ORA›The 78 cards›Rider-Waite-Smith›The Magician
The Magician, Rider-Waite-Smith
Major arcana

The Magician

The Magician starts with what already lies on his table. He moves an intention into a gesture, without waiting for means he does not have.

Rider-Waite-Smith Air/Mercury See in Tarot de Marseille →

What the card shows

The Magician stands behind a table where the wand, the cup, the sword and the pentacle rest. One raised hand points upward, the other points to what lies before him.

Its light

What you need already lies in front of you. Linking an intention to a concrete gesture shifts the situation, and a clumsy attempt teaches more than the perfect plan.

Its shadow

The gesture can serve the staging rather than the result. When skill shows itself instead of producing, the table stays tidy and nothing is delivered.

Keywords

initiativeskillresourcesbeginningaction

Notes on the symbolism

RWS. Arcana I. The Magician carries a serpent biting its own tail, and the 8 lying above it figures the sign of life, a double loop according to Waite.

What this card invites you to do

Take one tool, only one, and use it today. Look at your table before you go elsewhere for what you lack.

A card does not decide for you.
It shows you where to look.

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