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Combinations · Rider–Waite–Smith Tarot
The Magician combinations
The Magician brings the tools, the timing and the will to act, and the partner card names what he acts on. Here is how card I reads beside each of the other cards in the deck, upright and reversed.
Card meaning: The MagicianCombinations are common patterns, not rules
The readings here describe how a pair most often reads. Check each one against two things before you apply it. The first is the question: the same pair says one thing about a relationship and another about a job offer, and the question decides which side of the pair matters. The second is the background, meaning what the querent already knows about the situation, the position each card holds in the spread, and the cards around the pair. When the question or the background points another way, go with them over the general reading. Each pair page lists the exceptions that come up most often.
Put the Magician next to almost any upright card and the pair turns practical: the partner names an opportunity, a feeling or a problem, and he supplies the skill, the communication and the confidence to do something about it. With the Ace of Pentacles that is an offer made to pay; with the Two of Cups it is the first honest word that opens a partnership. He is usually the one who acts, and the other card shows the field.
Trouble starts when the partner describes fear, loss or temptation. Beside The Devil, The Moon or the Eight of Swords his talent is real but has to be used carefully, to get free or to check facts before moving. Reverse him and the same pairs darken quickly, because the reversed Magician brings self-doubt, scattered effort and, at worst, charm used to deceive.
He is Air and Mercury. Fire cards take his ideas and run with them, Swords sharpen his words for better or worse, Cups sit neutrally beside him, and Pentacles ask him to bridge the gap between a plan and a result. Because his number is one, beside an Ace to Ten the quintessence is the Major one step above the partner's number: with the Four of Cups it is The Hierophant, with the Ten of Swords it is Justice.
The Magician beside other cards in a spread
Beside Major Arcana cards
His natural counterpart is The High Priestess: she decides what is worth making and he carries out the how. The Chariot is the next stage of the same effort, delivery after the blueprint. The Fool gives him an idea to equip, and The Lovers a choice to act on. Upright together, the trumps that need care are The Hanged Man, The Devil, The Tower and The Moon, where skill has to wait, break a chain or check what is hidden.
Beside Wands
Air feeds Fire, so Wands pairs move fast. The Ace hands him a spark to launch while the energy is high, the Two a strategy, the Eight news and speed. The Six puts his ability in front of an audience that rewards it. Two upright Wands make him work harder: the Five sets up a real contest and the Ten a heavy load he has to organise and share. Reversed, both of those become easier.
Beside Cups
His Air and the Cups' Water neither help nor hinder each other, so both cards keep their voices. Upright, the suit gives him a feeling to act on: a new emotion with the Ace, a partnership of equals with the Two, old connections to build from with the Six. The Four, Five and Seven upright ask him to look past boredom, loss or too many choices, and each of the three turns hopeful when reversed beside an upright Magician.
Beside Swords
The Swords share his Air, and his Mercurial side grows louder: thinking, words, decisions. The Ace gives him a clear idea to act on at once, the Queen and King add honesty and sound judgement. From the Three to the Ten, apart from the Four and Six, the upright Sword sets pain, worry or a trap of the mind in front of him. Reversed, those cards ease their grip and his skill has room to work.
Beside Pentacles
Earth is contrary to Air, so a Pentacles partner leaves a gap between plan and result that his talent for uniting the spiritual and the physical has to bridge. Upright, the coins give him something concrete: an offer to make pay with the Ace, a team with the Three, daily practice with the Eight, backing with the King. The Five shows hard times he can work his way out of, and the Seven asks him to tend growth patiently.
Beside court cards
Court pairs have no quintessence, so the reading rests on rank and suit. Upright beside an upright Magician, every court card reads well. The Pages hand him a fresh idea or a first practical step. The Knights decide the pace of the launch, from the Knight of Wands riding out to the Knight of Pentacles carrying it through. Queens and Kings often appear as real people: a leader to work beside, an investor, or a judge who decides whether his plan stands.
Beside a card of the same number
His number is one, which he shares with the four Aces, and every Ace pair has The High Priestess as its quintessence. Each is a beginning met with skill: a venture to launch with the Ace of Wands, a feeling to act on with the Ace of Cups, a clear idea with the Ace of Swords, an opportunity to make pay with the Ace of Pentacles. With a reversed Ace the skill is ready and the opening has faded, stalled or clouded over.
Beside reversed cards
With the Magician upright, a reversed partner splits two ways. A reversed card of fear, loss or temptation often reads better than its upright face: the Eight of Swords loosens its bindings, the Four of Cups looks up at the offer, The Devil lets a dependency go, and he has the skill to use the opening. A reversed card of opportunity or support, such as an Ace, The Chariot or the Two of Cups, leaves his plan ready while the spark, the momentum or the balance is missing.
The Magician with every card
Each row gives the outlook in all four states, read from The Magician's side: The Magician first, then its partner.
Harmonious
Mixed
Challenging
↑ ↑
↑ ↓
↓ ↑
↓ ↓
The Moon
Skill guided by intuition through uncertain ground; act, but check what you cannot yet see.
King of Wands
Initiative meets experienced leadership: start the venture and steer it to completion.
Six of Swords
A deliberate move toward calmer circumstances, carried out with skill and good timing.
Two of Pentacles
Skilful multitasking: focus and flexibility keep several projects running smoothly.
Five of Pentacles
Times are hard, but you have the skills and the will to work your way out of them.
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