Tarot card meanings › Major Arcana
The Magician Tarot Card Meaning
The Magician tarot card means skill, focus and making things happen. You have what you need. Use it.
Upright
- Skill
- focus
- making things happen
Reversed
- Trickery
- scattered effort
- unused talent
Yes or no
Yes
The Magician is card I of the 22 major arcana.
What the card shows
A man stands at a table that holds a cup, a pentacle, a sword and a wand, one for each suit. He raises a wand to the sky with one hand and points to the ground with the other. An infinity sign floats over his head, with roses above and roses and lilies below.
This is the card as drawn by Pamela Colman Smith for the 1909 Rider-Waite-Smith deck, which is in the public domain.
Upright meaning
The Magician is read as having every tool you need already in front of you. It points to skill, concentration and turning an idea into something real. It is a card for starting the work, not for waiting.
The Magician reversed
Reversed, it is read as talent going unused, effort spread too thin, or someone who is more show than substance.
Yes or no?
In a yes or no question, The Magician is usually read as a yes. Readers differ on some cards, so treat this as one common reading. You can ask a yes or no question and draw a card for it.
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More Major Arcana cards
The FoolThe High PriestessThe EmpressThe EmperorThe HierophantThe LoversThe ChariotStrengthThe HermitWheel of FortuneJusticeThe Hanged ManDeathTemperanceThe DevilThe TowerThe StarThe MoonThe SunJudgementThe World
‹ The FoolAll 78 cardsThe High Priestess ›
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