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TL;DR: In A. E. Waite's The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), The Magician in divination means skill, diplomacy, self-confidence, will, but also illness, loss, and the snares of enemies; reversed it means a physician, a magician, mental illness, disgrace, and unease. In modern Tarot reading, this card is often understood as will, skill, and turning ideas into action; reversed it points to manipulation or potential misused. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: choose one small concrete step to begin today instead of waiting for conditions to be perfect.
What is The Magician card?
The Magician is card number I in the Major Arcana. The Rider-Waite-Smith deck was illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith and first printed in 1909; A. E. Waite published the divinatory meanings for this deck in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot in 1911. The divinatory meanings Waite gave in the 1911 book often differ from modern Tarot meanings.
How does Waite describe The Magician?
Waite writes in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911): a youthful figure in a magician's robe, with a face like the god Apollo, a confident smile and bright eyes. Above the head is the mysterious sign of the Holy Spirit, the sign of life, like a girdle without beginning or end, forming a figure 8 lying on its side. Around the waist is a serpent-belt, the serpent seemingly swallowing its own tail; Waite notes that this is a familiar symbol of eternity, but here it also points to the eternity of achievement in the spirit. The Magician's right hand holds a wand raised to the sky, the left hand points down to the earth; this double sign, according to Waite, shows grace, virtue and light pouring down from above and being channeled below.
What divinatory meanings does Waite give for The Magician?
Waite writes that the divinatory meanings for this card in the 1911 book include: skill, diplomacy, subtlety, refinement; illness, pain, loss, calamity, the snares of enemies; confidence, will; the querent if male. Reversed, Waite notes: a physician, a magician, mental illness, disgrace, unease.
These meanings of Waite's are quite broad and somewhat contradictory, including both positive and negative sides. When reading according to Waite, one should hold both of these sides rather than choosing only one meaning.
In current Tarot reading, what does The Magician mean?
In current Tarot reading, The Magician upright is usually understood as will, skill, turning ideas into action. Reversed, this card is usually understood as manipulation, potential not used in the right way. Common keywords are will, skill, action. This is the draw-reading meaning used by Nhật Nguyệt, not the divinatory meaning Waite gave in 1911.
According to Nhật Nguyệt's understanding
According to Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, The Magician is the card of a person who has all the tools in hand and stands before the choice of how to use them. The card's meaning does not lie in predicting the future, but in recalling that will and skill are only valuable when turned into concrete action. This understanding does not replace the Waite 1911 meaning, nor does it replace the modern meaning, but is an additional reference reading.
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion for today
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: if there is something that needs to be started, write out one specific small step today instead of waiting for all conditions to be met. With love, consider saying clearly what you want instead of letting the other person guess. With finances, check the documents and numbers again before deciding.
Tarot is not an absolute prophetic tool, but a mirror reflecting the mind and potential of the querent. One should not use the cards to replace practical decisions about work, finances or health.
Quick reference table: The Magician upright and reversed
| Aspect | Content |
|---|---|
| Deck | Major Arcana |
| Order number | 1 |
| Main keywords | will, skill, action |
| Waite 1911 meaning (upright) | Skill, diplomacy, subtlety, refinement; illness, pain, loss, calamity, the snares of enemies; confidence, will; the querent if male. |
| Waite 1911 meaning (reversed) | A physician, a magician, mental illness, disgrace, unease. |
| Meaning upright (in current reading) | Will, skill, turning ideas into action. |
| Meaning reversed (in current reading) | Manipulation, potential not used in the right way. |
Overview article on the topic: Tarot Basics: The 78 Cards And The Meanings Of The Major/Minor Arcana
