The Magician #1

The Magician ("El Mago") is card #1 of the 'Glenda's Tarot' digital work by Glenda Leon.

 

The idea of alchemy and the figure of the magician have always been closely linked. But the most difficult transformation is not that of an element to gold, but the one that we can exert on the ego. Through breathing that ego dissolves, consciousness enters the now, and the being becomes one with the universe. So in an inspiration it dawns, the day passes, and in an exhalation, it gets dark, the night passes. The being is synchronized with nature, which is nothing more than synchronizing with itself.

Tarot - The practice of tarot emerged in Italy around the 15th century as a form of entertainment, which later spread to much of Europe. The Major Arcana are 22 individual numbered cards, each one represented by a character or symbol, such as the Fool, Death, the Wheel of Fortune, among others. Before the emergence of the printing press, tarot cards were illustrated by hand, being commissioned by artists as if they were a pictorial or sculptural work. This tradition has continued throughout history, and more recently, we have seen recreations of tarot designs made by artists such as Salvador Dalí, Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, among other artists who have been attracted to the deep mysticism around the subject and the visual impact of tarot cards.