The Magician
Agency
“Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie.”
All’s Well That Ends Well
The Magician at a glance
Finbarre’s interpretation: The Magician represents focused will, skill and the ability to turn an idea into action.
| Upright | skill, initiative, will, resourcefulness, communication |
|---|---|
| Reversed | manipulation, misdirection, wasted talent, inconsistency, self-doubt |
| Linked card | The High Priestess |
| Soundtrack | Don't Stop Me Now - Remastered 2011 by Queen Open the full Tarot Interviews playlist on Spotify |
Upright meanings
- Focused intention
- Skilled action
- Initiative
- Resourcefulness
- Persuasive communication
- A project launch
- Confidence supported by practice
- Using available tools
- Turning ideas into results
- Personal agency
Reversed meanings
- Manipulation
- Misdirection
- Wasted talent
- Inconsistency
- Self-doubt
- Empty promises
- Information being controlled
- Scattered effort
- Performance without substance
- A stalled manifestation
The Magician in a reading
| Area | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Love | Relationship energy: Active courtship and direct communication. Reversed: Charm concealing self-interest or pressure. |
| Career | Work: Pitch, present, negotiate or apply specialist skills. Warning: Impressive claims unsupported by delivery. |
| Money | Financial theme: Active, informed management. Warning: A persuasive offer lacking evidence. |
| Feelings | Upright: Intentional, confident and engaged. Reversed: Strategic, uncertain or controlling. |
| Advice | Prioritise: Align words, tools and actions around one intention. Watch for: Trying to control appearances instead of results. |
| Outcome | Potential: Skill converts opportunity into progress. Obstacle: Scattered effort or dishonest influence. |
| Yes or no | Yes, especially when you have the skill and resources to act. |
Symbols in The Magician
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The raised wand and pointing hand | One hand reaches upward while the other points towards the earth. The gesture connects inspiration with manifestation, showing that an idea must be directed into material form. |
| The four suit symbols | The wand, cup, sword and pentacle represent the full working vocabulary of the tarot. They suggest access to energy, feeling, thought and material resources. |
| The infinity sign | The horizontal figure eight above the head is associated with continuity and enduring power. It also appears on the Strength card, connecting will with disciplined control. |
| The serpent belt | The serpent biting its tail evokes a cycle that renews itself. Around the waist, it links the figure's power with continual transformation and self-command. |
| Roses and lilies | The cultivated flowers combine desire and purity, passion and intention. Their ordered growth shows that aspiration has been deliberately trained to fruition. |
A. E. Waite's original description
A youthful figure in the robe of a magician, having the countenance of divine Apollo, with smile of confidence and shining eyes. Above his head is the mysterious sign of the Holy Spirit, the sign of life, like an endless cord, forming the figure 8 in a horizontal position. About his waist is a serpent-cincture, the serpent appearing to devour its own tail. This is familiar to most as a conventional symbol of eternity, but here it indicates more especially the eternity of attainment in the spirit.
In the Magician's right hand is a wand raised towards heaven, while the left hand is pointing to the earth. This dual sign is known in very high grades of the Instituted Mysteries; it shews the descent of grace, virtue and light, drawn from things above and derived to things below. The suggestion throughout is therefore the possession and communication of the Powers and Gifts of the Spirit. On the table in front of the Magician are the symbols of the four Tarot suits, signifying the elements of natural life, which lie like counters before the adept, and he adapts them as he wills. Beneath are roses and lilies, the flos campi and lilium convallium, changed into garden flowers, to shew the culture of aspiration.
This card signifies the divine motive in man, reflecting God, the will in the liberation of its union with that which is above. It is also the unity of individual being on all planes, and in a very high sense it is thought, in the fixation thereof. With further reference to what I have called the sign of life and its connexion with the number 8, it may be remembered that Christian Gnosticism speaks of rebirth in Christ as a change “unto the Ogdoad.” The mystic number is termed Jerusalem above, the Land flowing with Milk and Honey, the Holy Spirit and the Land of the Lord. According to Martinism, 8 is the number of Christ.
Waite's original divinatory meanings
Upright:
Skill, diplomacy, address, subtlety; sickness, pain, loss, disaster, snares of enemies; self-confidence, will; the Querent, if male.
Reversed:
Physician, Magus, mental disease, disgrace, disquiet.
Source: A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, first published in 1910, with illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith.
Continue through the deck
- Previous card: The Fool
- Next card: The High Priestess
Written and interpreted by Finbarre Snarey, tarot researcher, founder of the British Tarot Archive and coordinator of the UK living heritage submission for Rider-Waite-Smith tarot reading practice.
These interpretations reflect Finbarre Snarey’s understanding of contemporary Rider-Waite-Smith tarot practice. They are provided for education, reflection and entertainment only and should not be treated as medical, legal, financial, psychological or relationship advice.