A powerful-looking young man is behind a table. The raw nature of the universe is spread out on the table in front of him and the very fabric of reality seems to fold around him. I am referring of course to card number 1 of the tarot deck, The Magician.
However, the Wizard was not always like this. In earlier tarot decks, the magician was a sleight of hand artist, a practitioner of stage magic, or even a juggler. It wasn’t until the more esoteric tarot decks were created that he became a magician or magician. A good example of this is the Rider-Waite tarot card which was created by Arthur Edward Waite and illustrated by Pamela Coleman Smith in the early 20th century. This deck remains one of the most popular today, with most other modern tarot decks borrowing liberally from its rich symbolism.
The main symbols on the modern magician’s card include representations of the elements, a lemniscate halo above his head, and a uroboros belt. The elements are represented by the elemental tools arranged on the table. They match the symbolism of the magical tools used in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, of which AE Waite and Pamela Coleman Smith were members. The cups represent the water element, the wands the fire element, the swords the air element, and the pentacles (also known as coins or discs) the earth element. Understanding these elemental attributions to these symbols is important to understanding the meaning of tarot cards.
The lemniscate, also known as the infinity symbol, halo above his head illustrates the Wizard’s power over the infinite energy of the universe. In some decks an additional lemniscate is shown near the Magician’s throat. This shows the infinite magical power of the spoken word.
The Uroboros, a snake that bites its own tail, symbolizes the cycles of the universe that The Magician aligns with. This energy is limitless, and the uroboros around their wastes show their control over this energy. There are other symbols on the card as well. The lilies and roses that adorn the card symbolize purity and innocence. The Wizard’s gesture towards the earth with his left hand also seems to show that he has power over the physical world.
When using the tarot for divination, this card can have a few different meanings. Among them, the card can represent skill, diplomacy, self-confidence, and willpower. Alternative meanings can include grief, loss, and disaster. These meanings go back to the oldest symbolism of the magician as more of a sleight of hand artist. The magician may also simply be a representation of the Querent himself.
