1. The Magician
i.The Nutshell
Upright
The Magician appears when you have the right tools and you know how to use them. Ruled by Mercury, the planet of sharp minds and even sharper tongues, he's the deck's Harry Potter, someone who knows he can turn an idea or plan, into something amazing. But don’t be fooled by the confident posture and neatly arranged tools. The Magician’s magic only works if intention and action are on speaking terms. Otherwise, you’re just a very enthusiastic Hogwart student hoping no one notices you don’t know what half the stuff does. The Magician reminds us that we need to know how to use what we’re given by aligning our skill with intention and values. Otherwise, we're just waving a wand around in a cloak hoping no one asks follow-up questions.
Keywords: Willpower, manifestation, inspired action, resources, focus, action, resourcefulness
Translation: You already have what you need within yourself, so listen to your intuition and act with integrity.
Reversed
Now we’re entering illusion, manipulation or the classic ‘talk a big game delivered with a shrug’ seen by unpopular occupations. Either you’re bluffing your way through something, or someone else is, and it’s time to call the Magician out for using sleight of hand when integrity would’ve been a better choice. Reversed, this card also hints at self-doubt, imposter syndrome or worse, blatant malignant behavioural tactics. You’ve got the tools, but you're either staring at them like they came through the post and the instructions are in Hieroglyphics, or you need to realign with your values to make your magic work.
Keywords: Deception, under-utilised skills, scattered energy, trickery and manipulation
Translation: Either you're faking it too hard, or not faking it enough to even try.
ii. Illus-traits
A quick glance at The Magician’s symbolic traits in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck - what's hidden in plain sight?
Infinity Symbol – Limitless potential, but only when consciously focused.
One Hand Up, One Down – Channeling higher power into grounded action.
Tools on the Table – Mastery of all suits. Nothing missing, just waiting to be used.
Red and White Robes – Passion balanced by purity. Will and intention in partnership.
Garden of Flowers – Manifestation in bloom. What you tend to, grows.
iii. Influences
Planetary: The Magician represents Mercury; smart, fast, sometimes tricky, and always ready with a witty reply or a complex strategy. Mercury rules communication, intelligence, curiosity and the fine art of making things up as you go along. It’s the planet of fake it until you make it, but make it look intentional. This card channels Mercury’s talent for multitasking, manifesting and occasionally manipulating the room for ‘educational purposes’. Mars also gives the push, turning ideas into action without waiting for the perfect moment.
Natal House(s): The Third House, naturally ruled by Mercury, is the Magician’s home. It’s all about mental processing, messages, short trips both physical and mental, and whether or not you’re overthinking your to-do list again. The Sixth House also shows up here when the Magician decides to put their skills to use: think daily rituals, duty, refined craft and pretending purple highlighted manifestation lists are spiritual. Both houses deal in details, systems and how to look competent even when you’re winging it. The First House, ruled by Mars, adds boldness and self-assertion to the mix, giving the Magician a confidence boost to make things happen.
Astrological Sign(s): Gemini and Virgo both answer the Magician’s requests. Gemini brings the curiosity and verbal incontinence while Virgo brings perfectly curated lists, edits and existential dread about not being useful enough. Together, they reflect the Magician’s need to know everything and apply it. Expect wit, wordplay and several ‘trust me’s’. Aries, the fiery first sign of the zodiac, is the perfect match for the Magician’s energy in being ready to take action, charge ahead and make things happen before asking if it’s a good idea or not.
Numerologically: One is the number of beginnings, willpower and solo acts that don’t wait for permission. The Magician, like the number one, is about personal autonomy, i.e. conjuring reality using self belief and a way to manage it all held together by vibes and Post-its. One reminds you that you already have what you need. One is independent, pioneering and ready to lead the way. One creates trends and turns your innovative ideas into reality with a level of confidence.
Element – all the elements, especially Air: The Magician represents all elements: earth, air, fire, and water, balanced by breath and thought. Air shapes ideas. How can you turn your thoughts into action? What resources do you have to create something real?
iv. A Day in the Life of The Magician
Well That Escalated Quickly
You attempt to attract rent money with a singing bowl but end up messaging your ex for a small loan and wanting to pull your bottom lip over your head and swallow. You start the day with the intention to make progress, but your energy is scattered. You switch between mental tabs, and draft messages you never send. You’re lacking faith in your ability to use the tools in front of you.
Adjusting the Knobs
You talk yourself into buying a domain name at 1:11am for a business you’ll abandon next month, and confidently pitch a project at work using words you learned five minutes ago from a TikTok. You begin taking action, but it’s inconsistent. You pitch an idea without refining the concept, and agree to a new commitment before fully assessing your abilities.
Unsubscribed from Self-Sabotage
You rearrange your desk to optimise flow and spend the morning down a YouTube rabbit hole learning how to scry. You pause to reassess and revisit your priorities, and start using your time and tools more deliberately. Conversations become more strategic, tasks are broken into manageable steps, and your flow starts to align with your intentions.
Writing the TED Talk
You connect the dots, nail that delivery, charm the room, and walk away with everything you asked for… and one bonus thing you didn’t but now claim was part of the plan all along. You enter the day with a clear objective and follow it through. You speak with confidence because you’ve prepared. Tools, time, and communication all work in sync. You finish what you started and translate ideas into action. Outcomes reflect the clarity and commitment behind them.
v. Working with these Energies
Balancing Inspired Action with Actual Follow-Through
The Magician isn’t here to wait for a sign because he is the sign. Singing Alanis Morissette, he’s got one hand in the ethers and the other rummaging through his pocket of potential. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should. And when the Magician isn’t feeling all that magical? You can feel all talk and no manifestation, like buying seven journals just to sniff, or using your talent to manipulate outcomes instead of matching them with your values.
1. Get clear, then get going
– When was the last time you backed your big idea with actual effort?
– Are you calling it divine timing when it’s actually procrastination dressed in spiritual bypassing?
– Where in your life are you poised to start something but need to commit?
2. Claim your tools and use them responsibly
– What’s in your metaphorical toolbox and are you actually using it or just admiring it on the shelf?
– Have you been casting spells with a dead battery or worse, someone else’s vision?
– How can you take one intentional action this week to embody what you say you want?
3. Work with Mercury’s brains and Mars’ initiation
– Where is your mind racing ahead of your energy, or vice versa?
– Are you moving with precision, or just fast?
– What would it look like to combine the mental clarity of Mercury with the strategic action of Mars?
4. Recalibrate your intentions
– When have you recently chosen to act on your intuitive intelligence?
– Are you wanting to influence or inspire?
– How would the Magician remind you to align your motives before hitting send?
5. Start something meaningful
– Pick one idea and make a small move on it this week
– How does it feel to do rather than just think about doing?
– Can you commit to creative momentum without knowing the outcome?
vi. Building Skills
Presence, Perception, and the Power of Intention
The Magician reminds you that your power lies in focused presence, i.e. knowing where your attention goes and how that shapes your reality. Presence involves seeing things clearly before acting.
Consider this: Sit quietly with your eyes closed. Without counting or using any cues, estimate when you think one full minute has passed. When you feel the moment has arrived, open your eyes and check your watch.
Were you early? Late? Surprised?
Notice what this tells you about your internal pacing. Do you tend to rush through moments or stretch them out? How does your perception of time affect your energy, choices, or how in control you feel?
The Magician card teaches that personal power is about attunement. Mastery begins when you slow down enough to notice where you actually are instead of where you think you should be.
Practice presence. The tools are already in your hands.
vii. Embodiment
Tarot is a language, but it’s also a felt experience. Embodiment is how you move it from the page into your body, your senses, your real life. This presence over performance. Before you try and memorise what The Magician means, feel its meaning.
Smell: If The Magician were a scent, what would it be? Spiced incense? Fresh ink?
Body: Where do you feel it when you think about focus, willpower, or manifestation; your hands, your spine, your head?
Soundtrack: What song feels like The Magician’s energy right now?
Action: What could you do today that feels intentional, aligned, or like turning a spark into something real?
Nature cue: Step outside. What around you reflects Magician energy? Heavy weather? A tool lying in the grass? A clear horizon?
Notice what shifts: The goal is to feel awake and present with direction.
viii. Your Impressions
Look at The Magician card in your own deck if possible. Take a moment to observe without overthinking.
What stands out to you most?
How does this card feel in your body or mood: focused, energised, intense, inspired?
If this card literally spoke to you what would it say?
ix. Intuitive Meaning
Use this space to reflect on what The Magician means to you personally
When have you stepped into your power and surprised yourself?
Where do you talk about doing but haven’t yet started doing?
What would it mean to trust that you already have what you need to begin?
Applied insight with a three-card reading using The Magician as your anchor:
What power or resource am I not using?
What intention needs to be made clear?
What action will align me with that intention?
Pull cards. Note your feelings. Don’t rush the answers and let them unfold.
Write three words that personally relate to your current situation:
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x. Closing Reflection: Track Your Evolving Lens
Your relationship with each card will grow over time because it’s meant to shaped by your life. Consider the prompts below to revisit and reflect.
What I thought this card meant when I first pulled it: —————————————————
A recent experience that changed how I see it: —————————————————
How I feel about it now, in my body or life: —————————————————
What surprised me as this card kept showing up: —————————————————
One way this card is living in my life right now: —————————————————
If this card visited me today as a guide, what would it want me to remember? —————————————————
Revisit these after a week, a moon phase, or a meaningful moment. Let the card evolve as you do.
If you feel a quiet sense of recognition, curiosity and want to explore it, browse the sessions page for what feels right.