The Magician
Have almost now caught up on the cards I missed in the 78 week study as I started a few weeks late ... so here are my quick notes on the Magician.
Have used the RWS and the Sharman-Caselli together as a comparison. They are very similar images but with some subtle differences.
The Magician wears a white robe - indicating purity of intentions, with a red cloak over the top - indicating passion and desire. He wears an ouroborous as his belt (a snake eating his own tail) which is a symbol of eternity.
He has one hand holding a wand pointing up towards the sky and the other hand points down towards the ground. Makes me think he is like a conduit or bridge between the two. Like he can draw on the powers above and direct them towards the earth / material world. In the RWS he holds the wand in his right hand but in the Sharman-Caselli he holds it in his left hand. Left for creativity - right for action. This seems to me to fit more with the Sharman-Caselli hands.
He stands behind a table with his "tools of the trade" on it - symbols of the four suits of the Minor Arcana - Wands, Cups, Pentacles, Swords - also symbolic of Fire, Water, Earth and Air. This could indicate that he can apply magic or powerful direction or guide in the areas of material path (pentacles); emotional path (Cups); Intellectual path (Swords); creative path (Wands).
He has a leminscate floating over his head in the RWS deck - symbol of infinity. In the Sharman-Caselli deck there is no symbol over his head but the table has a pattern around the edge of leminiscates. He stands in a garden with red roses (passion and desire) and white lilies (purity of spirit). Here is the same combination as the white robe and red cloak indicate. They must indicate a balance of some sort or that you need both purity of spirit and the desire and passion to put creative power into action to create. A composite of innocence and experience.
The Magician sometimes reminds me of a traffic cop or airport runway guy with the round things (sorry can't remember what the correct term is for this job). This is a bit of an abstract association as you don't see these guys running around in white and red robes, but it makes me think of someone using their knowledge and giving directions, guiding you in the correct path or direction.
Another impression from these images is that he is ready for action and has all his tools laid out ready to create something. It just needs your imagination to figure out what will be created or what new opportunity will arise. Conscious action and creation. The idea of manifestion / magic - out of the elements of life - making something real. He is able to harness and direct the energy power or magic.
But can this guy be trusted? As the name suggests he is a Magician after all (from the dictionary: magician ~ a person who practices magic, uses supernatural forces and practices to change or influence normal events; a conjuruer.) Is what he creates real or just an illusion. Does he create or send us in the direction of what we want or what we need but may not know it - makes me think of "be careful what you wish for". In the Sharman-Caselli, in particular, he looks quite a handsome, charming man which immediatley puts me on guard (apologies to the handsome, charming men out there who may be genuine/sincere
. But it makes me think that he is almost too good to be true, this man standing in a wonderful garden, with all the options on his table and the power to magically create or direct you on your path of life. Thinking of the Fool here and that this can be sometimes thought of his first stop on his journey - how could he possibly know what is wanted or needed so early on in his journey or is it just showing him that there are all these different options and that you can have the active power to manifest these into what is required for that particular cycle. Am probably going off on this tangent as he came up in a reading yesterday as the final outcome for a friend who wanted to know what direction her career would go as she does not know what she really wants to do - he seemed to be indicating that she has the power and the creativity and the will to direct her energies but made me think she needs to be careful to what she applies this drive and energy. Am really rambling now .... so will go off and give The Magician some more thought.
Will go and read the other posts now which will no doubt give me further insight and ideas.
CreativeFire