Bringing Magic to Trying Times

A sneaky idea just crossed my mind: maybe I wouldn’t write the forecast today, after all. I could be one day late, tend to the pile of work looming over me, give myself some breathing room. But I had a deck next to me and a fully charged computer. What if I just drew three cards and see if it sparked a quick, fluent reading? Well, thankfully that’s just what happened.

I know I’m not the only one who’s feeling fatigue these days; it’s as if our central card, that classic meditation on suffering the Five of Pentacles, is spreading its influence everywhere. Many people I talk to - friends, clients, family, the checkout person at Target - are burnt out and overwhelmed. I don’t have to go into the details about why, and I also know that for many of us these feelings don’t stop at the public sphere. The seismic changes are also bumping into (and sometimes inspiring) deep questions and conflicts. But they also shake loose something brighter: passion, creativity, and an instinct for change.

The Magician starts our reading with a burst of energy. This card is the first stop on The Fool’s journey through the Major Arcana. It reminds us we can do things, “Welcome to the world, you can make things happen here,” this card says. But this isn’t the trite “make things happen” of bootstrapping or toxic productivity - it’s born of something entirely different. The Magician draws from all the tools of the tarot; the symbol for each suit lies on their table. With the emotional and spiritual power of cups, the intellectual rigor of swords, the earthy practicality of pentacles, and the energy and zest of the wands, The Magician can create wonders.

This is a week to remind ourselves of our creative potential in all spheres of life. How when we set our will to something we can, aided by inspiration and creativity, create beautiful results. The flowers that sprawl around the frame of this card show how such acts and creations can benefit all. Let yourself manifest visions big and small, innovate change when it strikes you, and know that you have the tools to do something truly grand if you set your sights on it.

The power of this card filters into the dismal picture of the Five of Pentacles in the middle of the week. Hardship is present, yes, but our ability to tap into the energy of The Magician is casting a warm light on an otherwise dark situation, much like the glow filtering through the five pentacles in the window above the two struggling people below. This could be a powerful healing opportunity, one we may direct towards ourselves, others, or, hopefully, both.

At the end of the week, we’ve learned something crucial and it’s more of a felt sense of knowing than an intellectual realization. I’m drawn to how The Magician’s vibrant yellow transitions from the pentacles in the five to the moon in the Eight of Cups. Oddly, things are feeling less clear the closer we get to something important. Don’t expect explainable certainty at the end of the week; trust your instinctual knowledge to walk towards whatever sliver of brightness you can see in the night.

Returning to the theme of healing, I’m also noticing how the snow - frozen water - in the Five of Pentacles turns into the river in the Eight of Cups. Feelings becomes unstuck this week through experiencing or witnessing suffering, lack, or hardship. It may be a particularly tender time, so make room for this however works for you. The Magician may serve as inspiration here, too. How can you channel your emotions into art, expression, or action?

I’m also feeling a deep tie to our card of the year, The Hermit. I’m seeing the figure in the Eight of Cups as a sort of Magician-on-the-Go, perhaps the beginning stages of our Hermit’s quest for deeper wisdom. This week may require you to go your own way, forego comforts or acceptance, and walk towards what you know in your heart you need to pursue next. Accompanying us, however, is the enduring light of our innate power to create and to bring beauty, meaning, and sustenance to ourselves and others.