EP 4: Tarot Talk on the Magician

We kicked off today’s episode with an announcement. Since Imbolc is only a few days away (Feb. 2) I thought it would be a good idea to host a giveaway! The prize is a self-care spa package, of artisan cold-pressed soaps and a salt soak. It’s all hand-made by me at my little hearth and charged up with all sorts of magic and goodness.

To enter, all you need to do is pop over to my Instagram @sprite.made.soaps

- Follow me there
- Like the giveaway post… it will be easy to spot as it will have my podcast logo and say “give away”
- tag a friend

The winner will be chosen at random on the spring equinox (March 21)

Today’s episode is a look at the Magician card. The 1st archetypal energy our fool meets on his journey of enlightenment. I’ve chosen to use the Tarot de Marseille again as our reference deck. Then chose 3 contemporary decks from my collection to see how the symbology is expressed in each one.

So, what does the magician signify when he shows up in a spread? This card is usually highlighting the idea of personal will and empowerment, understanding our personal power and how we possess everything we need. The magician asks us to look at our will, and how we are wielding it. Are we standing in a place of empowerment, believing in our own inherent worth? Or are we living in a place of manipulation and false control? The number 1 accentuates the idea of individualism, this card asks us to examine ourselves, to look within and to seek what we desire … and what we want to make manifest in our lives. It is through owning your own innate power that you can make manifest all that you desire

I think this is important when looking at our decks, to remember that the cards come from a much different time than we are living in now. Symbols were often hidden in art and iconography, what would seem to be a beautiful painting to the average person, could be understood on a different level by an individual who had studied. The symbology of the tarot is rooted in the 1600s when only the higher classes and elite had access to education and written information. So, what would be obvious to a person who had studied kabbalism or esoteric teachings would go unnoticed by someone who had not. Knowledge is a powerful thing. It is easy for us to forget this when we live in an age where information is freely shared and ancient texts can be accessed at the click of a button on websites like Sacred Texts.com

In our episode today I examine the traditional symbols found in the Magician card and how they are expressed in 3 different contemporary decks. The three decks I have pulled from my collection are:

Tarot of the Secret Forest –by Lucia Mattioli

Wildwood Tarot – Mark Ryan and John Mathers illistrated by Will Worthington

Steampunk Tarot – by Barbara Moore illistrated Aly Fell

The symbols often found in the Magician card and their basic meanings

Infinity symbol (that’s the figure 8 lying on its side) – represents enlightenment and well infinity
Alchemist tool – representing the 4 elements; earth, air, water, fire. The tools of creation/ magic-making, the idea of having what you need,
An Alter – representing well all the things alters represent … like sacred space (there are ideas about the significance of the number of legs on the alter, I did not get into that today)
the number 1 – the individual, the self, awakening and initiation (all your numerology would also apply to the number 1)
Pointing to the sky and the earth – the esoteric idea of as above so below (more present in decks based on the Waite Smith deck, not sure if I talked about it in the show today)
2 pillars, often one light and one dark – representing the dichotomy of light and dark, seen and unseen (re-occurring tarot theme)

Each of these decks has a unique theme and looks very different, yet they still have many similar elements when you examine the individual cards and the symbols present in them. When a symbol is omitted such as the tools in the “tarot of the secret forest,” the idea of manifestation is still clearly depicted. Or in the “steam Punk Tarot,” the addition of 2 alter candles to the scene. They echo the 2 pillars that are in many other cards of the high arcana that symbolize the dichotomy of light and dark.

I hope that this has brought you a deeper understanding of the Tarot. Have a look at your personal favourite deck and see which symbols are present, which are omitted and how your artist has chosen to express the meaning of the card.

There’s a video for you on my YouTube channel “Tarot Talks” showing each of the cards I used in todays show. Go check it out