Tarot Study: Magician

[mudweed]

Thanks for the great discussion on the fool! Now I think it's about time to move on to the Magician. (aren't you excited, Nyoko-love? ;) )

Once again, let's start by looking at the symbolism of the card. Pay attention again to the colors, the figures, overt symbols, and anything else you see. Come up with a story if that helps you. I'll chime in soon with the meanings. (I want to find some more non-standard meanings like the Fool's "learned helplessness" :D )

Here is the Rider-Waite card to start you out.

[Ben Trismegistus]

This is a dude who knows what he's doing. He's got all his tools, all four suits, "infinity" over his head - he's the man.

Note the "as above, so below" positioning of his hands.

[Semele]

My second favorite card!

Imagine if you will a magician married to a fool...fun, fun, fun I promise!

Has anyone looked up the older tarot studies we were doing? They are failry interesting to go over.

Sorry, got sidetracked for a minute. The magician is the perfect conduit in human form. Fully knowledgeable yet always grounded.

[Faery-Wings]

The yellow makes it very vibrant and active. That is increased by the magician's posture, and by him holding a wand. The infinty symbols says to me that the possibilities are limitless.
You get a sense that this man can do anything- he has the tools and the confidence. The flowers make me think of life, growth-- abundance-- lushness--

[mudweed]

My second favorite card!

Imagine if you will a magician married to a fool...fun, fun, fun I promise!

Has anyone looked up the older tarot studies we were doing? They are failry interesting to go over.

Sorry, got sidetracked for a minute. The magician is the perfect conduit in human form. Fully knowledgeable yet always grounded.
Yes, Semele, I did look at your older thread on this subject. Interesting indeed. I think our friend Nyoko participated in that one too (but with an old, old name!). I meant to maybe put a link in the intro thread.... Hmmm. I know Aine of the Fae tried to start this a while ago, as well. Can't remember how far she got, though. (I feel sort of like this is redundant, but there are so many new people.) :lol:

I'm rambling and hijacking my own thread. It must be all the fumes from cleaning the bathroom just now. :sick:

[Rowan MoonDragon]

in addition to what the others have said, there is also alot of flowers and foilage. It's almost an abundance. I would take this to mean the magician has an abundance of growing knowledge...

[Flaire]

Yes, Semele, I did look at your older thread on this subject. Interesting indeed. I think our friend Nyoko participated in that one too (but with an old, old name!). I meant to maybe put a link in the intro thread.... Hmmm. I know Aine of the Fae tried to start this a while ago, as well. Can't remember how far she got, though. (I feel sort of like this is redundant, but there are so many new people.) :lol:


:p I like what I said last time:

Rider-Waite

Standing behind a table which holds the symbols of the suits- almost seems to hint at the Magician being untouchable; holding up a wand to the skies and showing he is one with the higher powers and is not to be messed with, but also having his other hand pointing towards the Earth...showing he is equal to the rest of us in human flesh. I think the flowers add beauty and serenity to the overall look to the card, and the Magician doesn't look to intimidating, that we shouldn't be afraid of him, but just be forewarned of his power and knowledge....But he's an excellent student; always practicing and studying and wanting to learn more.


I would have said pretty much the same thing again. I'm going to add on, that with the colour yellow, like on the Fool card, it's a light thing. The Magician shouldn't be feared, but seen as an equal.


Spiral

http://www.villarevak.org/g_fool/xsp_ma.jpg

A very powerful looking individual (much like a sorceror from a movie) clothed in just a robe (with the suit symbols as the print) and winged boots. That reminds me of Hermes - being the messenger of the higher powers?!
As well, he seems to be "floating" above an orchard in the lower right hand corner of the card. As an emphasis to the power of the Magician, there is a burst of light coming from his left hand - which engulphs one of the trees in the orchard. In his other hand, he carries a scepter, pointing it at himself as if showing off to others his power.

No matter how many times I see this card, it still spooks me as to how powerful this guy looks. Although he stands in the same position as the the R-W Magician, the Spiral magician still looks more powerful (to me) because of the energy flowing through him.

Looking at it from another view, the energy coming through the scepter goes through the Magician and to the ground below, as if he were just a medium.

Note the "as above, so below" positioning of his hands.

When I first saw the attachment in this thread, I thought the exact same thing.


Edit: Adding in pic of Spiral Magician

[mudweed]

For this one I'm going to use the Magician from my Tarot of Durer. I think this magician contrasts in a lot of ways with the noble, competent character of the R-W and similar decks.

This magician looks like a medieval tinker. A bit of a man of all trades. He's tossing dice out of a dice cup into his hand. His satchel is full of utensils and tools, and his little table is as well. It looks like he's in the process of fixing one pair of shoes, and a recently repaired or new pair hangs from a nail in the side of the table. The magician's cat winds around his legs.

The phrase at the bottom is: Nemo potest personam diu ferre. Which I think translates roughly to no one can wear a mask for long. My magician is much more earthly, less of a spiritual emphasis. But he has all the tools he needs to fix just about anything he wants. His cat, I think, symbolizes curiosity and cunning (and, if my cats are any example, a healthy sense of fun). The jumble of tools means that this man is also creative... a portly medieval MacGuyver? He's prepared for any project or possibility... even that of pure chance, as he shows with his easy familiarity with the dice.

[aftershocked]

I'm just now getting around to doing this..

Well, I always like getting this card in a reading- it seems like an assurance that you can accompish whatever it is that you want. First off, I (yet again) want to start with the person on the card. Automatically he seems more mature and focused than the fool- he is looking directly at you instead of to the sky like the fool, and it just 'feels' like he has more of a presence. Also, his hands in the 'as above, so below' stance seems to speak the point of the card- taking your (and sometmes the Divine's) ideas/goals and making them real in the physical. It's a place of preparation- he's the chef about to cook his meal (Haven't had dinner yet.. darn :lol: ).He's got all his tools and he's ready to go. As far as his clothes are concerned, the white to me represents purity, clarity, focus.. and the red is passion, dedication, sacrifice- all things that are usually needed to reach your goals. The flowers seem to represent the nature of growth and birth of the ideas or intents. The infinity sign is to show the infinite things one can accomplish at this point in their life.. Overall a good card.

[Morr]

Allrighty, on my Goddess Tarot deck, Isis is represented in place of The Magician. The name of the card is "Magic".
I'm for some odd reason am very drawn to this card, even though I dont work with the Egyptian pantheon or any kind of egyptian magick/tradition.
She looks very powerful & skilled. A leader and a wisewoman. Her arms are in a position as if she's about to cast some sort of spell, as if the drawing of hers was taken in the midst of some sort of magickal ritual. Theres a hawk sitting on one of her hands looking at her.
The background is red, theres egyptian traditional drawings, and two fires burning.
The frame of the card has a desert background to it, with hills symbolizing pyramids, as well as Hawks flying in the air.

[13thChylde]

http://www.osho.com/magazine/tarot/picCards/zen002Existence.jpg

Osho Zen ~ 1 ~ Existence

This card is in the traditional Magician's place in this deck. It is one of my favorite images and the reason I got this deck.

A naked woman sits on a lotus leaf suspended in the night sky. There is a galaxy in the upper left corner, and a shooting star falling in the center. She takes note of all this. The lotus leaf is held very high in both Buddhist and Hindu regard....

Both in worship and in portrayals of the divine, hindus are infatuated with flowers. The very name of the Hindu worship ritual, puja (http://www.lotussculpture.com/my_articles_puja.htm), can be translated as "flower act."

The lotus is the foremost symbol of beauty, prosperity and fertility. According to Hinduism (http://www.lotussculpture.com/bronze_sculpture_Hinduism.htm), within each human inhabiting the earth is the spirit of the sacred lotus. It represents eternity, purity and divinity and is widely used as a symbol of life, fertility, ever-renewing youth and to describe feminine beauty, especially the eyes.

One of the most common metaphysical analogies compares the lotus' perennial rise to faultless beauty from a miry environment to the evolution of man's consciousness--from instinctive impulses to spiritual liberation. In the Bhagavad Gita (http://www.lotussculpture.com/bronze_sculpture_bhagavad.htm), man is adjured to be like the lotus--he should work without attachment, dedicating his actions to God--untouched by sin like water on a lotus leaf and the beautiful flower standing high above the mud and water. In the postures of hatha yoga, the lotus position, padmasana, is adopted by those striving to reach the highest level of consciousness, which itself is found in the thousand-petalled lotus chakra at the top of the head. For Buddhists, lotus symbolizes the most exalted state of man--his head held high, pure and undefiled in the sun, his feet rooted in the world of experience.

And also...

The lotus occupies a very special place in Thai life because Thailand is a Buddhist country and the lotus is the traditional flower of Buddhism. Legend has it that the Lord Buddha was able to walk on his birth, and that when he took his first seven steps in this mortal world, lotus blooms opened up from underneath to support the tender soles of his feet.


....This tradition has come from the spiritual symbolism the lotus represents. In the minds of the Buddhists, the flower stands for purity of spirit. Rooting in mud, the plant is able to rise up above the dirty water and yield a flower of such perfect beauty and purity.

I find it interesting that in this depiction there is no altar and no magical tools. Just the person rooted in and observing Nature. This to me symbolizes that the magic is within, inside the person. The tools are there to help us to visualize and direct, but in the end, if it's not coming from within, then all the athames in the world can't help you.

[Gigi]

The magician has knowledge of many things. His robe is of white (symbolizing peace and tranquility) and red (symbolizing strength, power, and a possible danger). I think the flowers are an illusion.

His belt is a snake tied at his waist. The snake symbolizes an extreme thinker. He is confident. The magician is exciting and intense and uses all the symbols in the Tarot to gain knowledge. On his right hand he has a scroll (?), which holds the answers to our question regarding heaven and earth.

The yellow in this card, for me, symbolizes intelligence. The magician’s face is that of a young person, but he seems to me like if he’s been around forever. I feel he is unapproachable because he stands behind the table, not in front of it. He has the knowledge, but he will not share it openly. He holds the scroll upward as if saying, “Here it is. You can look, but not touch.”

My eyes keep going back to the symbols on the table. Unfortunately, I’m new to tarot and don’t know their full meanings yet. But I feel that he has power over all the symbols and can give me answers to questions I seek. He can choose to tell me about one, or all the answers I seek, I just have to ask and be confident in getting an answer. He just might guide me to something I seek. But he’ll let me go on my own journey.

[Faery-Wings]

A woman is the Magician here (cool!). She has the tools of the Universe in front of her, as well as a book of knowledge. Astral dragon come out of the mists to guide and help her. I get a much more mystical sense of power from this card as opposed to a more physically drawn power from the UW Magician. This card, to me, symbolizes a connection to the astral and the ability to use that power.

[Gigi]

You know, it's funny, but on my card (UW) I was thinking The Magician could be either a boy or a girl. My mind kept bringing me back saying "This could be a boy or a girl". Just thought I would share that.

[Ben Trismegistus]

You know, it's funny, but on my card (UW) I was thinking The Magician could be either a boy or a girl. My mind kept bringing me back saying "This could be a boy or a girl". Just thought I would share that.
See, my understanding is that the Magician is male to balance out the female magical energy of the High Priestess.

[Gigi]

Do you think that maybe in the UW card, that it could be male or female, dependent on which strength you need, a masculine or feminine strength? I mean depending who I'm reading the card for, I may one day see the magician as feminine because of the qualities inherent in female, but for other people, I may see a male magician. Am I making any sense here? Let me know.

[mudweed]

OK. I bet you've covered a lot of these already, but here are some of the accepted meanings for this card:

action
conscious awareness
concentration
power
cunning
magical and occult powers
the animus
taking charge
the ideal man
a position of advantage

From Mary Greer's Tarot for Your Self
"I am a willing manifestation of spirit in the world."

Agree, disagree? More meanings come to mind? What about reversals? I think we discussed what reversals were, but not meanings for them in the Fool's thread.

[mudweed]

Do you think that maybe in the UW card, that it could be male or female, dependent on which strength you need, a masculine or feminine strength? I mean depending who I'm reading the card for, I may one day see the magician as feminine because of the qualities inherent in female, but for other people, I may see a male magician. Am I making any sense here? Let me know.

Gigi, that makes perfect sense to me. Maybe the magician's power is in fact genderless... and can be adjusted for the situation. Masculine/feminie/neither/both as is most appropriate?

[Ben Trismegistus]

OK. I bet you've covered a lot of these already, but here are some of the accepted meanings for this card:
I agree with all of those attributes you posted.

And maybe you guys will call me sexist, or traditionalist, or both, but I do believe that the Magician's maleness is part of the attributes of the card. I think the female side of all these attributes is represented by the High Priestess.

[mudweed]

Ben, I think that you are probably a bit of a traditionalist. :)

I'm curious... how did you learn the Tarot? (I personally like the alternative-type meanings... like the learned helplessness thing.)

[Ben Trismegistus]

Ben, I think that you are probably a bit of a traditionalist. :)
Probably true. :)

I'm curious... how did you learn the Tarot? (I personally like the alternative-type meanings... like the learned helplessness thing.)
Some in-coven work, plenty of reading (Rachel Pollack and Mary Greer and A.E. Waite), and a fair amount of practice. I'm no expert - I'm still pretty new at it - but I do get pretty strong feelings from certain cards, most of which correspond to traditional meanings. I don't have any problem with alternative type meanings, as long as they seem to fit the card. In my opinion, there's nothing about the Fool that suggests learned helplessness to me. However, I like other alternative meanings, like the 8 of Swords as the "initiation" card.

[Faery-Wings]

Just to be a PITA, Ben,;) I don't see the Magician as "male" per se. But the quality most people consider to be masculine energy- creative, active and so forth.
For example, the magician in my Celtic Dragon Deck has that very creative and pwerful aura about her- yet she is female. The best of both worlds. :lol:

[Gigi]

Action – Take action for the things within heaven and earth. Here are the tools, along with eternity, to accomplish any feat.
Conscious awareness – It makes you aware that heaven and earth influences are within reach, we just must see the tools to perform our task
concentration – Be aware and stay focused! It demands concentration.
Power – The magician has power, there’s no doubt about that. This card dares us to take action.
Cunning – The magician is wise and eternal. The cunning comes with age (experience)
magical and occult powers – Yes, yes, yes
the animus – I found animus to mean “the inner masculine quality”. If this is what you mean, I don’t not find it animus. This does not lean toward masculine or feminine trait. It’s whatever it needs to be at the time of the reading
taking charge – The magician makes me feel like I’m being looked straight in the eye, and told to dare to take charge
the ideal man – nope – I don’t get this from the card
a position of advantage – depending on how the card is being read, I feel this card could definitely point out who has an advantage over a given situation

From Mary Greer's Tarot for Your Self
"I am a willing manifestation of spirit in the world."

Agree, disagree? I don’t agree. The magician is just there; I don’t think it’s definitely by choice, it just is. The magician is eternal, with us from beginning to end. It is definitely a spirit of the world. I just disagree with the “willing manifestation”

More meanings come to mind? Magicians are known to us as tricksters. This card could represent someone who is showing an illusion of power, having hold over us with some type of information. He has the power to give or take because we allow it. He is a deceiver, and stands behind the table keeping away from giving us any answers. The magician can represent someone who has an advantage over someone because of an inappropriate use of power (influence)

[mudweed]

More meanings come to mind? Magicians are known to us as tricksters. This card could represent someone who is showing an illusion of power, having hold over us with some type of information. He has the power to give or take because we allow it. He is a deceiver, and stands behind the table keeping away from giving us any answers. The magician can represent someone who has an advantage over someone because of an inappropriate use of power (influence)

This is a great point, Gigi, and one I was going to bring up myself. The magician is often considered very noble... but another meaning that comes to mind, for me, and in a lot of more traditional interpretations, is that of a charlatan. I wish I had a picture of it, but the magician in the Tarot of the Hidden Folk shows a portly sprite, not unlike the character in my Durer card, who is playing that trick of hiding one thing under an upturned cup, and then moving the cups around to confuse the viewer... Do you know which one I mean? The magician has many skills and talents, and plenty of learning and tools to back him up, but that does not always mean that his purpose is straightforward and honest. He may be playing games, or hiding things from even himself. :)

[Flaire]

See, my understanding is that the Magician is male to balance out the female magical energy of the High Priestess.

http://members.cox.net/crazy8cats/naatounge.gif

I've always seen the High Priestess a balance to the Heirophant.

[Faery-Wings]

Magician as trickster:

I have read that to be the case in some decks, especially those that are older. I get a slight feeling of this with the UW card. Maybe the way is posturized, and his table/altar is set up. It could seem as if he does indeed have an audience. I don't get that same feeling, however, from the Celtic Dragon Magician. She seems to be alone with her Dragons. I picture her in a cellar or basement lab/type room (Have I been watching too much Young Frankenstein? :D ) But in my mind, she is most definitely alone, using her powers for herself and dragons.

[Gigi]

Help me understand the significance of the pendant, club, sword and cup? The magician card keeps drawing my attention to them, but I just don't know anything specific about them.

[mudweed]

Gigi, I'm not sure about the pendant, and I'm on my way out of the door to work so I can't look right now, but as for the others, they represent the suits: Wands, Swords, Cups, and Pentacles. The significance is that the magician has at his disposal tools from all of the suits, tools therefore, from all aspects of life. Does that help?

[Gigi]

Oh, I was calling the pentacles "pendant". Good thing you pointed that out to me in an early stage of my learning lol. I have read somewhere that the suits, as you call them, have meanings such as air, water, fire, and something else (right now I can't remember, maybe earth). Each must have specific powers I would like to understand. Can you tell me which suit is related to each elements mentioned? I have a feeling it'll help me read the card better.

[mudweed]

No problem. :)

Actually, how about I add a new thread? I was going to wait and do that when we finally got to the minor arcana, but I can just as easily do it now.

Give me a couple of minutes, here. ;)

It's this thread. (http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=51405)

[Dryad's Wyrd]

Magician as trickster:

I have read that to be the case in some decks, especially those that are older. I get a slight feeling of this with the UW card. Maybe the way is posturized, and his table/altar is set up. It could seem as if he does indeed have an audience.

I have to agree.....I have always felt that the magician was hiding something or not telling the whole truth....I think that this card tells us to be aware of any "beating around the bush" and maybe not being true to ourselves....trying to live in illusions or actually make our illusions reality. To me, this card calls us to ground ourselve further and delve deeper into self and personal truths.
Love & Light
D

[Xentor]

I'm late as usual. Here's my view on Giger's Magician. I looked at other depictions too, studied a bit of the background, to understand what I was seeing here.

http://jktarot.com/mag.jpg

I see a big head, with things sprouting from it, like beams from the sun. But the sprouted things are alive, like thoughts. The magician seems to be able to imagine a lot, and put it into reality.

There is energy dripping from the head's eyes and mouth, into a skull that hovers below the head. Both heads are part of the magician. The skull is turned upside down like reflected from a mirror. But if it were a mirror, the energy would be flowing both up and down, violating the laws of gravity. Also to me, the energy flowing between the living head and the dead skull, indicates transcending death, communicating with spirits and ghosts. The magician is generally known to make the impossible appear possible, to create make-belief. There's always two sides to a magician's work: that what the public sees, and the secret. The two heads indicate this distinction.

Studying that possible mirror, it appears to be a guillotine, which is a powerful illusionist's tool. Knowing that magicians generally don't share their secrets (but to other magicians), the magician would somehow have acquired the knowledge to build that apparatus. Would the magician be chopping off that skull from some hidden body? No, the skull is behind the guillotine, the living head is in front. And it's not the living head alone, indicating the magician. Both heads and the guillotine are part of the same. A magician wouldn't chop off part of himself. We know that the magician in this case is an illusionist: the guillotine only works on carrots, not on real fingers. It's a trick. Or is it? If the carrot can be chopped off, the decision is the magician's...

There appear to be tendrils reaching up from the skull to the living head, the same kind of tendrils that spread out of the head, possibly indicating the transition of occult knowledge, or the passing-along of knowledge of ancestors.

So what do we have? Imagination (perhaps by inpiration), skill (to disguise and mislead, but also to create and make believe), the power to decide in possibly dangerous situations, the ability to make the impossible real. In short: possibilities.

[Xentor]

OK. I bet you've covered a lot of these already, but here are some of the accepted meanings for this card:

action - the magician not only knows the possibilities, but he also has the skill to make it happen.
conscious awareness - through knowledge and imagination, and in the case of an entertainment magician for the need to mislead the audience, in case of a salesperson the need to convince the next customer.
concentration - able to think ideas through, ability to analyse and draw conclusions.
power - the power to seemingly turn the impossible into effect, but also the power to make the possible happen.
cunning - same as conscious awareness.
magical and occult powers - by making the impossible happen.
the animus - inspired by spirits / ancestors, but also being able to influence people.
taking charge - making the choice: will the guillotine chop off the carrot or the head? Possibly not in charge of others, but definitely in charge of themselves, and influencing those nearby.
the ideal man - or woman... perceived as such, but the cunning part makes the magician devious.
a position of advantage - knowing the secrets, knowing how to combine bits of information, using for both personal and general benefit.


Maybe the magician's power is in fact genderless... and can be adjusted for the situation. Masculine/feminie/neither/both as is most appropriate?
I assumed the magician to be a masculine figure (I am male), but Giger's magician is as genderless as it gets.

[moonmorgan]

Okay wow. Besides the obvious infinity sign, four elements represented and as above so below sign, I notice the red roses and white lilies?? I'm sure they have some sort of meaning but I dont' know what. LOL

As for the male or female of the magician:

I would say male. If it's attribute are animus and the ideal man. Also, isn't the balance of the High Priestess the Heirophant?

My books say:

That the belt is a snake devouring it's own tail which is a symbol of eternity. Well yeah it is but usually when a snake is shown devouring it's own tail, it starts from the end of it's tail. To me, this snake is tjust biting his own tail. Perhaps it's just bad illusration??

The book also explains the roses and lillies ( I was right!) as representing the cultivation of desires. Another book says the white lilieas are of pure abstract thought and the roses desire.

It also gives totally different meanings than you gave: Will, mastery, skill, occult widsom, power, diplomacy. The ability to take power from above and direct it through desire into manifestation.

[mudweed]

From the Idiot's Guide to Tarot and Fortune Telling

*The Wizard of Oz
*Obi-Wan Kenobi
*Georgia O'Keefe
*The artist in us all

[Shatril]

http://www.osho.com/magazine/tarot/picCards/zen002Existence.jpg

Osho Zen ~ 1 ~ Existence

This card is in the traditional Magician's place in this deck. It is one of my favorite images and the reason I got this deck.

A naked woman sits on a lotus leaf suspended in the night sky. There is a galaxy in the upper left corner, and a shooting star falling in the center. She takes note of all this. The lotus leaf is held very high in both Buddhist and Hindu regard....

Both in worship and in portrayals of the divine, hindus are infatuated with flowers. The very name of the Hindu worship ritual, puja (http://www.lotussculpture.com/my_articles_puja.htm), can be translated as "flower act."

The lotus is the foremost symbol of beauty, prosperity and fertility. According to Hinduism (http://www.lotussculpture.com/bronze_sculpture_Hinduism.htm), within each human inhabiting the earth is the spirit of the sacred lotus. It represents eternity, purity and divinity and is widely used as a symbol of life, fertility, ever-renewing youth and to describe feminine beauty, especially the eyes.

One of the most common metaphysical analogies compares the lotus' perennial rise to faultless beauty from a miry environment to the evolution of man's consciousness--from instinctive impulses to spiritual liberation. In the Bhagavad Gita (http://www.lotussculpture.com/bronze_sculpture_bhagavad.htm), man is adjured to be like the lotus--he should work without attachment, dedicating his actions to God--untouched by sin like water on a lotus leaf and the beautiful flower standing high above the mud and water. In the postures of hatha yoga, the lotus position, padmasana, is adopted by those striving to reach the highest level of consciousness, which itself is found in the thousand-petalled lotus chakra at the top of the head. For Buddhists, lotus symbolizes the most exalted state of man--his head held high, pure and undefiled in the sun, his feet rooted in the world of experience.

And also...

The lotus occupies a very special place in Thai life because Thailand is a Buddhist country and the lotus is the traditional flower of Buddhism. Legend has it that the Lord Buddha was able to walk on his birth, and that when he took his first seven steps in this mortal world, lotus blooms opened up from underneath to support the tender soles of his feet.


....This tradition has come from the spiritual symbolism the lotus represents. In the minds of the Buddhists, the flower stands for purity of spirit. Rooting in mud, the plant is able to rise up above the dirty water and yield a flower of such perfect beauty and purity.

I find it interesting that in this depiction there is no altar and no magical tools. Just the person rooted in and observing Nature. This to me symbolizes that the magic is within, inside the person. The tools are there to help us to visualize and direct, but in the end, if it's not coming from within, then all the athames in the world can't help you.

I love the OHSA deck also, it is so easy to read.

[Aidron]

Well, my Magician (which chryssi1 posted) evokes a sensation of study, dedication, and the pursuit of desire.

She sits at a desk/table in a lavish white robe with celtic knotwork and designs throughout. She is adorned with various gold jewelry and attire, from her belt, to her headdress. To me the white symbolizes purity, purity of purpose, she is entirely dedicated to her pursuit. The green symbolizes being grounded. She is not distracted, yet keeps a common sense approach with her along with her intuitive powers. The various gold and metalwork she is adorned with symbolizes power, vitality, success. She has come a long way to get where she is and rightfully lays claim to the powers she has mastered within herself, yet refuses to fail or back down from her pursuit. Around her neck there appears to be a small claw, an amulet most likely, and no doubt from a dragon to keep her attuned with her astral guides.

Upon the desk sits a book, chalice, incense holder, and white candle in a gold candleholder. The chalice, gold just as many of the other things are, is entirely full, signifying limitless possibilities and the bounty of talents we can all posess with dedication. The incense holder has the fact of a dragon on it, which in my mind keeps her attuned to her astral guides (more on that below). The candle, white, which again reinforces purity of purpose and dedication. Before her lies an open book that she holds, but in her left hand she grasps a small wand firmly. The wand to me signifies direction of will and energy, and she holds it both for its magical purposes as well as symbolic ones to remind her of how she will not give up.

From the rising smoke of the incense numerous astral dragons form floating around her and seem to be whispering to her as she looks back toward them. In my mind she has called them forth as partners and guides to help her decipher and fully understand the wisdom and knowledge that lies within the book before her.

Behind her there is nothing outside of darkness, which signifies to me isolation. She has blocked out the rest of the world and now focuses entirely on her task of improving her own magical talents.

Key words and phrases I associate with The Magician:

Power
Occult studies
Determination
Focus
In-depth study
Facing challenges head on
A refusal to give in or fail
Mastery of self
Deception (particularly self-deception)
Closed mindedness
Lack of control & focus

[Shatril]

Boy what a mess I made of this. I originally posted this in the Hierophant. Mudweed, if you would remove that one I would appreciate it. I haven't done anything with the Pope yet, hehehe. I will submit what I wrote about the magician below. Sorry for the goof up :foopsies: Also gives me an opportunity to correct my spelling and grammar(had to look that one up too) hehehehe.

OK, I want to start out by discussing the infinity/lemniscates, which in many writings on the subject also claims it represents a mobius strip, which would also represent infinity. This is a strip of paper that has only one side. See the web connection below for the definition and math behind the mobius strip. I'm not as happy with the idea that in this site it is represented by the recycle image rather than the classical infinity type image, but I didn't waste too much time looking for a different site that would give me what I wanted.

http://www.mobiusproductsandservices.com/tms.html

In some magical writings the mobius/infinity/lemniscates represent a passage into the realms of magic. This is clearly the meaning that this card conveys to me. This is the passage into the magic.

The symbology of the four suits is sometimes thought to represent the four precepts of wicca, magic and the witch's pyramid; i.e., Imagination, will of fire, rock hard faith and silence. Again completely related to the Magician image.

The Magician is also related to Thoth/Hermes, and as the Hermes image he is said to have invented mathmatics, numerology, alchemy and astrology. The image of the infinity screams science, math, and alchemy at me, along with the above symbology.

The wand is the symbol of Hermes the messanger but also relates to the caduceus, which is the wand of Mercury used to induce sleep or ward off slumber. This symbolizes both sides of power. In the mythology of Hermes one of his great sayings is "As above, so below" If you notice the Magician is gesturing with his right hand holding the wand pointing up, and pointing also with the left down. In most work of power the dominate hand is the ingress of power, thus, for most that is the right, and the right hand pointing up as the conduit from above, and flowing threw and out the left hand and below.

http://www.occultopedia.com/c/caduceus.htm

As the number one card is represented in the Qabalah by the symbol Beth, which means "In the Beginning", this card represents to me new beginnings that require initiative. There is some uncertainty about the situation, but with inginuity it will be successful. Coupled with the ingenuity, and the ability to think outside the box, and maybe a bluff or two you wil be successful. You also have to remember the mercurial nature of the card so you will surely have a chuckle once you succeed.

The card in a reading where you are considering a great departure form the norm is good. It indicates that with ingenuity and thinking outside the box it will succeed. If you face obstacles or opposition it indicates that you're several steps ahead of those who want to restrain you.

This will often represent the questioner himself if male or if a female with represent the special man. In the females life he may be Mr. Right, but he may be only an opportunist, beware.

I can't begin to tell you how much I'm enjoying this thread. I had never given the colors of the cards any thought what so ever, and love this thread. I also hadn't given the snake much thought either. Thx for these insite. I think this will help me read this card much better.

Shatril and to All.

[Shatril]

Raven,

Do you have a picture of the card, or a link where I can see one. She sounds very interesting.

Shatril the Seeker

[Aidron]

Raven,

Do you have a picture of the card, or a link where I can see one. She sounds very interesting.

Shatril the Seeker


chryssi1 posted an image of the card a page or two back (page 2 on my screen, but it depends on how you have your pages setup). If, however, it does not show up for some reason an 'image' search on Google (http://www.google.com) for "Celtic Dragon Tarot Magician" should turn up something.