01: Fern / The Magician
The Magician Tarot Card Meanings
It’s Tarot Tuesday! Every Tuesday I will be posting an article diving deeper into an individual tarot card, to help me better understand its meaning, and to help educate others in the process. I’ll also share about the connection between each tarot card and the botanical I paired it with in my Fleurot tarot deck, which is based around the Victorian Language of Flowers.
Today we are diving into the second card in the tarot, The Magician (which is number one in the Rider-Waite tarot deck, and the Fern in the Fleurot deck).
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Keywords
The Magician | Action, Power, Resourcefulness
Fern | Magic, Fascination, Sincerity
The Magician has the number one in the Major Arcana, which signifies the singularity of this archetype. The Magician is happy to go it alone - they feel secure in their power and don’t believe they need anyone else’s guidance or advice.
In the traditional Rider-Waite Colman-Smith deck, the illustration portrays a figure with one arm up towards the sky, and one pointing down towards the earth. This symbolizes their connection between the spiritual and material realms. Above the figure’s head is the infinity symbol, and in front of them is a table displaying all of the elements of the tarot deck (pentacles, wands, cups, and swords), indicating that they have everything they need to do this powerful manifesting energy work.
This card gives you the permission to pursue whatever it is that has been percolating. You have all of the tools you need, you just need to use them! There is great power in magic, and great resourcefulness in fascination. Tap into your own intuition and shadow side. You are a well of your own personal power and magic.
And as we all know, magic thrives in specificity. This card is also about being very clear about what you are trying to manifest, and having intense focus so you can take inspired action. Because the universe will often give you what you ask for, so be careful with how you ask!
“As a master manifestor, the Magician brings you the tools, resources and energy you need to make your dreams come true.”
For more in-depth information about the meaning of The Magician tarot card, I highly recommend checking out the description by Biddy Tarot!
The Fern Polypodiopsida
During the Victorian Era, people would exchange flowers and plants as a way of sending messages to express their true feelings (ones they couldn’t often express out loud). The system they developed was published in Flower Dictionaries which allowed the meanings of each flower to be widely accepted, and this language was often dubbed ‘Floriography’.
For the Victorians, the fern symbolized magic, fascination, and sincerity. This perhaps could stem from the fact that ferns are some of the oldest species on earth, some dating back to the time before the dinosaurs. It could also have to do with their unique reproductivity - they have spores instead of seeds or pollen. A truly fascinating botanical specimen indeed!
In Victorian England, there was also a general obsession with rare plant species from foreign lands. Hot houses, glass houses, and conservatories were common among the upper class, and many people had miniature versions in their parlors to show off their wealth to guests. Ferns were a common specimen in these glass displays because of their exotic array of species, shape, and color. It’s no wonder they associated this plant with magic, when they often displayed them in such a magical way.
Wherever the meaning comes from, the Fern felt like the perfect pairing for the Magician in the Fleurot deck.