Tarot Card Meaning: The Magician
Welcome to Tarot Tuesdays, an ongoing blog series in which I’ll examine the meanings and life lessons inherent in each card of the tarot.
In the last Tarot Tuesdays post, we met The Fool, bravely—or perhaps somewhat naively—setting off on his journey. As we progress through our journey of growth in the Major Arcana, we encounter The Magician.
Tarot Meaning: The Magician
The Magician is a fellow with two sides. On the one hand, he is the master of his own fate. When we encounter the Magician, we are experiencing an opportunity for personal sovereignty and independence.
The Magician
Key Messages:
Independence, venturing off in a new direction, questioning the status quo, choosing authenticity over conformity.
Quotes to Invoke the Magician’s Power:
“We are still masters of our fate. We are still captains of our souls.”—Winston Churchill
“Nothing has transformed my life more than realizing that it’s a waste of time to evaluate my worthiness by weighing the reaction of the people in the stands.”—Brene Brown
“Your path is yours alone. And if it’s the path less traveled, that’s absolutely fine. The world doesn’t need more conformists. The world needs more people who create and question and search.”—Laird Hamilton
To Connect with the Magician: Open your journal to a blank page and answer these questions. Write for five minutes without stopping, simply letting the words flow.
What do I want to do that I’m not doing? What’s stopping me? What are my unique gifts that I bring to the world? Am I utilizing those to the fullest? If not, how can I?
If you’re considering venturing off in a new direction in some way, whether it’s undertaking a unique creative project, starting your own business, or living your life in a way that, while rather unconventional in the eyes of others, would be true to yourself, you are embracing the spirit of the Magician.
The Magician isn’t overly concerned with other people’s opinions. He’s quite pleased with himself, and his unique way of being suits him just fine. He is a force of creativity and eloquence in the world. He calls upon us to question practically everything under the sun, to live the lives that are uniquely, whimsically ours. Indeed, there’s more than a touch of whimsy in this odd fellow.
Of course, the Magician, while wholeheartedly embracing his own path, must be careful not to trample on others. In this way his passionate self-acceptance can veer into arrogance, and so, this card in a reading can also serve as a reminder to balance self-acceptance with humility, creative self-rule with loving-kindness, and independence on our paths with the knowledge that all things in this universe are connected by the divine energy of spirit.
If you encounter the Magician in a reading, he may be calling on you to, as Thoreau once said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.” He calls on you to embrace your authenticity, defying the ways others might try to pigeonhole you or place the burden of their worldview on you. But he is also a reminder that we must be cautious not to stray into arrogant self-righteousness.
As with all things, we must embrace the energy of the Magician with balance, keeping in mind these two divergent sides. Overall, the Magician is a positive card of inspiration that heralds a time of creativity, magic, and authenticity. He reminds us that we alone are the masters of our fate, girding us with strength and faith in ourselves for the trials that inevitably lie ahead.