The Tarot is an ancient system of divination that you often encounter when consulting a psychic. Psychics who work with Tarot cards not only draw on intuition, psychic ability and ancient tradition, but also on correspondences, a term meaning that everything is linked to something else – including the relationship between the Tarot and astrology.
An example of this is the link between the planet Mercury and The Magician in Tarot. In astrology, Mercury is a very important planet in the natal chart. It describes how a person thinks and expresses herself intellectually. Mercury rules the mind and the hands – what you think, you can do. Thus Mercury in a sign will show how that person thinks up ideas and translates them into concrete form, such as writing or crafting. Communication is an important part of the process of using your inborn skills. Mercurial people love to communicate ideas and to travel about seeking new forms of expression. The Mercurial person often moves about quite a lot and uses her hands to express ideas in speech as well as tasks. Mercurial is a term associated with restlessness, quick thinking and talking that ranges over a variety of subjects.
In the Tarot, The Magician is the second card in the Major Arcana, or picture cards. The remaining cards, known as the Minor Arcana, pertain to the suites – Pentacles, Cups, Wands and Swords. The Major Arcana are the cards that make the Tarot such a powerful divination tool, since each has a specific purpose and meaning. The first card, The Fool, is regarded as the universal significator. It is everyman, everyone who sets out on the journey of life. This card often depicts a ragged character with all his possessions in a pack, about to step off a cliff. Life is an adventurous journey, where people often have to take a leap of faith to discover their destiny.
The Magician card often shows a character in a marketplace, performing some sleight of hand. The symbol of infinity (or lemniscate, represented as ∞) is often included. The clue to the link between Mercury and The Magician in the Tarot is the use of thought, hands and communication in the Tarot card. The Magician is thinking, using his hands, and may also be talking to others, perhaps the crowd that has gathered around him to watch his performance.
The Magician a very Mercurial card in its expression and meaning. The Fool of the Tarot is no longer taking a leap of faith, he is learning that you can take life into your own hands, that you can think of ideas and express them and so communicate using your own skills, as The Magician is doing. Thus, in the Tarot, the idea is born that we all have talents we can use, and that these are infinite, as indicated by the infinity symbol.
When you are consulting a psychic, symbols are very important. If you are concerned with finding love, the psychic will be looking for certain symbols. The astrologer will look for the placement of the love planet Venus in your chart and see what transits by other planets may hold in store for you. The Tarot reader will be looking for The Lovers, and for Cups, both symbols of love in the Tarot. In such readings, Mercury and The Magician will also be important symbols to the psychic, because these symbols will say much about your state of mind, how you communicate your needs and desires, and how well you are using your natural skills to express yourself and your ideas and find success in many areas of your life, not just finding love.
Consulting a psychic is the best way to understand the power of Mercury and The Magician in your life. You may be wasting your talents if your Mercury is not properly expressed, and The Magician may point out to you the ways in which you can use your skills in more effective ways. When the psychic sees The Magician in a Tarot reading, it is understood that the answers to your questions lie in your own hands.
When consulting a psychic, you will more often get the answer you need, rather than the one you want. For example, if you ask your psychic about finding love, and the symbols the psychic associates with this question are absent or not strongly aspected, he or she will know that there is a more urgent issue to deal with. If Mercury or The Magician is the dominant symbol, the psychic will know that the real question has little to do with finding love – that will come when you learn to rely on your own talents to shape the life you want. Finding love will not be the answer until you know yourself. Otherwise it will be just another illusion.
So listen carefully to your psychic when you don’t seem to be getting the answer you want – you will be getting the answer you need. Mercury in your natal chart may be struggling to be heard, or The Magician struggling to be recognized. Your psychic will tell you where the real problem lies. One such problem is that natal planets often come under attack by planetary transits. For example, natal Mercury may be receiving a hard aspect from Neptune, the planet of deception. Your psychic will be able to guide you in distinguishing reality from fantasy. All planetary transits are, by nature, temporary, and you will soon be back to yourself again, but in the meantime you may need psychic guidance. The problem may be another planet, but you can’t know this without consulting a psychic.
In a Tarot reading, The Magician may turn up anywhere, for he is as mercurial as the planet, but the inference will be the same. Your talents are the focus here, your skills and abilities. If difficult cards surround The Magician, then you are fighting to express your talents, and need to focus on them. Let your psychic guide you to rediscovering the greatest skill of all – knowing yourself.
