Read more about Red Mage and see more pieces from the collection: open.substack.com/pub/patternw...

The Red Mage knows when to be still and heal, and when to take action with a sharp sword, which is a hard earned wisdom. I also think the Red Mage represents clearly what I believe is the underlying practice of any creativity, becoming fluent in opposite modes and blending them into a new whole.

Similar to the Green Man living in the boundary between the human realm and the dark woods, the Red Mage is a liminal figure who lives in the threshold between the internal and external worlds, between action and stillness, spell and blade.

The red mage feels impossible. How can one character blend such extreme opposites on their own and in combination? They synthesize seemingly incompatible opposites into a unified flow, and seem to have no problem shifting between modes.

Spellsword classes in role playing games are also examples of the archetype, equally comfortable with both the mundane sword and the arcane book. In the Legend of Zelda series, Link carries some of these qualities, and might exchange his green tunic for a red one.

As a class they are defined by their adaptability and their fluency in opposites, the ability to wield magic at the front line or distribute essential boons to support their companions, and to switch between the two modes in the blink of an eye.

The “red mage” is a gaming reference, but I think it’s a deeper archetype that happens to have found its expressive footing in the medium of video games. In the Final Fantasy series, a red mage is a spellcaster that blends offensive black magic and healing white magic.

Long live the web

bsky.app/profile/fray...

Eventually this likely means offline support too. I’ve always been interested in progressive enhancement and assumed that would mean I would lean into server side rendering and minimal client side logic. But these days the connection to the server itself feels like an enhancement that is optional.

That might be personal casual daily journaling, a regular tarot spread, or a creativity randomizer for a specific project. Cartomancy for everything!

I’m getting close to having a rough draft version ready to share! Would anyone be interested in testing and sharing feedback?

So the main motivation is to have a digital oracle deck table that mirrors the physical table, and also extends the possibilities of what random connections can be conjured. The main goal is for Enchanted Table to be open ended so it can support any type of personal reflection or creative practice.

Often I wish I could draw random connections from other “decks”, like all the painting inspiration I have saved on my phone, or random quotes from a book I read years ago, or my favorite pictures. I want to mix these with the enchantment of the oracle decks and my art practice.