The Magician
A living mask bursts out from the darkness of a cave. In the Fool we saw the void, the nothingness that precedes all manifestation. The Magician is the force that can make something out of nothing, the force that can manifest itself out of the void. It is the confidence and will to exist as one's self and one's self alone.

The mask signifies illusion. We all wear masks to present ourselves to the world, to do work in the world. Our very bodies are the masks our souls wear. So illusion becomes the reality of existence, and this is signified by the living eyes within the mask of the Magician. The Magician is the one who can cross the border between reality and illusion, and who has command of both.

The mask is an animal (a little dog-like, a little cat-like, a little ?). This is the Crone manifesting in the form of her familiar, her aide in the making of magic. The animal form is also used to recall Coyote, the Trickster, and Anubis, the Conductor of Souls.

Ellen

Tarot of the Crone
http://www.northcoast.com/~ellen