Tarot: The Magician

Basic Card Symbols

Red and white coloring, the lemniscate (infinity symbol), a small wand, a table displaying a chalice, a pentacle, a staff (wand) and a sword. 

Basic Tarot Story

The beginning of our journey through the Tarot begins with the Magician. The Fool, who is wandering along his way encounters a Magician on his path. This magus is powerful, and has a halo floating about his head. The Fool is mesmerized by him, and when asked, the Fool gives over the bundled sack he is carrying willingly. The Magician then sets the sack on a table; raising his wand to the heavens, and pointing a solitary finger to the Earth, he calls on all the powers that be. Magically, the sack opens itself, revealing what’s inside. 

The Fool sees his future laid before him on the table, as though the Magician had, with one word, laid out any and all possibilities that may lay before the Fool, including all of the directions he could take: 

• The Sword of Intellect and Communication
• The Wand of Passion and Ambition
• The Chalice of Love and Emotions
• The Pentacle, of Possessions and the Body

It is with these very tools that The Fool can make anything of his life; however, it begs the question, did the Magician create the tools, or were they already there to begin with? Only the Magician knows, and the eloquent Mage isn’t privy to reveal anything.

The Card and its Meaning

The Magician is a card of Creation and Willpower. The symbol of infinity that is placed over The Magician’s head is indicative of the power of thought, and its ability to be physically manifested by action, in this case, the solitary finger of the Magician pointing to the earth. And it is with this Magic that all things are possible.

The Magician is the only card in the entire 78 that is representative of the Tarot. He is the only card within the Major Arcana that refers to the Minor Arcana, which are laid out upon his table. This card is all about getting an idea, and finding a way for it to come to fruition. Which is why The Magician is related to Charismatic, Clever, Witty, Inventive, and Persuasive traits. 

However, that is not to say that The Magician isn’t representative of a trickster. For the querent, this could mean that someone in their life is not who they appear to be. The most important aspect of this card is the act of revelation, and should be treated as such, regardless of its positioning within a spread.

Aeclectic Tarot