LexTalk

Have you ever had an idea that you were SO excited about… only to immediately come up with approximately 47 reasons why you probably shouldn’t do it?

Maybe you don’t have enough experience.

Maybe you need better equipment.

Maybe you need more money.

Maybe you should take another class.

Watch another tutorial.

Research it for another six months.

Or maybe you’re waiting for some giant flashing sign from the universe that says:

LEX. THIS IS YOUR MOMENT. PROCEED IMMEDIATELY.

Unfortunately, the universe has yet to install its giant neon sign system.

But today’s tarot card does have something interesting to say about all of this.

Because standing in front of us is someone with a wand raised toward the sky, a table filled with tools, and basically everything they need sitting right in front of them.

Welcome back to LexTalk Tarot: One Card at a Time, where I’m slowly making my way through all 78 tarot cards, learning their meanings, studying the symbolism hidden within the artwork, and sharing everything I’m learning along the way.

Today’s card is The Magician.

And the question I keep coming back to is:

What if you already have more than you think you do?

Meet The Magician

The Magician is Card I — or 1 — of the Major Arcana.

And I think it’s especially fun learning this card after we’ve already explored The Fool.

The Fool is numbered zero.

They’re standing at the beginning of the adventure with all this possibility ahead of them.

Then comes The Magician.

If The Fool says:

“I’m ready to see where this goes.”

The Magician feels more like:

“Okay. What do I have to work with?”

And apparently the answer is…

Quite a lot.

The Magician is traditionally associated with themes of:

Manifestation • Intention • Resourcefulness • Skill • Creativity • Confidence • Action • Personal power

But there’s one word in there I want to talk about a little more:

Manifestation.

Because I think that word sometimes gets misunderstood.

What Does “Manifestation” Mean in The Magician?

When I hear the word manifestation, I immediately picture vision boards, candles, journals, affirmations, crystals…

All things I happen to enjoy.

But The Magician isn’t really a card about sitting on the couch thinking very intensely about what you want and waiting for it to appear.

If only.

I would have manifested several million dollars and a beachfront house by now.

The Magician’s version of manifestation feels much more active.

It’s about taking an idea…

and doing something with it.

You have the vision.

You recognize the resources available to you.

You focus your energy.

And then?

You act.

That’s what makes this card so interesting to me.

Intention + resources + action.

The magic isn’t necessarily something that happens to you.

Sometimes the magic is something you participate in creating.

The Symbolism of The Magician

The traditional Rider-Waite-Smith Magician is packed with symbolism.

And this is one of those cards where learning the artwork makes the meaning SO much easier to remember.

Let’s break it down.

The Wand

The Magician stands with one arm raised toward the sky, holding a wand.

His other hand points toward the earth.

This gesture is commonly connected with the phrase:

“As above, so below.”

In the context of this card, we can think about it as connecting ideas with reality.

Inspiration is wonderful.

Dreams are wonderful.

Ideas are wonderful.

But eventually?

Something has to bring those ideas into the physical world.

You have to write the first sentence.

Create the account.

Send the email.

Make the thing.

Apply for the opportunity.

Start learning.

Take the first step.

Basically:

The idea has to come down from the clouds eventually.

The Infinity Symbol

Above The Magician’s head is the infinity symbol.

It’s one of the easiest details to remember on this card.

The symbol can represent ongoing potential, possibility, and creative energy.

And I think it pairs beautifully with The Magician’s larger message.

You may have more possibilities available to you than you initially realize.

Sometimes the limitation isn’t necessarily:

I can’t do this.

Sometimes it’s:

I haven’t figured out how to do this yet.

Those are VERY different statements.

The Tools on the Table

THIS is probably my favorite part of the card.

Look closely at The Magician’s table.

You’ll traditionally find representations of all four tarot suits:

• A Cup
• A Pentacle
• A Sword
• A Wand

Essentially, The Magician has the entire tarot toolbox sitting in front of him.

Each suit brings something different.

Cups connect with emotions, relationships, and intuition.

Pentacles connect with practical matters, resources, money, work, and the physical world.

Swords connect with thought, communication, intellect, and decision-making.

Wands connect with inspiration, creativity, passion, and action.

The Magician has access to all four.

And I think that’s such an easy way to remember this card:

You have tools. Use them.

Maybe you don’t have every tool.

Maybe your tools don’t look like someone else’s.

But what do you already have that could help you take the next step?

The Roses & Lilies

Around The Magician, you’ll notice red roses and white lilies.

The red roses are often associated with desire, passion, and action, while the white lilies can symbolize purity and clarity of intention.

Once again, we’re seeing balance.

Wanting something is one thing.

Being clear about why you want it — and what you’re willing to do about it — is another.

The Red & White Clothing

The Magician’s clothing also carries symbolic meaning.

The white can connect with clarity or purity of intention.

The red can represent passion, energy, desire, and action.

Which basically gives us another version of the same lesson:

Know what you want. Then do something about it.

Tarot apparently refuses to let us sit around procrastinating today.

Rude.

The Magician Upright Meaning

When The Magician appears upright, traditional themes include:

Resourcefulness • Confidence • Skill • Manifestation • Creativity • Focus • Intention • Action

This card can invite you to recognize your own abilities.

Maybe you’ve been telling yourself:

I’m not experienced enough.

I don’t know enough.

I don’t have the right tools.

I’m not ready.

And The Magician might encourage you to stop for a moment and take inventory.

What DO you know?

What CAN you do?

What resources ARE available to you?

What’s one thing you could do with them today?

That doesn’t mean pretending you know things you don’t.

Sometimes the next step really is learning.

But there’s a difference between genuinely needing more information and endlessly collecting information because we’re afraid to act.

I know.

I didn’t particularly enjoy typing that sentence either.

The Magician Reversed Meaning

Time for our recurring LexTalk Tarot reminder:

Reversed doesn’t automatically mean BAD.

The Magician reversed can point toward themes like:

Self-doubt • Scattered energy • Unused potential • Poor planning • Manipulation • Dishonesty • Misusing skills or influence

There are a couple of very different ways this can show up.

First, you might actually have the ability to do something…

but you don’t believe you do.

Maybe you’re constantly questioning yourself.

Comparing yourself to other people.

Waiting until you’re “better.”

Or convincing yourself that someone else could do it more successfully.

In that case, The Magician reversed might ask:

Am I underestimating myself?

But there’s another side to this card.

The Magician is skilled.

Confident.

Persuasive.

Resourceful.

And those qualities can be used positively…

or manipulatively.

So reversed, this card can also encourage us to pay attention when someone’s presentation doesn’t match reality.

In other words:

Watch what people do, not just what they say.

The Magician in Love & Relationships

In love and relationship readings, The Magician can connect with communication, confidence, initiative, attraction, and intentionally creating the kind of relationship you want.

And I like the word intentionally here.

Because relationships don’t usually thrive on autopilot.

Upright, The Magician can encourage us to participate actively in our relationships.

Say what you mean.

Show affection.

Make time.

Have the conversation.

Put effort into creating the connection you want.

Reversed, The Magician can encourage us to look more carefully at mixed signals, manipulation, dishonesty, or situations where words and actions don’t match.

And I think there’s a useful relationship reminder hiding in that interpretation:

Love isn’t only what someone tells you. It’s also what they consistently show you.

Tarot doesn’t need to tell us what another person is secretly thinking.

Sometimes it’s more useful to look at the information we already have.

The Magician in Career & Money

This might be one of my favorite areas for The Magician.

In career readings, this card can connect with:

• Initiative
• Creativity
• Entrepreneurship
• Skill
• Resourcefulness
• New projects
• Problem-solving
• Using your talents

Maybe you’ve been thinking about starting something.

• A blog
• A YouTube channel
• A business
• A side hustle
• A creative project
• A new career path

Or maybe you’re simply trying to become better at something you already do.

The Magician can encourage you to look at the skills and resources you already possess.

But — and this is important — it isn’t promising that every idea will automatically become successful.

You still need planning. Practice. Research. Effort. And sometimes money.

Unfortunately, The Magician cannot make the bills disappear.

I checked.

In financial readings, I think this card is most useful as a reminder to be active and resourceful rather than passive.

Know where your money is going.

Learn.

Plan.

Use the resources available to you.

And reversed?

Be especially cautious about opportunities that sound a little too magical.

If somebody is promising enormous returns with practically no risk or effort…

Maybe put the wand down and read the fine print.

What If You Already Have Everything You Need to Start?

This is the part of The Magician that really sticks with me.

Because there’s always going to be something else we could have.

Better equipment. More money. More followers. More experience. More knowledge. A prettier workspace. A better camera. Another certification. Another class.

And sometimes those things genuinely help.

But sometimes?

We’re using them as requirements we’re forcing ourselves to meet before we’re allowed to begin.

And I think The Magician challenges that idea.

Not:

Do I have everything I’ll ever need?

But:

Do I have enough to take the next step?

That’s a completely different question.

Maybe the answer is yes.

Today’s LexTalk Tarot Reflection

Grab your tarot journal, notebook, or notes app and think about this:

What is something I’ve been wanting to create or accomplish, and which tools or skills do I already possess that could help me begin?

Then ask yourself:

Am I waiting for the perfect moment, or could I take one small step today?

And maybe make an actual list.

Write down the things you already know how to do.

The people you can ask for help.

The tools you own.

The experience you already have.

The things you’ve learned.

You might surprise yourself.

Because sometimes we’re so focused on what we’re missing that we forget to notice everything we’ve already collected along the way.

The Tarot Deck I’m Using

If you’ve been following LexTalk Tarot: One Card at a Time and wondering which cards I’m using, I’m working with a Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck throughout this series.

I specifically wanted a physical deck I could study, photograph, and reference while learning the traditional imagery because I’m discovering that actually looking at the symbols makes these cards SO much easier to remember.

If you’d like to learn with the same deck I’m using, you can [check out my tarot deck here — paid link].

You absolutely don’t need the same deck to follow along!

But if you’re learning traditional tarot symbolism with me, I think it’s really fun being able to look at the same artwork together.

I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no additional cost to you.

Learning Tarot Through Journaling

I’m also continuing to write down what I learn as we move through these cards.

Because let’s be serious.

There are 78 cards.

Upright meanings.

Reversed meanings.

Symbols.

Numbers.

Suits.

Major Arcana.

Minor Arcana.

And apparently flowers, mountains, dogs, clothing colors, hand gestures, and random fish popping out of cups all mean something too.

My brain is going to need notes.

If you’re learning alongside me, you can use any notebook you already have, or you can [check out the tarot journal I found here — paid link] if you’d like something specifically designed for your tarot studies.

I’m especially interested in eventually looking back at my early entries and seeing how my understanding of the cards changes over time.

Because that’s really the whole point of this series.

We’re learning.

Not memorizing everything overnight.

I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no additional cost to you.

Six Cards Into LexTalk Tarot

We’re officially six cards into this little experiment.

And I can’t help looking at the lessons we’ve collected so far:

The High Priestess

Trust yourself.

Listen to your intuition.

Ace of Pentacles

Plant the seed.

Big things can start small.

Page of Cups

Stay curious.

That weird idea might actually be worth exploring.

The Fool

Begin.

You don’t have to know exactly where you’re going before taking the first step.

Eight of Pentacles

Practice.

Skill develops through learning, repetition, and patience.

The Magician

Use what you have.

You might already possess more tools, knowledge, and ability than you realize.

And when you put all six together?

Trust yourself. Plant the seed. Stay curious. Begin. Practice. Use what you have.

Okay, tarot.

I see you.

Learning The Magician One Symbol at a Time

If you’re learning tarot alongside me, you absolutely do not need to memorize everything we just covered.

Today, I want you to remember one thing:

The table.

When you see The Magician, look at that table.

The Cup.

The Pentacle.

The Sword.

The Wand.

The tools are already there.

Then look at The Magician connecting the sky and the earth.

Idea → intention → action.

That’s your little memory shortcut.

The Magician = I have tools. What am I going to do with them?

And if the card is reversed?

Think about whether those tools aren’t being used effectively — or whether someone’s abilities and influence are being used in a way that deserves a closer look.

That’s enough for today.

One card.

A few symbols.

One more piece of the tarot puzzle.

And hopefully, by the time we reach card number 78, neither of us will look at a tarot deck and think:

How in the world am I supposed to remember all of this?!

We’ll know the stories.

We’ll recognize the symbols.

We’ll understand the patterns.

And we’ll have learned them the same way The Magician turns an idea into something real:

One action at a time.

— Lex

Tarot interpretations are subjective and are shared here for personal reflection, education, and entertainment. Tarot should not replace professional medical, legal, mental health, or financial advice.