The Magician

One of my favorite cards, in part just because it's beautiful artwork, but also, of course, for what it represents.

1: The Magician

The Magician, dressed in red and white, and surrounded by red roses and white lilies (passion and purity), holds his wand aloft, while directing energy down into the earth with his other hand. His belt is Ouroboros, the snake that eats its tail, signifying eternity; he is crowned by the cosmic lemniscate, symbol of infinity. Before him lie the symbols of the suits, i.e., the elements - the tools with which he manifests his will from thought into being.

Because this is what the Magician represents: the power of the will, the ability to manifest one's thoughts into reality. This is a primary rule of metaphysics, the notion that what one conceives, one can will into being. By focusing upon what is wanted, channeling that desire into physical action, one can bring into reality whatever is needed.

It's power, and it's not particularly mysterious. It does require discipline and knowledge - to ascertain exactly what is wanted and bring it about means knowing yourself and having a clear idea of what is required to manifest it into reality. Oftentimes people get tripped up on the first step - knowing what they want. Vague notions are not helpful here. The goal must be clear.

Once you know what you want, it isn't especially difficult to lay out the steps required to make it happen. But, ah, that's the onion - doing what is necessary to bring it about, that's a challenge.

The Magician tells us that we can take what we want from the universe and make it our own, if we have the will - and the tools - to make it so.

Tarot Study: The Fool

I'd like to work through the Rider-Waite deck, starting in the Major Arcana. These are my interpretations, based on what I have read and my own experiences in reading over the years.

0: The Fool



The fool is the prankster, the traveler, the seeker, one who moves restlessly bringing excitement and/or havoc in his wake. He dances precariously close to the edge of the precipice, but he hasn't a care in the world. The sun shines on him, his faithful dog jumps eagerly alongside. Everything he owns is contained in the pack on his shoulder and he carries a white rose of purity and innocence.

In a reading the Fool often represents the querent, for the Fool is the Seeker. He can signify a journey or a quest of some kind. He may indicate blind optimism, plunging ahead without thought of consequence.

Reversed, the Fool may suggest impulsive or foolhardy decisions, a leap-before-you-look mentality. It may indicate a journey delayed, or unexpected obstacles.

It's always important to remember that the cards are read together - always take note of the surrounding cards in a reading and use their totality to determine what they might be telling you. And above all, remember that the cards do not tell us what will happen. They are an illustration of the current state of things, and what may unfold if the present course is continued.

Tools of the pagan

Candles and oils, symbols and sigils, herbs and stones - these are some of the tools of the pagan. They all have their uses, and it's one of my favorite aspects of paganism - the connection of the natural world's objects into my practice.

My favorite tool, though, is probably tarot cards. I've been fascinated with them since I was, oh, fifteen or so and sneaking interpretation books home from the library, hiding them away from my mother's distrustful eyes. It was a revelation to learn that our modern playing cards are derived from tarot decks.

Divination is a relatively misunderstood art. The future is not set in stone, so there's no divination practice that is going to state definitively that such-and-such will happen. The cards merely indicate the way things are going. They offer insight into your present situation and potential future; they work, through symbols, to help you realize what path you are on: whether you should stay the course, or look to new ways of approaching a particular problem or concern.

The primary difference between tarot decks and regular playing decks are the inclusion in tarot decks of the Major Arcana, also known as trump cards. These 22 cards represent archetypes, where the Minor Arcana that comprise the suit cards correspond to the elements and deal with day-to-day matters. There are a million websites and books that offer an explanation of the meaning of the individual cards, and I have no intention of laying that out here. Generally speaking, major arcana cards, when they come into your reading, tend to indicate outside influences, where the suit cards indicate your own behavior and beliefs.

The one thing I'll say is this, only because it seems to come up every single time someone who doesn't know tarot asks about it: Death doesn't mean death. It means change. Which, I suppose, is as terrifying to some as death itself. Personally, I am pleased when Death makes an appearance in my readings.

My go-to deck is still what many would call the 'beginner' deck, that is, the Rider-Waite deck. I love them because they are beautiful, evocative, and very easy-to-read cards, with rich symbolism that serves as an excellent assistant to reading interpretations. It's sad to me that the artist of these lovely cards, Pamela Colman Smith, isn't given credit in the deck's name. She was a pretty remarkable woman, definitely someone ahead of and outside of her time.

I've had a variety of decks but I always come back to this one. These cards just speak to me.

Also, the Five of Wands lends itself to a really great joke.