Introducing The Magician I
The second card in the Tarot Deck, The Magician is a fascinating archetype of creation, manifestation and will.
Let’s look at the picture below of The Magician, from the Rider Waite Tarot deck, published in 1909. It’s is a good deck for beginners, as every card has a picture describing its meaning. Today many Tarot decks are based on the Rider Waite deck. It’s also a ‘deep’ deck, as its creators gave each card multiple meanings.
A young man stands confidently. His gaze is direct; he means business. He seems determined. His right hand is raised above him holding a wand, and the left hand points downwards. In front of him is a table on which there are four items, and around him are roses and lilies.
Symbols & Systems
Body posture
‘As above, so it is below’
The Magician draws the energy from above (from the Divine Creator) and grounds the energy, making it manifest in the physical world. He is a channel for energy. He has the ability with all this power to reach his full potential.
Confidence
The Magician is confident, as he believes in himself. He knows that his thoughts create his reality.
Symbol above head
This is the gnostic symbol of Infinity, of eternal life and spirit. We are more than just our ego and body: When we connect to the Infinite and understand our physical finite time on the planet, it inspires us to make the most of now.
Snake belt
The belt that is also a snake is called the Ouroboros, an ancient symbol of a snake eating its own tail. It represents the cycles of eternity and the power of transformation (like a snake shedding its skin). The Magician can transform himself in order to manifest what he wants.
Red robe
The red robe represents desire. We need to have emotional desire behind what we want. You can imagine that the universe probably won’t deliver you a soul mate if you go around saying in a bored monotone, ‘I want a soul mate’. You must feel the desire, feel the passion, and act emotionally as if you ALREADY have your soul mate.
Inner white garment
The white inner garment represents purity and clarity of mind and thought. If you have purity of mind coupled with desire. You can get what you want in life.
Wand
The wand is double edged, signifying that power can come from either above or below. The wand symbolizes the tools needed to bring down the energy of Divine Creation and do with it what you want.
Flowers
The red roses represent passion, and white lilies represent abstract thought.
nd and thought. If you have purity of mind coupled with desire. You can get what you want in life.
Four items on table
The four items represent the four elements, which have been used since ancient times to describe the building blocks of the universe: earth, air, fire, and water.
They also represent esoterically four internal powers that The Magician must harness:
To Will (represented by the wand)
To Know (represented by the cup)
To Dare (represented by the sword)
To be Silent (represented by the pentacle)
Number
The number of The Magician is 1: the beginning; representing the ego, consciousness, and thinking.
Astrology
The planet Mercury is associated with The Magician card. Mercury was the Roman messenger god and the equivalent of the Greek god Hermes, the founder of the hermetic art of alchemy. The hermetic axiom is, ‘That which is below is as that which is above, and that which is above is as that which is below, for the performance of the miracle to the One Thing’. In other words, we are a microcosm of the cosmos, and our duty on this planet is to exalt the Creative Force through good deeds.
Mercury the metal is the alchemy symbol of the spirit of the divine concealed in matter.
According to palmists, the finger pointing to the ground is the finger of Jupiter, which is all about leadership and direction.
Kabbalah
The creators of the Rider Waite Tarot deck were members of the Golden Dawn, a group that followed teachings based on the Kabbalah- a form of Jewish mysticism. Kabbalists are mystics who believe that God is neither male nor female, and has many aspects. Kabbalah is all about learning why we’re here, the mystery of the universe, and what the big plan is. The Golden Dawn called their version Qabala.
The Rider Waite deck contains a multitude of Qabalistic meanings. You could study Tarot and Kabbalah/Qabala for the rest of your life and still only scratch the surface. I’m deliberately keeping it superficial yet easy to understand.
Being the second card in the deck, The Magician is represented by the second Hebrew letter, Bet ב, the first letter with a sound (Aleph has no sound of its own; it must be combined with a vowel point). The shape of Bet ב resembles a house.
Kabbalists believe that the physical body is the house of the Divine on earth.
Bet is also the first letter of the first word in the Torah, beReshit which means, ‘In the beginning’. The Magician is all about the beginning, i.e., the action. The Fool (card number 0) is about the moment before the action.
The message from The Magician I
The Magician wants to tell you that you CAN manifest what you want. It is possible.
Ask yourself these questions:
- What do I want to manifest in my life?
- How can I express what I want?
- How can I master the focus I will need to get what I want?
- Do I believe that my thoughts create my reality?
- Am I the co-creator of my life?
If you focus your mind, direct your will and power, and ask for assistance from something greater than yourself, you can achieve amazing things.
The Magician I reversed
When I see a reversed card, I simply see the energy blocked or inhibited in some way.
How would The Magician be inhibited?
Imagine creative energy being blocked. Imagine someone who does not believe or does not want to accept that there is a universal energy that is behind every step of their way. Imagine having the energy, but not doing anything with it. If you get The Magician reversed for yourself or someone else, some questions to ask might be…
- Do I find it hard to focus or manifest what I want?
- Perhaps you have the power to manifest, but you fear doing so?
- Do you feel that your mind is all over the place with destructive thoughts and a lack of clarity?
- Has the inner shaman inside you perhaps gone a little crazy?
If you get the Magician reversed, it might be a good exercise to ask for HELP. You do not need to be religious or believe in God to do so. You can simply ask the universe to help you get unstuck. Also, choosing to say, ‘I can, and I will’ with emotion behind it, can pull you out of the stagnant state.
