Traditionally,we know the Magician as a sorcerer,but scientist and artist are also apt descriptions. For all these characters know well that special experience of creation. Most creative people admit that when their work goes well,they do little but act as an opening for something that wants and needs to come into existence. And yet,this creation cannot happen until they focus and take action,working very hard to bring their dream,the creation,into reality. In the Haindl Tarot,the Magician calls forth Merlin,the sorcerer who aided King Arthur and the Grail knights. In fact,the Grail itself appears as the cup,one of the four emblems of the Minor Arcana. The four elements,all associated with the Grail story,also signify the four suits,and therefore the four elements of the physical world. The Magician is a master of these elements,of the entire world around him. But if he tries to use his creative power just for ego satisfaction (the artist who only wants praise,the scientist who only seeks advancement,the sorcerer who only wants to control his enemies),his power will fail him. And knowledge alone cannot rule life. At the end of his story,Merlin teaches his secrets to Nimue,a female apprentice who then imprisons him in a tree. Though his sorcery told him this would happen,Merlin could not help himself. He could master the world,but not his own heart. We may enact this myth in our own response to Tarot readings,especially those that tell us to avoid a certain person or situation. Often we ignore the warning,and suffer exactly the results predicted in the cards. Thus,we learn the weakness of intellect and the failure of will. With his primal number 1,suggestive of the phallus,the Magician signifies maleness. When the Fool falls from his innocence,the world itself falls from wholeness to a duality. On one side we find the Magician,or what occultists sometimes call the “male principle.”This principle involves light,consciousness,will,action,intellect,the Sun,and the positive pole in electromagnetism. On the other side of the duality is the High Priestess,symbol of femaleness,darkness,receptivity,quiet,mystery,intuition,stillness,the Moon,the negative pole. Much of the struggle and growth inherent in the Major Arcana involves resolving this apparent split in creation. We should realize,however,that the Magician does not refer only to men,nor dies the High Priestess signify only women. This illustrates why one important part of readings is the breakdown of roles and stereotypes,allowing us to realize that people themselves,as well as their journeys,change throughout their lifetimes.