The Magician’s Brand of Magic: A Look at the Impact of Major Arcana Card One
I recorded a podcast interview recently, and the interviewer asked a profound question: What does it mean for someone to be “good” at tarot? I was in the midst of explaining that anyone can learn to read tarot, but it takes a sort of magical surrender to read well in a variety of circumstances and for a wide range of people.
Reading well means taking the “I” out of it and focusing on the person you’re assisting. To hear the messages from the universe clearly, a skilled reader can remove their own thoughts and opinions to download the wisdom the universal consciousness reveals. Tapping into that collective energy requires one to be a conduit for the information instead of the originator. To cultivate this magic, we must become it.
This blog series is designed to help. It is being written in conjunction with the Cup of Sugar tarot series newsletter. If you’re not getting the series currently, you can still sign up here. To see the first blog post on The Fool, click here.
Today, I’m focusing on The Magician, and to demonstrate Major Arcana Card One’s impact, I share four different spreads below. Each one is what I’d consider a “general energy reading,” which means that the cards come together to tell an overarching story about what might be going on for an individual or group. These spreads are not answering a specific question.
In each example, I detail what The Magician represents within the context of itself and the other cards. The sections are written as if I were reading these cards especially for you. All that being said, let’s dive in…
Spread 1: Leave it All Behind
The Magician in this spread is the guiding force for you to embrace your inner magic. In the upright position, he is the guide best equipped to help you manifest your desires, transform imagination into real-world achievement. Right now, embracing The Magician’s positive characteristics feels difficult. Although you have a thing going and are generating a lot of wealth and abundance (Ace of Coins reversed), it is making you unhappy. You’ve become a master of your craft (Eight of Coins reversed), learned all there is to know. Now, that knowledge is crushing. It feels like an elaborate symbol of your stuck-ness.
The key is the Eight of Cups. In order to grow and regain your sense of stability, you must leave the past where it is. There’s no going back. In fact, your best bet is to leave everything that no longer serves you behind. This clinging to overfilling cups (ie, a good job, golden handcuffs, old knowledge) is what’s driving a sense of unfulfillment and possible misery. If you act now, you have the power to transform your reality to one that will be infinitely more pleasurable.
Allow The Magician to work his magic. He has armed you with all you could ever need to take things in a new direction. This opportunity won’t last forever. Trust in your skillset. You have the power to manifest a better situation for yourself.
Spread 2: Drowning in Defeatism
In the reversed position, The Magician is a deceptive and apathetic fraud that couldn’t do magic if his life depended on it. The magic he does perform is more based on trickery than confident mastery. His position tells me that feelings of powerlessness are infiltrating your psyche and bringing you down.
The reversed Queen of Swords reveals some complicating factors. You’re not being strategic with your thought work. Feeling powerful is the result of carefully cutting through the mind trash that threatens our excellence at every turn. You have choices to make (Two of Wands reversed), but you’re clinging to both options to avoid making the decision. This is unsustainable and quite stressful. Things should be working cohesively, but there are simply too many puzzle pieces and not enough room to fit them all in (Three of Wands reversed).
The reversed Magician tells me that your overwhelm is the source of your defeatism. Add to that wildly unhelpful thought patterns, directionless determination and a stubbornness around forcing things to work when any and all amount of effort is futile, and you’ve got a mess on your hands. The solution is simpler said than done: Take a pause and reconnect to your gifts. Embracing your power will provide clarity, both lucid thoughts and an unobstructed path forward.
Spread 3: Escapism is Where Magic Goes to Die
Seated firmly in your power, your ability to manifest is blocked by three factors: An unrealistic desire to leave the known behind (Six of Swords reversed), obsessing about a specific singular outcome when many amazing options are available (Four of Swords reversed), and unfocused thoughts that center on manipulating others to get what you want (King of Swords reversed).
You, my friend, are ass deep in the woes of escapism. If you could leave the life you have behind, everything would come together perfectly as planned. I’m getting the sense that you believe a single person or outcome will solve all your problems. Because this fantastical desire is ruling your mind space, you’re continuing to waste your magic on something that cannot possibly live up to the dream you’ve created in your mind.
The outcome you want cannot be achieved from this place of determined action. Here, surrender will be key. Knowing all that’s meant to be will manifest in divine timing can set you free. You have the power to exit the mental and emotional spiral. There are many viable swords behind you. Why focus on this one? Give yourself the space to envision a different reality. Allow your magic to work as it will. The universe has your best interests at heart.
Spread 4: In the Game of Emotional Manipulation, No One Wins
Your apathy is causing you to act out. You’re a powerful being alright, but damn if you aren’t using it for evil right now. The Magician’s reversed position reveals your feelings of disconnect. Are those feelings of unease and discontent causing you to act out? I’d say so.
Things have gotten a bit twisted. Your determination to win, to be right, to flout your success over others has left you deep in your feels. You’ve been nourishing this negative energy for far too long. The Queen is here to help you wade into and navigate these emotional waters, but the reversed Five and Ace of swords mean your intentions are less than pure. There are a lot of mental obstacles and shame around the way you’ve been existing. Your manipulation has made your victory feel meaningless.
If the swords have become a burden, the Queen is here to help bail you out. Allow her to share her watery wisdom. Take these revelations to heart. Your power can be used for good just as easily. Once you find a way to reconnect to your magic, you’ll feel less inclined to create chaos. You won’t need deception to feel OK. The calm is coming, but you must do the work to let it in.