The Magician I

Magician Keywords

Upright: Big projects, go-getter, leadership

Reversed: Something missing, bad planning

Planet: Mercury

Numerology: 1

Element: Air

Next card: The High Priestess II

The Magician Meaning

Love Reading

In a love reading, The Magician shows a couple that has all the tools they need to succeed. It can indicate a new couple or a new chapter in a couple's life (think: newborn). Reversed, this can mean something in the relationship needs attention—whether that be emotion, time together, or intimacy.

Career Reading

The Magician means new begininngs, and having all the tools to make dreams come true. Career-wise, this card discusses the first day on the job or about to present a new project. Upright, you're on the right track. Reversed, an element is missing in your career life or presentation.

General Reading

In general, The Magician speaks to whether you are "prepared" for the spiritual journey you're on. When it's upright, it's a sign that you are definitely ready and you should move forward. When reversed, it means a certain aspect or element is missing and you need to re-evaluate.

The Magician appears when you have the tools to make dreams come true.

The Magician is represented by the number 1—which indicates "the beginning" of something as well as one individual (i.e. a solo venture). After we move on from 0 (The Fool), or subconsciousness, this card would represent consciousness or awakening as you move through the "hero journey."

With that said, The Magician talks mainly of preparedness. Are you prepared? Now that you are "awake," do you have all the tools necessary to move forward in the world and succeed? In the card, we see that The Magician owns all four suits of the tarot deck: Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands. With that, we can assume he has all the things that those suits represent and can, therefore, move forward with assuredness.

The Magician Upright

When upright, The Magician suggests that now is the time to move forward with projects, presentations, or new beginnings. You have all the things you need in place. You just have to take the first step forward.

You have all the four suits at your disposal. For Cups, that might look like relationships, connections, or emotional investment. For Pentacles, that could mean financial backing, investments, or opportunities. For Swords, that would be action-oriented mind and logical A-to-Z plan. And for Wands, that would be passion, intensity, and vision of bigger goals ahead.

You have a vision; now, it's time to manifest it!

The Magician Reversed

If The Magician in an upright position means that you have all the tools you need, this card in reverse can indicate the opposite.

For example, if you have a job and you're not quite happy, maybe it's not that you don't like your coworkers (Cups) or that you don't make enough money (Pentacles). But something is missing—and perhaps it's your inability to move up in the ranks (Wands). Whatever it is, the reversed Magician means that it's okay not to feel "whole." Something is lacking here.

Additionally, this card can tell you that your plan or goal isn't "whole" yet. Perhaps you need to re-evaluate or spec out the idea a little further before pursuing.

The reversed Magician may also indicate a lack of self-confidence. Perhaps you have all the tools (clearly seen if you see the rest of the. suits in the spread!), but you're just missing the self-assuredness to put yourself out there. Thus, fear of rejection can ring true for this reversed card.

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