Key 1: The Magician
A study of The Magician across various decks and books.
Astrological Counterpart: Mercury | Elemental Sign: Earth and Air
As above, so below. The Alchemist. The Juggler. Ouroboros.
The Magician is one of the most widely recognized tarot cards. I've seen it in shops on blankets, t-shirts, as prayer candles and art prints. It's even the card that was chosen for the box my deck came in. When I see the Magician, I think of mystics. The Alchemist in the laboratory or the Secret Society. I also think of apothecaries and witches shops. It gives you the feeling that you too can be a part of a magical collective.
Overall, the Magician is signaling to us that "everything in the universe is spread out before us, and if we can learn to use it correctly, we can manifest the results we desire... We create our own universe, first in our minds and then in our manifest realities... It is time to evaluate the tools you have at your disposal and relate them properly to your aims" (Fall River, pg. 61-62).
You have the ability to manifest your desires. You don't have to create from nothing; use what already exists. The Magician is drawing upon the elements in different combinations like an Alchemist. You can do the same.
Self-development, beginning of the road to enlightenment. That excited feeling you get when you purchase a new tarot deck or light a sage bundle or join in a moon circle. Like the world is opening up for you; it's not exclusive like you thought. While the Wheel of Fortune is walking the Witches Road, the Magician is discovering the trailhead. You start to see how you have the power to work with Fate to manifest what is meant for you.
You may be presented with opportunities that seem magical - be prepared to take them.
Notes from the Holistic Tarot book:
The Magician represents the prophetic theological concept of unity, or the alliance of reason and faith.
The Knights Templar wore white robes with red sashes, which is the Rider-Waite depiction of The Magician. Although the Tarot existed first, the resemblance speaks to the archetype. The crusades tried to call down power from Heaven and influence their work on earth. After all, the Rider-Waite deck wasn't published until 1909, and the Templar persecution happened in the 1300s - many scholars think the Knights Templar used the Major Arcana to memorialize their secrets in imagery for future generations. The first decks with the 4 suits without the Major Arcana are from Cairo in the 1370s. The 78 card deck came out in the 1440s during the Italian Renaissance. This deck contained Christian symbolism, as the Cairo deck was Islamic in its imagery. So, while the Templars story is nice, it does not coincide chronologically with the conception of Tarot.
The Rider-Waite deck is also speculated to hold and hide the secrets of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (1888) in plain sight. So, consider all this for The Magician. The Knights, the Assassins, the Occultists, the Freemasons, the secret societies. The eternal quest for control of the elements.
Upright: Harnessing the power of the mind into tangible outcomes - manifestation.
The Magician reminds me of Doctor Octavious from Spiderman. His intelligence and passion for bettering the human condition drove him. He used his laboratory to construct the metal arms he thought would ease the suffering of so many. However, the neural interface magnified his hatred and need for revenge, leading him to become a villain. We can see The Magician upright and reversed in Doc Oc's story.
There is also of course the novel The Alchemist. That whole story outlines the Ouroboros - the snake eating its own tail. Life is a circle, and we can only manifest what is already meant for us. Spirit will find ways to teach us what we need to learn as we progress through our studies to control the elements.
Reversed: Personal anarchism, "Look What You Made Me Do"
In spiritual practices, the right-hand path focusses on what is best for the greater good, while the left-hand path focuses on what is best for the individual. When the card is reversed, The Magician's baton points down toward the earth, harnessing the powers of destruction. This is not always evil. Some things need vanquishing. But don't let your righteous anger becom a crusade.
Study with Me
Follow along as I study this session. There's no talking or teaching, only the sounds of studying and some cinematic western folk music. Think Rango meets Practical Magic.
On My Study Table
What I used in this study session.
Decks used:
Golden Universal Tarot (Rider-Waite) by Lo Scarabeo
Dark Wood Tarot (Bulgarian Edition) by Sasha Graham and Abigail Larson
Prisma Visions Tarot
Books referenced:
The Windows of Tarot (1973) by F.D. Graves
How to Read Tarot (2017) by Fall River Press
Holistic Tarot (2015) by Benebell Wren
Tarot: Cards for Divination, Wisdom and Self Discovery (2022) by Nikkie Jay
Journal & Supplies:
The Chapel Journal Notebook
Small Rider-Waite Tarot Stickers
Prisma Visions Tarot Stickers
Velvet Tarot Wrap
