1 – The Magus

The Magus, the first numbered card, marks the point in the Major Arcana where potential becomes direction. This is a card of visual and symbolic variety, sometimes called The Magician (le Bateleur). The card might also be represented as a juggler. I rejected both of these options because I feel that the concept of a juggler or performer doesn’t capture the full dimensions of this character. Juggling and the performance of magic are both merely skills that are practiced for entertainment. To me, The Magus is about capability rather than performance. 

I chose the more common depiction, one in which The Magusstands before a table that holds a wand, a cup, a sword, and a coin—symbols of creativity, emotion, intellect, and the material world. I felt the wand had more meaning when held rather on the table, as it is an active gesture in keeping with the card’s meaning.

The raised-hand gesture is often interpreted as “as above, so below,” but in practical terms it marks the shift from idea to execution: the recognition that thought and action are connected, and that both matter. The card speaks to focus, discipline, and the confidence to take the first intentional step. Where the Fool steps out with openness, the Magus stands with purpose and confidence.

For the card’s snake symbolism, I used an ouroboros design on the belt buckle, enhanced with an infinity symbol, which is often used on this card. To me, The Magus represents a connection between the earthly and the intangible—the understanding that existence is continuous, cyclical, and interconnected. The ouroboros expresses that idea well. I also echoed the pentacle design in the trim of the cloak, which I created as a repeating digital pattern and molded to the garment.

The card’s setting derives from photographs I took in Sorrento, Italy. The tiled floor and the backdrop of orange trees felt fitting, since I conceived The Magus as a kind of street performer—someone whose skills are exercised in public, in the everyday world rather than on a grand stage. An outdoor setting suited that interpretation, while paying homage to the Tarot’s Italian origin.