Records. Try asking her to be your guide through the great fabled cosmic library to help you find the exact “book” or soul-record you are looking for.
And finally, tying back into her newly remembered artwork origins mentioned above. Because she is literally holding a book of music, I highly suspect The Librarian would be a fantastic ally for anyone studying music theory, learning to read sheet music, or trying to understand the mathematical and theoretical side of composing.
SERVANT COMBINATIONS
This is the ultimate “Teaching” trio is The Librarian, The Guru, and The Father. The Father teaches you how to navigate the emotional hardships and life lessons, The Guru provides the practical, real-world wisdom, and The Librarian teaches you the underlying theory behind it all.
Pair the Librarian with The Monk when you need deep, uninterrupted focus for study or research. The Monk helps to provide the isolation and quiet, while The Librarian aids with the retention and gathering of knowledge.
Use The Librarian with The Idea if you are doing research for a creative project. The Librarian helps you gather all the raw data and reference material, and The Idea helps you synthesize it into something original and inspiring.
The Librarian with The Conductor is a fantastic combination whether you are literally studying music, or looking at your life though a metaphorical music lens. If life is a song, The Librarian helps you study the underlying theory, and understand the mechanics of the song you are trying to play. The Conductor then helps you orchestrate those notes into reality with perfect rhythm and timing.
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, though I’m not terribly active over there.
If you would like to support this series and the rest of the stuff I do, then please consider a paid Patreon Membership, buying me a coffee, or sending a PayPal donation! All amounts, even very small ones, all really, really help to keep the engine running here.
So, until next time,
MAY YOUR BEST DAYS BE AHEAD!
Tommie
THE FORTY SERVANTS IN THEORY & PRACTICE SERIES:
THE WITCH - THE GATE KEEPER - THE MOTHER
THE FATHER - THE PROTECTOR - THE SAINT
THE CONDUCTOR - THE PROTESTER - THE IDEA
THE BALANCER - THE MOON - THE LEVITATOR
THE THINKER - THE EXPLORER - THE MASTER
THE DEAD - THE SUN - THE PLANET
THE DEPLETED - THE HEALER - THE EYE
THE CARNAL - THE FORTUNATE - THE MONK
THE FIXER -
LECTURE VIDEOS:
001 — Introduction
002 — Beg, Borrow, Be.
003 — Art History
004 — The Book Of Pacts
005 — Pathworking Astral Addresses
006 — The 9 Card Spread