I The Magician - 'As Above, So Below'
The first archetype to appear on the The Fool's journey is 'The Magician'. Numbered 'I' in the Major Arcana, this card represents the connection between the infinite potential of the Universe, alluded to in The Fool, and its manifestation in the Earthly physical realm. Pamela Colman Smith, co-creator of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot, portrayed The Magician with a wand in his right hand raised up to the Heavens above and his left index finger pointing down to the ground below. This is a clear symbolic representation of an ancient occult Hermetic principle which contends that anything that occurs on a higher plane is immediately reflected on the lower plane. Summed up in the phrase 'As Above, So Below', this principle has been revisited by many spiritual, esoteric traditions and philosophies throughout the ages.
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| 'The Magician' variations From left to right: Ian Miller's Grim Tarock, the Modern Witch Tarot and the Light Seer's Tarot |
THE MAGICIAN - As Above So Below
KEYWORDS
Manifestation. Ability. Creativity. Resourcefulness. Imagination. Control. Influence. Skill. Balance. Talent. Mastery. Synergy. Opportunity. Salesmanship. Shaman. Medicine man. Magic. Witchcraft. Alchemy.
Manipulation. Deception. Trickster. Conman. Fraud. Charlatan. Gaslighting. Illusion. Imbalance. Impostor syndrome. Untapped potential. Self-sabotage. Missed opportunities.
THE LIGHT
The Magician is the Lord of the four Earthly elements of matter. In most Tarot decks Wands are associated with the element of Fire; Swords with the element of Air; Cups with the element of Water, and Pentacles with the element of Earth. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck these four elements, which form the basis of the four Suits in the Minor Arcana, are all pictured in The Magician card. There's the aforementioned Wand in his hand, but also a Sword, a Cup and a Pentacle on the table before of him.
The Magician is in full control of his surroundings. Air, Earth, Fire and Water all bend to his will. The infinity symbol above his head represents endless potential and exquisite balance. There's a definite Alchemical vibe going on here.
This card symbolizes taking an active role in our own destiny. The Magician doesn't wait for things to happen, he makes things happen. He possesses the ability, the creativity and, most importantly, the tools to influence people and situations. He's eminently skilled, educated, a problem solver, instantly and accurately evaluating how to set things right when chaos strikes.
What few suspect is that he may very well have created the chaos in the first place. I'll develop on this in the shadow interpretation below.
Some real-world examples of Magician personalities can include the very gifted salesman or advertising manager who's able to sell anyone anything; the political campaign manager working in the background to bring his candidate to victory; or even the influencer on social media. All are quite gifted at playing with a vast array of tools and strategies to produce a very effective, successful result.
Does The Magician wield real power or is it mere trickery and sleight of hand? That remains to be seen. The Magician is so good at what he does, the boundaries between reality and fantasy can get blurred.
THE SHADOW
With great power and influence comes the even greater responsibility to not abuse, misuse or even withhold this ability. Here is where the shadow aspect of the Magician resides. Fully aware of his masterful control over others, he can be manipulative, deceptive, vindictive and a great destructive force. He can shatter lives just as easily as he can put them back together again. He might also choose to simply not act, holding back invaluable help at the worst possible time. This negative aspect can be reflected in our inability to tap into our own innate potential and to sabotage our opportunity to succeed.
The Magician is the skillful con artist who will abuse our trust for his own profit. As the grand master of sleight of hand whose tricks fascinate and amaze, he can make us forget that it's all nothing more than a perfectly crafted illusion, designed to take advantage of our weaknesses. He's able to psychologically manipulate and gaslight anyone who stands in his way. This can point to our own tendency to surrender to the debilitating scourge of impostor syndrome.
Never forget that The Magician's skillful control over the elements means that he can just as easily conjure up a small flame to light a candle and banish the darkness, than unleash a raging fire that destroys everything in its path.
A true genius or a common snake-oil salesman? It's not always easy to tell. Pay attention to surrounding cards that may shed some light on the true nature of this ambiguous, but fascinating card. All of the interpretations above can describe another person or an aspect of our own personality. It isn't always easy to pinpoint which is which in a spread. The more experience you gain in your reading practice, the more effortless this will become.
LITERALLY
As I've mentioned before in other posts, the cards can at times convey a very blunt, literal message. The Magician can therefore represent an actual magician or a mentalist in a magic show.
In a more esoteric sense, he can be a practitioner of witchcraft, Brujeria, Voodoo or Stregheria; a fortune teller; a Shaman, medicine man or witch doctor. A reminder that not all problems can be solved by conventional means and that it may be time to try alternative solutions.
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| 'The Magician' from the Delta Enduring Tarot by Egan |
I've even had the opportunity to interpret The Magician as a cook! I mean, look at all the utensils he's got nearby. And that table kind of looks like a kitchen counter. This is even more obvious in the Tarot de Marseille. Imagine my delight when I later came across that exact same cooking imagery in the Delta Enduring Tarot, as you can see in the picture above. The Gumbo master! I absolutely love it. Cooking, after all, is a lot like Alchemy. The masterful combination of several independent ingredients that transform into a wonderful new creation. It really is the perfect metaphor for The Magician's vibe.
The intuitive possibilities with the Tarot are truly endless and never cease to surprise me. Don't ever hesitate to rely on and, above all, trust that first gut feeling.
TAROT ACADEMIA
The Magician is also labeled 'The Magus', 'The Juggler', 'Il Bagatto' or 'Le Bateleur' depending on the deck's origin.
I touched on Hermeticism in the opening paragraph, specifically the concept of the Heavens and the Earth mirroring each other. In other words, the idea that everything is connected; the forces at work in the Universe having a direct effect on Earth. To cite just one example of this phenomenon, consider the Moon's effect on the tides. The Magician in the Tarot is an allegory for this 2000 years old principle.
Ancient Hermetic philosophical texts date back to the 1st century BC and are attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, a legendary Hellenistic figure. This particular principle originated in a text called the 'Emerald Tablet'. The inscription has been translated several times from the Latin, Greek and Arabic and interpreted in various ways. My understanding of its meaning is only one variant out of many.
One translation of this text reads as follows:
"That which is above is as that which is below, and that which is below is as that which is above, to perform the miracles of the One Thing."
'As Above, So Below', personified by The Magician in his distinctive stance, linking the macrocosm above to the microcosm below; 'the One Thing' clearly referencing the infinite Universe.
It's a really fascinating subject to study if you want to understand and learn more about the esoteric essence of this card.
AN EXERCISE
Find the Magician in your deck and lay it on the table. Shuffle your deck and pull three additional cards. In light of what you've learned with my interpretation guidelines above, assign a traditional, shadow or literal meaning to each of the three cards in relation to The Magician.
For example: The Magician combined with The Devil can be interpreted as a sign of criminal activity. Or when combined with the Knight of Cups it can represent a skillful lover.
Have fun figuring out all the countless combinations!