The Tarot is split into two sections--the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. Arcana means "secrets" and so we called the Major Arcana the greater secrets, and the Minor Arcana, lesser secrets. Not that a reading with all Minor Arcana cards is less important, but it deals with your daily life and struggles, whereas Major Arcana tends to deal with issues on a larger scale--spirituality, addiction, attachment(s), soul paths...you get my drift. I always think of the Major Arcana as archetypes that exist in the collective unconscious, something that Carl Jung discusses. Sometimes we tap into them and embody them, or they embody us, or they just surround the question of my clients. The Minor arcana are split into four suits, each representing an element and aspect of human existence. The structure of Tarot could be a blog post in and of itself, but I wanted to give some background about the Magician.
The Major Arcana have twenty-two cards, starting at 0 (the Fool.) Each card of the Tarot, both Major and Minor Arcana, have a number associated with it, as well as associations both astrologically and earth-based (elemental). But there are certain tests, questions, and meditations of the Major Arcana that help us further our life's journey, if we open to the messages of Tarot. Many who read Tarot refer to the story of the Major Arcana as the Fool's Journey. It is in this journey that you can understand your own journey. The Fool is kicking off his escapades on card 0 and traveling to the last card in the Major Arcana--The World, which is a card of completion, fulfillment, and freedom (the Fool is also free, but that is another discussion.) I am not taking you on the Fool's Journey today, though maybe at some point I will. Let's talk about our card for the week, the Magician.
Many Tarot reflections call the Magician the archetypal Achiever. And certainly, I can see that aspect of the Magician clearly. Magician is often used as another term for Alchemist. He is a hard worker, dedicating his life to making this complicated appear easy. That is part of his gift and his mastery. Think of a Magician. He makes everything look so easy. Suddenly a coin appears out of thin air, as though Spirit is handing him money, or flowers out of a stick. I often tell my clients that the Magician is like that Picasso story. He is in a restaurant and a man approaches and asks him for a sketch on a napkin. He draws something quickly, and says, "$5,000, por favor." The man is aghast. "That only took you thirty seconds." And Picasso replies, "No, that sketch took me 50 years." And so the Magician can reply, "It took me a lifetime to learn all I have learned, bringing it together beautifully, easily, for this one occasion." Is that not worth more than I have given myself credit for? The Magician demands that you see yourself as deserving, worthy, important, and creative.
When you pull the Magician, there is something far more beautiful that simply doing some magic, the Magician transforms our desires from the mundane to the profound. He acts as a bridge between in heaven and earth. His arm is raised, bringing energy from heaven, and his feet are firmly planted in the earth. In that way, he often heralds energy work and Reiki to the person who pulls him.
On the table in front of the Magician is the representation of all the elements--earth, water, air and fire. He has learned the tricks and pulls of the elements, and he draws them into his power. With the hand raised, and feet planted in Mother Earth, the elements laid out in front of him, the Magician harkens to the prayer and closing of many earth magick rituals, "As above, so below."
In many ways, the Magician IS your Higher Self, able to bring your natural, human, sometimes base desires into a larger soul path. The Magician is card number One of the Major Arcana, and here is where the magic starts--when you can tap into your innate wisdom, seeing yourself as capable of magic and manifestation. When clients pull this card, I often tell them that what they do on this earth, no one else can do. Only they alone have pulled all these extraordinary skills together to be able to do exactly what they need to do. This card asks you to be disciplined, precise, dedicated. You have been gifted with the qualities of the Magician--the ability to make the difficult appear easy. Do people tell you that? How do you do that? THAT! That thing that comes second-nature to you. Maybe it is not taking things personally in a business meeting, or maybe it is the ability to bring people together in the exact perfect way. Or maybe it is clearly visualizing what you want.
The warning with the Magician resides in the motivations behind using such magic. What are your motivations? Are you wanting riches? Selfish desires? Are you harnessing this power for yourself, or for the good of all involved? We do magic a great disservice when we infringe of the free will of others. When we conjure love spells for someone in another relationship, for example, or wish to have our position in a company, no matter what happens to the other people in that firm. So, this card asks you to align your will with the Divine will, and to align your dreams and desires with your Soul Path. There is also so much energy in this card, that I often ask my clients, if this comes up reversed, for example, how they are managing their own energy? Are you shielding your energy? Are you protecting your etheric field? Are you surrounding yourself with like-minded people, or are you walking into mine-filled rooms?
Part of the underlying theme of this card is manifestation. The innate ability of our humanness to manifest all our dreams and desires through learning, doing, and creating what we can, then turning our will over to the Creator to seal the deal. So, my meditation and affirmation of the Magician is this:
Through alignment with the universe and Mother Earth, I bring all my experiences and strengths together to manifest my dreams for the Highest Good of all.
I'd love to hear what you think of the Magician. Leave a comment, or ask a question. Much love to you all.