The Magician (Le Bateleur): meaning of tarot arcanum I

In brief: number, names and keywords

The Magician carries the number I in every tradition. It comes straight after the Fool (or, if the Fool is counted as zero, it opens the numbered sequence). In Marseille it is called the Bateleur, an old word for a street performer or a fairground juggler; in Rider-Waite it becomes the Magician, which changes the atmosphere a little: from the village square to the mage’s workshop.

In older Italian decks we find Il Bagatto, a word for a trifle or a small plaything, and in some French translations the card is called the “Juggler” or the “Cup-player”.

Keywords: initiative, skill, the start of an action, communication, available resources, willpower.

The image in the Marseille tarot

In Marseille, the Bateleur is a figure standing behind a small table on three legs. He wears a large, wide-brimmed hat whose shape is often described as evoking infinity (a sideways eight), and holds a wand in one hand and a small round object in the other (a coin, a cup or a ball, depending on the reading).

On the table lie various objects: cups, dice, sometimes coins, a knife, a bag: the equipment of a street conjuror. At his feet a few tufts of grass grow. His clothes are colourful, and his gaze is directed at us or at his objects, depending on the edition.

The image in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck

In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the Magician is a man in a red robe over a white tunic, standing before a table. He raises a wand towards the sky with one hand and points the other towards the ground, as if linking what is above with what is below. Above his head floats the sign of infinity (the lemniscate), and a snake-shaped belt biting its own tail (the ouroboros) encircles his waist.

On the table are the four symbols of the families of the Minor Arcana, laid out in a row: a wand, a cup, a sword and a pentacle. In front of him grow red roses and white lilies, and above, a bower of greenery. The whole scene tells less a story of sleight of hand than of a will that organises itself: all the tools are within reach.

Symbolism of the elements in the image

These are the details that come up most often in traditional readings. They are lines of interpretation, not official definitions.

• The table: the work surface: what is at hand and can be put in order. It reminds us that every departure begins with an inventory.
• The raised wand and the hand pointing down: in Waite’s deck, the gesture links idea and reality (“as above, so below”, a formula from the Hermetic tradition).
• The four tools (in Waite’s deck): wand, cup, sword, pentacle: energy, emotions, thought and matter. Four registers to coordinate.
• The sign of infinity: potential: everything is still possible, nothing is fixed.
• The ouroboros (the serpent biting its tail): the cycle, continuity, starting over.
• The wide-brimmed hat (Marseille): often linked to infinity as well, or simply to the hat of the street performer: the skill that draws the eye.
• Roses and lilies (in Waite’s deck): desire (red) and purity of intention (white), cultivated together.

Upright meaning

Upright, the Magician traditionally suggests an active beginning: the moment one takes the initiative and moves from idea to action, using the means at hand. It carries skill, dexterity, the words that persuade, the ability to present oneself and to act. In a spread it often invites us to take stock of our resources: which skills, which contacts, which tools do I already have?

It also reminds us that know-how shows: craftspeople, teachers, artists and shopkeepers readily recognise themselves in it. The Magician is not a sorcerer; he is someone who knows how to make use of what he has.

Reversed: two schools of reading

School 1: the opposite. Reversed, the Magician becomes the bluffer: showing off, manipulation, glittering promises without substance, a mastery that is only pretended. A good juggler entertains; a bad one can also deceive.

School 2: a block. The tools are there, but the impulse is missing: procrastination, lack of confidence, scattering among too many options, difficulty in moving to action. The card then asks: what stops you from beginning? As is often the case, other tarot readers prefer to read the card only upright.

In common areas of reading

The tarot does not say what will happen: it offers images for reflection. Here, in symbolic terms, is what this card may bring up depending on the theme of your question.

• Personal reflection: recognising one’s resources, owning one’s talents, daring to show what one can do. Possible question: what am I capable of that I do not dare to show?
• Relationships: communication: saying things clearly, taking initiative. The card may also remind us to stay sincere: charm alone is not enough to build a bond.
• Work: launching a project, presenting oneself, an interview, taking initiative. Symbolically, a fine beginning that calls for follow-through: what can you build with these tools?
• Money: the idea of using available means with ingenuity rather than waiting for perfect conditions. It does not predict an outcome and does not replace financial advice.

Combinations with neighbouring cards

A card is rarely read on its own: its neighbour nuances it. Here are a few common pairings, to be taken as starting points.

• The Fool: from departure to action: the Fool’s impulse finds a way to be carried out.
• The High Priestess: the Magician acts, the High Priestess listens: two complementary ways of approaching a project.
• The Emperor: resources and structure: moving from a good idea to lasting organisation.
• The Devil: beware the power of seduction: skill or hold over others; the nuance depends on the context.
• The World: beginning and fulfilment: the know-how that finally reaches its goal.

To learn how to combine cards, try the three-card spread. To place this card among the 22 Major Arcana, see our guide to the Major Arcana.

Keyword of the day, question and practice

Keyword of the day: Initiative. Choose one small action today that you have been putting off, and do it. Not a grand project: a message, a tidy-up, a first draft.

Question to ask yourself: What resources do you already have, without having really looked at them?

Writing (10 minutes). Take stock of your “work table”: write four lists, one for each of the tools in Waite’s card. Under the wand, your energies and wishes; under the cup, your relationships and emotions; under the sword, your ideas and knowledge; under the pentacle, your concrete means. Then underline what is under-used.

Short meditation. Place the card in front of you and repeat the Magician’s gesture: one hand up, one hand down. Breathe slowly three times while thinking of an intention, then of a concrete first action that connects it to daily life.

History and variants of the card

The Bateleur appears in the oldest Italian tarocchi: the figure is a juggler or a cup-player, a familiar sight at fairs and markets of the 15th century. Italy calls him Il Bagatto, a word for something of little value: the street juggler received a name that diminished him, in contrast with the dignity the occultists would later give him.

Esoteric authors of the 18th and 19th centuries (Court de Gébelin, Éliphas Lévi, Papus) made him the “magician” or the “mage”, the initiative of the spirit. Waite and Pamela Colman Smith, in 1909, turned him into a solemn figure, surrounded by Hermetic symbols and the four tools of the deck.

Marseille decks show variants: a table on three legs, the number of objects, the colour of the hat. The idea of a street performer showing his tricks remains the heart of the image, while the Rider-Waite prefers the image of a master of ceremonies. The two faces of the card, skill and imposture, reappear in the two readings of the reversed card.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to The 22 Major Arcana, card by card.