The Magician

Upright meaning

You already have the tools you need. Act with purpose and things will take shape.

The Magician stands at a table on which lie a cup, a coin, a sword and a wand: the four suits, the four elements, everything the world is made of. One hand points up to the sky, the other down to the earth, channelling intention into action. Upright, this card says that now is the moment to begin, and that you are more capable than you think. Skills, contacts and ideas you already have can be combined into something new. Name what you want clearly, then take the first concrete step. Communication flows well under this card, so it is a good time to pitch, present or ask.

Reversed meaning

You have the ability but keep spinning your wheels. First make your words and actions match.

Reversed, the Magician’s power is there but misdirected. You may be all talk and little action, scattering your energy across too many things, or doubting a talent that is perfectly real. The card can also warn of manipulation, either someone else’s smooth words or your own temptation to cut corners. Check that your plans rest on something solid and that what you say matches what you do.

For ways of reading reversed cards, see how to read reversals.

Love

Work

Money

Relationships

Health

Tarot does not diagnose physical conditions. If you have symptoms that worry you, please see a doctor.

Mind and spirit

As a person

Timing

Now is the time to begin. First results tend to show within days or weeks, and the day you decide to start is itself an important beginning.

Advice

Questions to ask yourself

• What tools or talents do I already have but haven’t used?
• If I put what I most want to achieve into one sentence, what would it be?
• Do my words and my actions line up right now?

A common misreading

The Magician is often taken to mean a trickster or a con artist, but upright it is a positive card of talent and willpower starting to create. The trickster side mainly belongs to the reversal. Nor is it a card only for the specially gifted: its real message is that anyone can create by combining what they already have.

The story of this card

The Magician is the first person the Fool meets on the journey. Where the Fool was vague potential, able to become anything, the Magician is number 1: the first concrete step. The cup, coin, sword and wand on the table teach the traveller that the powers they need are already within them. Here they learn that when you choose with intent and act, the world responds. But outward action isn’t enough on its own, and next they meet the High Priestess, who teaches the power of stillness.

The Waite deck’s picture and symbols

In the Waite deck the Magician wears a white inner robe of purity under a red cloak of desire and action. Above his head floats the lemniscate, the sign of infinity, and a snake biting its own tail circles his waist. His raised wand and pointing hand show the Hermetic saying “as above, so below”. Roses and lilies grow around him, symbols of passion and purity.

History and differences between traditions

In early Italian decks this card was “il Bagatto”, a street conjurer or juggler doing tricks at a table, and the Marseille deck keeps that playful figure, the Bateleur. The occult revival of the nineteenth century turned the trickster into a true magus who commands the elements, and the Golden Dawn linked him with Mercury, the messenger and patron of skill.

Words for today

Related

• Tarot card encyclopedia (all 78 cards)
• What is tarot?
• The Major Arcana and the Fool’s journey
• Free tarot reading