#numerology.

This is an in-depth analysis of the significance of the symbolism used for the character Daniel Atlas in relation to both major and minor arcana of the tarot, numerology, and astrology. The source of these symbols are drawn both from canon plot points as well as headcanons which will be noted and explained.

Important information

Date of Birth: January 6, 1988*

Zodiac Signs: Capricorn (Sun), Gemini (Moon)

Marketed As: The Showman

*headcanoned

Tarot Breakdown: I. The Magician.

Marketed as “The Showman”, Daniel Atlas’ title is a thinly-veiled representation of the first card in the Major Arcana, better known as “The Magician”. (Obviously in a movie about magicians it would be confusing as well as redundant to be that blatant.)  

The Magician is the representation of pure willpower. She takes all that is available to her and molds and transforms it to her desires. With her hand pointing to the grounder and her wand pointing to the sky, she is the manifestation of the ancient phrase “as above so below” - meaning that earth reflects heaven, what is within is also without, the microcosm is the macrocosm. Naturally, this phrase is the original of what is commonly understood as ‘magic’. ( The Golden Tarot )

When upright, The Magician is symbolic of willpower, desire, skill, action, creation, manifestation, concentration, and resourcefulness. Reversed, The Magician becomes the representation of one who would use their ability for self-gain, greed, the use of trickery, illusion, and manipulation.

Both the upright and reversed connotations of this card can easily be applied to the positive and negative traits of Daniel Atlas himself. While he has used his own drive to become successful, he’s also showed a lack of compassion for others in his quest to seize that success. Even after becoming part of The Eye, he is deceitful and states that he is looking out for himself. His resourcefulness is balanced by greed, his skill by trickery, his creation by manipulation.

The Magician, being the first card in the MA is also associated in numerology with the number 1 as well as sign of Capricorn in astrology.

Tarot Breakdown: VI. The Lovers

In the second scene that features Daniel, he receives an invitation on the back of a tarot card. This card? Another symbol from the Major Arcana: The Lovers. While this may seem like a clever choice, simply because he interrupts an escalating make-out session to read the invite, it easily has a deeper meaning.

The Lovers      A union of harmony, full of trust, confidence and strength. This relationship is one that represents both a physical attraction and a deep emotional bond between them. It also represent an inner harmony between two aspects of one’s personality: anima and animus, yin and yang, and so forth. ( The Golden Tarot )

Upright, The Lovers are representative of partnerships, relationships, love, union, duality, and choice. Reversed, they become a loss of balance, disharmony, one-sidedness, and the misalignment of values.

While The Magician is a more dominant and whole view (essentially, his Sun sign, representative of his personality), The Lovers are indicative of his inner workings, emotional state, and, to a point, desires. As a stereotypical magician, it’s only natural that Daniel would be predispositioned to want a lovely assistant. It’s only once that we are hinted that at any point he worked alone and even then he had been young. To have an assistant, a companion, a partner in crime is what he’s wanted. What he hasn’t gone without. We never see him not trying to fill that gap. His opening scene he is impressing a young woman, in the next we see them back at his apartment. Every scene from then on, Atlas is, in some form, partnered. There is no romantic plot for him. That void is filled by the Horsemen.

As far as the reversed traits, they are more a reflection of Daniel’s deep negative acknowledgements of himself. He’s someone that, when not meeting the goals he has as The Magician, becomes selfish and one-sided, in disharmony with himself and causing it with those around him. When Henley couldn’t fit through the trapdoor for his trick, he reacted to her negatively. When The Magician is upset, The Lovers lash out. Likewise, when that determination is being met with reward, the positive traits of The Lovers thrive. Daniel becomes a team player, doing what it takes for the team to succeed, wanting to have, if not create, harmony.

The Lovers, being the sixth card in the MA is also associated in numerology with the number 6 as well as sign of Gemini in astrology.