Is Your Message Falling Through The Cracks Of Your Social Network's Web?

Today's featured card brings to mind the lyrics of Heart's fabulous hit “Magic man”. You know the one about a young lady who finds herself growing up too fast under the influence of a smooth-talking mojo man. Or maybe this guy resembles the person who took Jack's cow in exchange for some magic beans. Just the same, the message in today's card is all about communication – being clear in what we say, and being careful not to be fooled by someone else's sales tactics. From MySpace, to Facebook, Instant Messenger to Twitter, our options for staying connected are limited only by our time and desire. We have so many different ways of keeping in touch these days you'd think that miscommunication would be a thing of the past. Hardly! Just the other day, my Facebook news feed was dominated by someone tweeting her anger at someone else (not me). I don't know what the other person was saying to her, I only know that every five minutes I was graciously updated with her side of the argument, and can only assume that everyone else on her prolific list of friends was kept in the loop as well. How she managed to truncate all of her words into net-speak and still stay within the word limit of Twitter is beyond me, but she did it, and that's just impressive. I was also impressed by my ability to understand all of those "words" made up of consonants and numbers, not a vowel in sight. All of this smacks of too much to say, and too many ways to say it; a breakdown in communication is bound to happen in the process.

Which is why I feel the appearance of the Magician as the card of the day is so poignant. The Magician is a card centered upon communication in all manner of facets; verbal and non-verbal, direct and indirect, empowering and demeaning, the list goes on and on. If it can be communicated to another, the Magician has a hand in it. When drawn to this card, it is an indication that communication is a priority. What an understatement! Ah well, the Magician isn't always subtle. Just look at him, balancing so artfully as he juggles with such mastery his arms are but a blur. These multiple arms represent the many different ways in which we communicate, for he not only holds the symbols of the minor arcana (swords – thought, cups – emotion, fiery wands – spirit, disks – earthly possessions) but many ways of expression (written, oral, aural, etcetera) as well. Not only does he know just what to say, he knows just when to say it – he's the ultimate keynote speaker. As an interesting (to me, at least) side note, I've had to put this article on hold several times already to provide readings for other people, over the phone, through instant messenger and even face-to-face. If that's not an indication of the Magician's influence today, I don't know what is!

Did you happen to notice the shadowy monkey positioned right behind the juggling magician? The Magician seems undaunted by the ape's appearance, and we should be undaunted as well. That's actually an amalgamation of the Egyptian god Thoth and the Hindu god Hanuman, both representing Wisdom. When Wisdom and Communication get together, Illusion and Falsehood are soon to follow. Is this to say we should avoid communicating because eventually someone will try to mislead us? No, it just means to be aware of the possibility in order to avoid being mislead. What's this all mean in common language? Your words have power, and should be selected accordingly. As I mentioned in the paragraph before, the Magician presides over the delivery and not just the message. This comment brings to mind the episode of the Office where Michael gets angry at Kevin botching “The Chris Rock bit”, yet fails to realize that the bit should have never been shared in an office setting in the first place. This card covers the gamut of knowing what to say, when to say it, and who to say it to. If you've been experiencing challenges with any of the above, the Magician can help you sort it all out. Just be sure to operate with flexibility and creativity, and always know your audience.

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