1 - The Magician
Note: This guide is based on the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck. Other tarot decks may have unique meanings, or some of these meanings may not apply.
| Upright Keywords: | Balance, power, magic, creation, skill, action |
| Reversed Keywords: | Imbalance, impatience, lack of control, inaction |
The Magician stands at a table, pointing one hand upwards and the other down. They wear a white tunic with a red robe. Their belt is a snake biting its own tail, not unlike an ouroboros. An infinity symbol hovers above their head. In the Magician's hand is a wand. Representing the four Minor Arcana suits, a sword, rod, cup, and pentacle sit on the table. The card is bordered with greenery, white lilies, and red roses. The background is a bright yellow.
This iconic pose is in reference to the phrase "as above, so below," a Hermetic philosophy that states what occurs in the material realm occurs in the spiritual realm, and vice versa.
In Readings: Upright
The Magician's accumulated tools suggest a mastery over each element. They have control in all present realms, and they're more than willing to use it. The Magician has magic and power at his fingertips - it just needs to be wielded.
Upright, the Magician denotes someone who has both means and opportunity to act in a given situation. They're motivated and well-equipped. This person may or may not be actually magically-inclined. The Magician's primary focus is on taking action and making change in the world using the power and knowledge he's earned.
This card suggests to the querent that they have more power than they might believe. It appears as a sign of ample skill and a call to action - not to trust or believe, but to know that they've got everything they need. All they have to do is envision the outcome clearly and act.
Card Combinations:
Suggestions for possible meanings of this card when combined with others.
Two of Cups: There is an opportunity to deepen an existing connection and forge a strong union. Leverage communication skills to your greatest benefit.
Ten of Pentacles, reversed: Your desired future is blurred. The actions you are taking are not the ones you need in order to create a long-lasting legacy. Realign.
Page of Swords: The knowledge you have is a stepping stone to even greater insights. Allow your curiosity to carry you into new territory and pick up new skills.
Queen of Wands: Practice grants competence grants confidence. Take knowledge and turn it into a formidable weapon. Do no harm, but take no shit.
In Readings: Reversed
In the reverse, the Magician's many tools are disorganized. The control he should have over his environment is missing, either lost or never seized. Whether misuing the magic or failing to use it at all, there is an element of dissatisfaction to the reversed Magician.
The Magician can also represent a connection between the material and the immaterial - the physical and the spiritual. When reversed, this connection is blocked, ignored, or nonexistent. The Magician's innate sense for the divine is in some way corrupted.
This may represent that the querent needs to rebalance themselves. A lack of patience and skill exacerbates existing problems. Existing skills need to be honed, or new ones learned. It may also represent a fear of one's own capabilities, or the anticipated lack thereof.
Card Combinations
Suggestions for possible meanings of this card when combined with others.
Two of Pentacles: There is a struggle for control and balance, specifically in the realm of finance. This dance is one you should know, but you trip over your feet. The rhythm of it is foreign only because you are not hearing it.
Knight of Wands: Impulsiveness. In your haste, you let your self-control slip. Having the will to do something is all well and good, but success is not assured if all you have is determination.
Ten of Cups, reversed: All direction has been lost. Disharmony reigns. Without discipline, there can be no beautiful future.
The High Priestess: The answers lie not in practical skill but in intuition. Not everything can be learned through study. Some messages come from patient listening and sources unseen. What was true then may not be true now.
Other Perspectives
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