Tarot School Class Two: The Magician

Number: 1
Class: Major Arcana

Characteristics: This card is most typically depicted as a person in a workshop or a classroom. There may be a cauldron, or a knife, or any numer of tools related to a trade or craft and it may appear as though the person is teaching something.

In the Lord of the Rings deck, the Magician is not-too-surprisingly, Gandalf the Gray.

Basic Text Book Meanings:

The Magician is many things. He is a student and a teacher. She is the conductor in an orchestra and yet she is also the composer who sits in the balcony, watching her piece entertain the audience.

Simply put, the Magician is someone who takes what they are given and makes the best out of it. She doesn't complain that she doesn't have an entire set of paints and all of the brushes she wants. She takes the dinky little water color brush and the three tubes of oil color and she presents you with a painting of a rainbow.

In the reversed position, the Magician is someone who fails to take advantage of opportunities. Someone who sits on his ass in front of the TV or computer rather than gets up and takes a class or joins a group activity at the community center.

Be respectful but firm with your clients. As you learn to read tarot cards and you become confident enough in your ability or read for other people, you must also take care not to drain yourself. Never let anyone pressure you into reading them and never read more than once for someone who doesn't offer you some kind of compensation. Whether it's money, or a homemade food, or even a reading in exchange, make sure people learn that you are not simply "on tap" for them.