The Magician

Rider-Waite Tarot

Numerology: The number one refers to a new cycle in one’s life.

Elemental: The Magician carries the element of air, which represents solutions and thoughts.

Symbolism: The Magician card holds many symbolic elements.

A representation of each element lies upon the table: cup, sword, wand, and pentacle. The young man possesses the tools he needs.

The figure eight hovers above his head. This represents eternal life.

A snake wraps itself around the magician’s belly, devouring itself. This represents eternity.

Roses and lilies grow around the young man representing beauty and discovery.

The young man stands with one arm raised to the sky, while the other points to the ground. The saying, “What goes up, must come down,” comes to mind.

The Magician has studied his trade and is now ready to start his future. Some look upon the Magician as a young man just completing his training. Armed with his tools, he is ready to set about achieving his goals. His success is very likely.

When this card shows up in a reading, it tends to urge you to begin a project. Everything is in place, the knowledge and the tools, to achieve your goal. Learning is a never-ending quest. More knowledge can be possessed along your path.

It is a good time to start a new business, begin a new project, or a new job.

The Magician card can also represent a person. The person would be someone of knowledge and skill, perhaps already a success in his chosen field.

Learning the tarot card meanings

The first step toward becoming a tarot reader is to grasp an understanding of your tarot cards. To do this, you need to learn the tarot card meanings.

Rider-Waite Tarot

Follow these steps to learn the tarot card meanings. First, you need a deck of tarot cards. Rider-Waite tarot is a good beginner’s deck, for the pictures relate directly to the card meanings. The choice, however, is entirely yours. Most decks come with a companion book. If yours does not, Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis is a great beginner’s guide.

You will also need a spiral notebook for the next few steps. This can also be used for practicing your readings in the future. It is a good idea to keep a record of your readings to help you grow as a reader.

Find a comfortable spot and begin.

Flip over the top card from your tarot deck. On your notebook, write down the name of the tarot card and the first thing that comes to mind. Example: 14-Temperance - This card in most decks show a person emptying one cup of fluid into another. You may write down balance or moderation. Or you may see something entirely different. Write it down and move on to the next card. Continue this until you have reviewed all the cards.

Arrange the cards back in a stack, and flip over the first card. Look the card up in the companion book. Write down any keywords that connect with the card for you. Continue until you reach the last card.

Put the companion book away and stack your cards once more. Flip to a fresh page in your notebook. Turn your first card over and write down the first two thoughts that come to you. The goal is to acquire two key words for each card. If nothing comes to you, place the card to the side. Continue until you reach the last card.

Return to the cards you set aside and look back at your notes for each. On your list, pick out two keywords for these cards.

Use your list as a guide if needed, but do your best to have the keywords to each card in your mind. A repeat of the third step will help you to remember the keywords.