The Magician
The Magician's number is One, the number of creation and individuality; his power is transformation through the use of his will. In manipulation of the basic elements on his table, he shows us that magnificence can emerge from the mundane. He symbolizes becoming a conduit for higher power. Clearly this is power of a divine sort, which can command much of the material world. Without a conduit, higher power lacks direction and losses potency. The acts he performs often seem like magic.
The Magician may seem like a strange title for someone who holds real power, because the word "magician" tends to conjure up images of an illusionist, whose power involves sleight of hand and misdirection. The Magician, however, is similar to the stage illusionist in some ways. He is confident in his skills and abilities to produce the necessary effect; and he is an artist at misdirection. His real power comes from outside sources; but he is not powerless without these sources. However, just as an illusionist depends on people behind the scenes, The Magician needs them and higher powers. Without a conduit, higher power and "people behind the scenes" lose an important center-stage connection.
With his powers the Magician holds influence over all - theory and practice, logic and emotion, thought and action. Almost every modern depiction of the Magician includes one or more symbols of infinity to denote his limitless power; the snake eating its tail and the lemniscate (horizontal figure-eight) being chief among these. This limitless power comes from sources outside his body yet under his control. And as long as the Magician remembers that this power is his to command, even if he loses worldly power, he is never truly powerless. For his confidence and will are powers that no one can destroy.
Another nearly universal association with the Magician is the red-and-white color scheme. This theme recurs throughout Tarot and it is symbolic that it starts with this card and not the Fool. For while the Fool shows potential for positive and negative, the Magician is the union of positive and negative. He creates and he preserves; he destroys and he redeems. His true power is that he not only knows what he must do, but he knows how he must do it, and why it must be done. Then, without hesitation, he does what must be done. The Magician reminds us that desire alone changes nothing, but a decision can change everything. A desire to create is nothing without the ability to create.
This next paragraph applies to you.
When the Magician appears he shows that you are ready to become a conduit for power. The forces of creation and destruction have always been at your command but now you have the wisdom and confidence needed to use them constructively. Now is the time to act, if you know what is it you want to accomplish and why. Since the powers of transformation are at your command, change your desires into objectives, your thoughts into actions, your goals into achievements. If you have recently met with failure, now you can change that failure into success as easily as the Magician changes fire into water. The only limits you have are those you impose on yourself.
The outward manifestations of such power are as numerous as they are varied, but the most common outer effect of the Magician's influence is unwavering confidence. The realization that the world is under your control is what inspires this kind of confidence. So go out into the world, set your mind to your primary objective, and then take necessary actions that cause everything fall into place under your command. Ultimately, the message of the Magician is simple, despite his infinitely complex power. Your life is under your control. Your life is what you want it to be. Your life is what you make it.
PS try Pandora radio. It's free and extremely interesting if you turn it on randomly play after you select numerous artists as "radio stations" instead of selecting specific songs. It can be quite "magical."
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