The Magician

Tonight we will discuss the tarot card: The Magician. We will be analyzing the Magician card from the following decks: The Connolly, The Gendron Tarot, Radiant Rider Waite, Tarot of a Moon Garden, The Russian Tarot of St Petersburg and The Golden Tarot.

First lets discuss traditional symbols found on all of the Magician cards in the 6 decks we are looking at: Those would be the symbol for infinity and a man standing behind a table that has the 4 symbols representing the four suits of the Minor Arcana.

Now what makes each artistic rendition of the card by the various artists unique? In Kat Blacks interpretation with her deck the Golden Tarot she shows the Magician communicating with animals. In Yuri Shakov's version a young Slavic man sits at the table filled with symbols of all the suits. He holds a wand and is dropping a coin into a cup. In the Tarot of a Moon Garden we see the Magician as a Wizard. He is surrounded by foliage. Something interesting about Karen's rendition is the use of dragonflies and unicorns. The Sword handle is represented by a dragonfly as the hilt and there is a miniature unicorn climbing out of the cup. Our next deck is the Radiant Rider Waite. In this deck the rendition of the Magician is completely traditional and makes this deck the perfect deck for the beginner to learn from.

The Connolly interpretation is by far one of my favorites. The Magician is rendered as having found the table of life. The red roses behind him symbolize his love and purpose. His red cloak represents individuality that protects him as reaches out to master the moments that rule himself and others. In our final rendition by Melanie Gendron. The Magician is called the Magus. He is shown as a She. She has a crow on her shoulder. There is a black cat in the foreground. All the remaining symbols are traditional.

Now lets break down the meaning of the symbols.

First off the The Number 1. What does it represent? It can have some of the following meanings: Initiative, Early stages of action or maybe creative power.

Other names that the Magician card can be seen in other decks as: The Juggler or the Magus. The astrological counterpart represented by this card is Mercury. Animals often associated with this card are the Cat, the Crow, the Dove and Hummingbirds.

The infinity symbol or Cosmic Lemniscates represents the harmonious interaction of the conscious and subconscious, thoughts and feelings.

The table with the 4 symbols of The Minor Arcana represent the following:

CUPS: Symbol of knowledge and preservation,

PENTACLE: In the form of an amulet, protects against evil spirits

SWORD: Protection, knowledge, mind, constructive or destructive activity, elimination of outworn forms.

WAND: Will and power, continual renewal of life, phallic significance, rod or staff that is prepared so that it may be used for magical or psychic purposes, usually to project some form of power.

All items being placed together on the table can be seen as taking charge of your life so you can craft your own destiny. I also don't feel that people utilize everything that the universe has to offer. These symbols placed together show that all choices are available.

Non traditional symbols used by the individual artists can be interpreted as the following:

The Black Cat: Good Fortune

Unicorns: Mystery or Moral purity

Foliage with red flowers: physical and human desires

If I was going to use a Keywords for this card in its Upright position it would have to be Focused Energy. In the reverse the Keywords would be Lack of Focus.

Now in a reading the Magician Upright can have some of the following interpretations: Ability to make a decision, Willpower, Self confidence, Problem solving abilities, Adaptation to change, Marketing yourself, the 5 senses. The lungs, the hands, the central nervous system. The Magician is a suitable significator for the dedicated student.

In Reverse position it can represent: Blocked creativity, Not seeing things for what they really are, Unrealistic goals, making mistakes, over confidence, misuse of magical energies.

In readings the Magician can represent the following:

In romance he can represent a womans ideal man. In magic the card can refer to a person who is interested in metaphysics. When the Magician card is in a position that signifies your status in a reading , it indicates that things will go your way because you are doing the right things.

Join me next time for our study of the High Priestess card. Until then, Bright Blessings.

The Fool

Lets begin by discussing the Tarot card The Fool but before we do that I would like to give a brief history of the 6 Tarot Decks that I have chosen to work with so that you can see the variations in artwork from artist to artist. The 1st deck is The Golden Tarot by Kat Black. Her artwork has been collaged completely from late to Middle Ages and the Early Renaissance period. The Major Arcana in this deck consists of 22 cards representing a journey through life towards salvation. The Minor Arcana cards represent more everyday affairs. The images used in the artwork are from 1200 – 1500 AD. Her style can be considered international gothic but Kat did not stick directly with that in some instances you can see where the art evolved into Renaissance.



The 2nd deck is the Russian Deck of St Petersburg by Yury Shakov. Even though this deck is not geared towards beginners it is very easy to read. The paintings of this deck were done to exact size. The detailed work required a magnifying glass and an arm brace to steady the hand and at times a paint brush with only a single hair. Many of the scenes are reminiscent of icons by eighteenth and nineteenth century painters. This deck was Yury Shakov's final commissioned work. He passed away March 10, 1989. He finished a number of the cards and preliminary sketches for the rest but the work was finished by an unknown Russian Artist.

Our 3rd deck is the Tarot of a Moon Garden. The paintings in this deck are by Karen Marie Sweikhardt. This deck is whimsical, enchanting and loaded with symbolism. Karen uses Unicorns, Dragonflies, Dragons, Lush Jungles, Butterflies, Hot Air Balloons and the Moon to show full effect. Unicorns act as guides, dragons indicate transformation, castles serve as shelter and Angels and fairies offer the reader guidance as the seeker journeys through the experiences of the Major and Minor Arcanas. The moon also appears in her many phases representing the triple goddess – maiden, mother and crone.

Our 4th deck is the Radiant Rider Waite Tarot Deck. Designed by Pamela Colman Smith under the direction of Dr. Arthur Edward Waite. Recolored by Virginia Poshkus. Virginia Poshkus has recolored this deck in vibrant colors, which I find much more stimulating then the Original Rider Waite Deck.

Our 5th deck is the Connolly Tarot Deck. Eileen Connolly designed this tarot deck in cooperation with her son Peter Paul Connolly. The scenes on each card are reminiscent of medieval stained glass. Eileen Connolly PhD is one of the worlds leading authorities on tarot, numerology and other esoteric sciences. Her works are used extensively as textbooks by tarot and educational institutions. She is known as the teacher''s teacher. Her son painstakingly recreated the Connolly Tarot deck under her guidance. He used colored pencils as his medium.

Our final deck will be The Gendron Tarot created by Melanie Gendron. The Gendron Tarot is an absolutely beautiful deck – which is feminist/Goddess/earth centered, respectful of all and follows traditional lines. Melanie's artwork is a blend of cultures and spiritual traditions from throughout the world. We have become a global society and she integrated this throughout the deck. She also shows an incredible array of companion animals and metaphysical symbols. I feel that each one of these decks give a very unique perspective of the tarot cards through each of the artist's renditions. So lets take a look at the Fool card as represented by them and do a visual comparison.

First lets state the basic meaning of the card: 0 the number of the card in the major arcana represents an empty vessel. The Fool represents the element of Air. It is associated with the Planet Uranus which showing adventure, independence and free spirit. The card itself represents each of us as we make our way through life.

Second lets point out the similarities. All six 6 versions of the Fool have a dog jumping at his or her feet. All six show him or her standing at the edge of a Cliff and all 6 six show the Fool with a far off look in his or her eyes. What do these things symbolize? Well, the dog jumping at the feet can be seen as loyalty or possibly trying to warn the Fool of danger. In all the cards you can see that he or she doesn't seem to notice the dog. I take this as not heeding the warning or showing ignorance. Now being on the edge of the Cliff can be interpreted as disregard for potential risks but the Cliff itself represents the precipous of life. The far off look symbolizes him or her going on a new adventure or optimism for the future.

Now the Golden Tarot and Gendron both show th Fool as female. The remaining 4 decks show the Fool as a male facing to the left which is symbolic of the unconscious or unknown feminine principle. In all the decks with the exception of the Gendron they are all wearing hats which representative of Air.In all the decks with the exception of the Golden Tarot they carry a wand which symbolizes Personal Will. The Gendron, Connolly and Radiant all have a feather which symbolizes optimism and new beginnings. They also have white roses which symbolize Freedom from lower forms of desire. In the Gendron there is actually a chain of roses around the top of the card which represents desires as being so strong that the unconscious forces bow before it. The Gendron Fool also shows the Cliff edge as a wolfs head representing the conscious mind and stars that represent hope. In the upright position the Fool can mean potential, a new chance, an open mind, a new phase or life, Trust in a higher power.

As a significator it would represent inexperienced people, someone who needs to make a decision. In the reversed position it can represent poor judgement, risk, throwing caution to the wind. As a significator it could represent gamblers, someone who is not committed. Join me next time for the Magician. Until then. Bright Blessings.