Fantasy World Tarot: The Magician

The Magician is card number 1 of the tarot, the first after the Fool. Also known in Italian as "Il Bagatto", it is linked to the first number: this is where every action destined to succeed begins.
It is a beginning on the material plane, and the card to its left can show what the Magician is about even without asking a question. When this card appears in a spread, you need to draw another card.
As an Arcanum it stands for cleverness and practical intelligence, but without experience of the material world. This mysterious figure is a kind of "sorcerer's apprentice" who needs to gain experience of the world of the senses.
The Magician has many other meanings, all linked to this main line of interpretation: the card can also refer to learning, self-esteem, will, talent, invention and the power of persuasion.
It is linked to a Hermetic idea found in many traditions: "on earth as it is in heaven" in the Christian one, "as above, so below" in the Emerald Tablet.
The Magician invites us to begin, to try new things, to mature and refine our experience, to be both solid and creative.
These meanings apply when the Magician appears upright; when the card is reversed you need to look at darker traits: anxiety, loss, mental illness, hesitation, the conjurer, the swindler.

The Magician of the Fantasy World Tarot

The Magician is traditionally shown as a magician or alchemist transforming matter through the symbols on his work table.
In the Fantasy World Tarot this important figure is a Warlock, probably taken by Vera Petruk from the imagery of Dungeons & Dragons.
His flamboyant robe in very bright colours, mostly magenta and green, frames the face of a man with a beard and long hair, not yet old as tradition would have it.
Perhaps the artist wanted this detail to show the unfinished side of the Arcanum: the Magician's lack of experience and his still incomplete learning.
In his right hand he proudly holds a sword, while in his left he holds what looks like a coin from which a tall, mysterious flame rises.
Behind him stretches a deep purple starry sky with yellow stars and a shining sun that encloses the moon. The flame from the coin seems to touch this magnificent sun and moon.
Below his left hand there is a small village, with roofs, domes and bell towers barely sketched. The landscape around him is green and hilly, suggesting other little villages nestled on the hills.
Besides the number 1 in Roman numerals, the card also bears the sign of Aries, the zodiac sign it is linked to and with which it shares many traits.

The Magician is one of the 78 cards of Vera Petruk's Fantasy World Tarot, published by Silver Cat Editions. You can find it in the limited edition in a wooden box, in the numbered edition of 890 copies or as a digital download.