Someone once told me that the major arcana represent our journey through life, that you can see yourself in each card and that the cards to which we feel a connection indicate where we are on our journey.
We all look at cards differently and at different times, we see different answers in the cards. Sometimes certain details within the card grab our eye and reveal the meaning of the card for us at that moment. At another moment, our eyes lock on another detail and a different feeling wells within, making the meaning of the card entirely different.
My colored pencil scratched, seeming to say the keywords with me as I colored the Magician’s robe red: Beth (House), concentrate, conscious action, control, mastery, one, projection, power
Something very telling was going on yesterday when I looked at the card. At first glance, when the card was still a black and white outline, I saw the magician’s face as depressed and unsure. It wasn’t until I had colored much of the card that I saw the quiet, self-assured confidence that is required to work magic and control the forces of nature. Why is this telling? Substitute knowledge for color and you’ll understand. It’s difficult for me to feel the confidence expresses in the magician’s face when I am a blank slate on a subject.
The magician not a blank slate, he has already acquired the confidence of knowledge and furthermore, he possesses the will to act upon that knowledge. He knows that he is the conduit of energy passing from above to below and that the key to effectively utilizing this energy is focused concentration. He possesses the intellectual power required to work magic, he is outwardly confident in his mastery.
Looking at the card, I can’t help but feel that it is only one half of a whole. While the magician is knowledgeable and intellectual, and there are hints of the subconscious mind, he does not give me the impression that he has fully cultivated its capabilities. He seems neither understanding nor intuitive. In order to achieve that balance the next card, the High Priestess, is required.
What do you see in the card? Is balance required?
