I. The Magician

Keywords:magic, manifestation, creativity, "as above, so below", capability, transformation, beginning a new project, resourcefulness, personal power, action, skill, optimism, concentration, focus, inspiration, can-do attitude

Reversed:Writer's block, creative block, gathering resources to begin, not quite ready to take that leap of faith, lack of focus, latent potential, manipulation, laziness, weakness, confusion, hesitation, impatience, resistance, self-doubt, spiritual lack

You can find my experience with The Magician during the Biddy Tarot Soul Meditation here.

You can read the Travel Tarot installment on The Magician here.

The Magician year is infused with the energies of creation and manifestation. He has an innate power to bring into physical being all that he is inspired to create. That inspiration is pure potential. Consider that potential to be magic. The Magician is open to the universe, to potential, and to expanding all that is possible.

The Magician is ready to takeaction.  He is the conduit through which spirit manifests in the physical world. The Magician is concerned with figuring out his place in the world, so there is a focus on the external. This world is where we do things! You may feel a surge of energy into your life when the Magician appears in a reading.  You are acting as that channel of spirit into reality. You are a lightning rod, channeling inspiration and brimming with enthusiasm. Take note of what you want to bring into this world, what you can make real out of this energy, what is meaningful and adds value to your life.

The Magician does not fear that there is a finite amount of creative energy available. He knows that universal energy is infinite. You will never use it all up, so draw more and more in order to grow your creation. In fact, the more energy you channel, the easier it will become to draw on even more as you grow into your power and become accustomed to its flow. Do not let self-doubt or lack of confidence creep into your experience. You have the power to make your world into whatever reality you want to create. No one else can do that for you or take that from you. The Magician reminds you to be a powerful creator.

The number 1 of The Magician is about new beginnings. The Magician may appear when you are feeling passionate about approaching yourself and your life in a new way. This could be something new you do physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. This is about being conscious of who you are, how you are, and what you are as a person. Recognizing and realizing your being, your eternal essence, your shining soul that is the real you, is of utmost importance.

The Magician is extremely resourceful. The Magician has everything he needs to transmute the immaterial essence of an idea, inspiration or desire into physical form. He reaches up to the heavens where this essence hangs all around us, and points it down toward the earth, toward the physical plane of our material experience. He is a master of the concept: “as above, so below.” He will make his world to mirror his soul.

The Magician is filled with optimism and enthusiasm.  The personal power that is almost tangible boasts up his vibrational level, causing him to feel invigorated and pumped on life. Magicians are in good spirits when they are following their passion for manifestation. His general attitude is: “Yes, I can!”. He has the ability to focus and concentrate on his goals.

The Magician reversed:

The strong energetic influence of The Magician can be difficult if you do not know how to channel that powerful energy.  You may find yourself feeling full of magical forces and energy and not know how to direct that or ground it in reality, in the earth.  All that energy in your body can cause anxiety, abusive behavior, madness or just a general unhappiness.  If you feel restless or anxious to grow or start something new, look for appropriate channels for your energy. Remind yourself that you are limitless, instead of focusing on your self-imposed limits.

Watch for signs of hesitation or outright refusal to begin. This reversal may show you resisting what you truly want. This resistsance is most likely Fear. Fear of failure, feel of embarrassment, fear of learning, fear of the dark, etc. can hold you back. Whatever it is, fear is what holds us back from living up to our fullest potential. The Magician reversed asks you to return to the energy of The Fool and take a leap of faith, demolish fear, allow yourself to create, be powerful, be The Magician!

The Magician reversed easily grows impatientwhen projects or plans do not immediately materialize.  Progress may be delayed, or you may have taken on a huge challenge that requires much development over many years. Your next step is to surrender to the process, to the cycles of energy, to being at the point you are at now. This is the place where you start from, each day brings you farther along your path, but where you ultimately end up is not as important as how you get there. Do not confuse your life purpose with your life goals. The purpose of your life is always to bring as much love and joy into the world as possible, to live in harmony with your divinity, to bring your values into alignment with your actions. Your life goals could be anything from having a good job, growing a family, being the President, whatever! Try to achieve your goals with your life purpose in mind.

THE MAGICIAN:Manifestation Resourcefulness Creation As Above, So Below Magic Personal Power Action Capability Skill Optimism New Beginning Focus Concentration Inspiration "Can-do" Attitude Creativity

 Enter The Magician!

-An idea that you want to manifest into physical form.  
- Inspired to create, use personal power and skill to come up with a concept and communicated that design
- The Magician is ruled by Mercury and Gemini, so The Magician is the ultimate communicator.
- personal power, creative skills, and experienced capability to bring idea into form
- resourceful about using all the tools you have on hand to complete a project.  

I know this is pretty literal, but sometimes manifesting your intentions can be painful and hard.  Can you sense the magic of creation through that pain?  Can you maintain optimism and focus under stress and outside distraction?  The Magician perseveres, using all his focus and power to carry on and complete the project.

What resources do you possess that you can use to manifest your goals?  We are all blessed with so many skills and abilities with are inherent and also develop during our lives.  The key is to recognize these skills, to own your power, and to use it proudly.  The Magician is that fundamental element of your existence that can bring that which is above (ideas, spirit, creativity) to below on this plane (reality, existence, tangibility).  Every one of us has this power within us.  Each of us is a creator, a manifester.

THE MAGICIAN REVERSED: Underutilized Latent talents Lazy Weak Manipulative Unfocused Spiritually unfulfilled Uninspired Disability Confusion Impatience Self-doubt Hesitation Refusal to begin Resistance

- Not always a bundle of ambitious determination
- whiney pants who thrashes around in bed in the afternoon, complaining about not wanting to do anything!  The key with the Magician reversed, is to know when to buck up and use your power and focus to concentrate on manifesting your intentions, and when to just take a nap.  Of course a nap can be an extremely powerful tool that The Magician can use to accomplish a goal, but sometimes you just feel uninspired and lacking in that concentration to work toward a goal. At times like this it's useful to ask yourself if you are being lazy or if you actually need to have a time of non-action with the Magician reversed? You can also ask yourself if being lazy is really so bad, is society telling you that you have to work too hard for your personal taste, maybe a lazy afternoon would be perfect for you at this time?  You may need to recuperate, heal, or reserve your resources.

Be careful not to manipulate the facts of your life situation, though.  For instance, if you are such a hard worker that when you finally breaks down into whiner land about how you deserves a break, it's easy to see how you might be correct.  But perhaps you are just using your work ethic to manipulate the situation into self indulgent sloth. What have you really done today anyway?!  Slept 8 hours, gone to the gym, gone to the grocery store, eaten a sandwich.... wait, that isn't such a hard day, why should you nap instead of getting a couple of hours of computer work in?  In this case, the Magician reversed shows that all the power and tools are there, you just have to seize onto them, instead of trying to weasel our way out of creating and doing.

The Magician reversed is particularly potent card when you are about to start a big new project, and you don't even know where or how to begin. Sometimes when you don't know what direction to take next, stopping all action to just be in the moment and see what happens, can be highly insightful.  There may be something about your present moment that will inspired you, help you concentrate, shift your focus, or help you proceed. If you are just doing, doing, doing without checking in on your spiritual fulfillment, core self, or life purpose, you may be heading done the wrong path.

Remember the difference between hesitating, doubting, and resisting a new project or intention, and consciously finding the right path for you to proceed.  You may feel the desire to wait and see what happens to find the perfect time to start of your project.  That isn't what The Magician reversed is doing though.  Instead he is listening, watching, observing.  He is healing, recuperating, and being present.  The Magician never wants you to wait around for someday.  Even non-action can be a type of doing.