Tarot - The Magician

So, I have been sick this week. I got a flu shot a few weeks ago, and now I am sick. It was not a live virus, but I just find it humorous that I get a flu shot for the first time ever and I think this is the earliest in the season I have been sick. I do think that my immune system is suffering from my lack of being able to sleep well because of my back pain.

I wake up constantly having to find a new position that hurts less. I would say a position that doesn't hurt, but I have not found one of those. It is just a matter of degrees of pain. I then eventually reach a point where I can't move into a position that I can actually sleep in and have to get up. Getting a new futon did not make getting out of bed any easier, I still have to use the chair and crawl out of bed. So, now that I have whined about pain long enough time to post this weeks tarot card.

The Magician

First thing I think of with the magician is that he is a worker of magic. In traditional decks, he has all the tools of magic laid out before him. This shows him as a man of wisdom and knowledge, much as a woman who works the craft carries knowledge and wisdom as well.

Being a card with a number one, it also usually signifies beginnings, things that have to begun to manifest. Another thing that most people know about magic is that it does not just happen. magic is not simply about the physical acts of ritual either, it is about the will and focus that we put into those acts. Therefore, I see this as a card that signifies a place of beginnings and opportunities and as well a need to focus our energies to achieve our desires. The possibilities and skills our all laid out on the table before us, it is up to us to take the steps toward bringing our goals to fruition.

Now to look at the Magician from the Fantastical Creatures Deck. The picture shows a winged cat sitting on a table with his front paws on a wand. laid out on the table are two books, a crystal ball, some runes, and some stones. Behind the cat are some shelves with more books, and a few bottles. There is a dreamcatcher on the wall, as well as what looks like herbs hanging from the ceiling. Light filters in through a single window. The cat also has a collar with a bell.

Once again, we see many symbols of the craft, tools of divination, and of learning. One of the things I see when I look at this is that it seems highly focused on the intellect. There are books all around, the divination tools, the wings on the cat and even the bell. All of these show the intellect which may give a warning of a reverse meaning of the card being to be aware of being too much into the intellectual that you miss out on being in touch with your emotions.

So, overall, I see all of the tools and knowledge is there an available for the person to succeed if they are willing to put forth the effort of will to do so. The thing to be wary of is to not lose oneself in the strictly intellectual and forget the emotional and spiritual components along the way as well.