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.