Hello, good people of the internet, and welcome to The Forty Servants in Theory and Practice, a series where I take a deeper look into the philosophy, use, and evolution of The Forty Servants system, drawing on nearly a decade of hands-on experience and magical experimentation.
Each entry in this free section of the series will focus on one Servant at a time, offering background insight, design history, divination reflections, shadow aspects, magical applications, and how my personal understanding of each has shifted or deepened over the years.
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So, let's go…
THE CONDUCTOR
The Conductor shows us how to take control of our life circumstances. He encourages us to take a more active role in orchestrating and arranging the events of our lives.
ARTWORK
The artwork for the Conductor had no origin previous to The Forty Servants. I’m not sure at what stage of putting the deck together it was drawn – probably somewhere in the middle of the project. I had a very definite vision of what I wanted this servant to look like, and so it didn’t take long to design and draw.
The image of The Conductor was built on the idea of magical orchestration and conducting reality itself. Instead of guiding an orchestra, The Conductor waves his baton to control the flow of life as if it were a musical phrase. The air around him glows with magick like he's carving invisible paths with intention.
The Conductor’s look and presence are based on the great American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein, and though I didn’t aim to match his look exactly, I am quite sure there were some photo references used for the drawing. It’s interesting to note that, unlike Bernstein, The Conductor is left-handed.
I wanted the magick elements around him to be a mixture of smoke and vapour, and it has an almost liquid quality in places. The magick rises above him as it goes off into the world to materialise.
I really like this image, so much so that I used it for the very first version of The Forty Servants deck box. It was also the cover of the very first (and dreadful) PDF that I put together when I launched the deck originally.
THE SIGIL
The sigil is quite clearly a stylised form of The Conductor mid-gesture, baton raised, pointedly directing invisible forces. It also shows that he is a magician as the baton could easily be a wand.
It can be used whenever you need to gain or regain control of a situation. I’ve used it wherever I feel to take back control. I draw it in the air like I am a conductor with as much musical flourish as I can give it. I often draw it in front of me and step into it, or direct it at a particular person, event, or circumstance that I am aiming to take back control of.
It’s not really about taking control of people or situations but about not losing your say in your life. It's about taking the reins, and not allowing life to tell you who you are or what you must do. It's about taking back control not taking control over someone or something else. That said, it is helpful if you ever need to have to “step up” and take leadership on something.
It’s a great sigil to use when you need to stop reacting and start leading.
Sigil Quick Uses: Taking command of a situation, restoring rhythm and timing, aligning intention and action, and asserting your role in shaping your path.
DIVINATION
When The Conductor shows up in a reading, it’s time to ask yourself: who’s holding the baton? Are you leading your life with purpose and intent, or are you being dragged along by someone else’s tempo? Are your days a well-scored symphony or a noisy jumble of instruments all playing at once? Are you making sweet music or a torturous cacophony?
This is a card about taking control and using deliberate direction. The Conductor wants you to lead, arrange and compose your life’s direction and purpose.
Are you directing the music of your life, or are you letting everyone else write your part? Are you creating a life with deliberate rhythm and harmony, or are you being pulled along by everyone else's tempo?
The Conductor is especially helpful when you’re feeling scattered or out of sync. Are projects piling up? Energy spread thin? Are conversations going sideways? The Conductor suggests you pause, lift your baton, and realign. Set the tempo, refocus the tone, and choose the best way forward for you.
The Conductor reminds you that you can take a more active role in how things unfold, but it’s not about tightly aiming to control every single note. Even when we can't dictate the world’s symphony, we can still decide how we move through it. Conducting isn’t always about control, it’s also about trust. A good conductor guides, but also lets each instrument speak.
SHADOW REVERSAL
Reversals in The Forty Servants don’t signify the opposite of the normal energy of the Servant but more a dysfunctional version of it, or a detrimental misuse or misunderstanding of the qualities.
I guess the most obvious danger with The Conductor is micromanagement. You might be clinging too tightly to control, obsessively managing every detail out of fear things will fall apart. Or maybe the opposite: you’ve let go of control entirely, and now everything’s out of step.
Maybe you are trying to control things that are entirely out of your control, such as world events or even other people’s lives.
A reversed Conductor could be suggesting that there is a distrust in allowing the natural flow of life. While it’s important to be in charge of our destiny, it’s also useful to sometimes go with the flow or allow events to develop without interference. Perhaps there is a feeling of trepidation that if you stop trying to control everything, it will all fall apart. But over-conducting can ruin the music too. Sometimes, you have to let the instruments play and trust that the tune will find itself.
MAGICK
Magically, The Conductor is ideal for structuring energy. If something feels vague, if you feel disconnected, or if you are being pulling in too many directions, call on him to help pull it all together. I find invoking the Conductor can be often more effective than evocation because invoking is another affirmation of taking control of yourself rather than once again delegating to an external party.
The Conductor can help you take control of events, relationships, jobs, circumstances, or anything surrounding you and put your own stamp on it. The Conductor can help you to move and manipulate the events of your life so that they become more harmonious and pleasing to you.
The Conductor is a wonderful Servant to enlist when you feel that you don’t have control or autonomy. The Conductor helps you regain your footing, tune into your own tempo, and start orchestrating, not reacting. Call on him when you feel life has gone off-key, and you need to get everyone—including yourself—back in rhythm.
You don’t need to control every part of the music. But you can choose to be the one who raises the baton. But remember, getting totally lost in the music is also magical.
SERVANT COMBINATIONS
The Conductor works great with The Thinker, bringing clarity and structure to scattered thoughts or problem-solving.
Combine him with The Eye, to help synchronise your vision with the divine plan.
Combine him with The Media or The Protestor if you need to speak your truth or debate someone in order to retain your vision, point and purpose.
He is also worth considering using when working with The Fixer if you need to stand your ground or want to have things your own way.
Pairing The Conductor with The Father reinforces maturity and responsibility, helping you step into a role of wise authority.
THE FORTY SERVANTS IN THEORY & PRACTICE SERIES SO FAR
ARTICLES:
THE WITCH
THE GATE KEEPER
THE MOTHER
THE FATHER
THE PROTECTOR
THE SAINT
PATREON VIDEOS:
001 — Introduction
002 — Beg, Borrow, Be.
003 — Art History
004 — The Book Of Pacts
And that's it for this time, I hope you got something good from it. If you'd like to chat about it, you can leave a comment below, or come find me on Bluesky!
If you would like to support me in doing all the things I do, then feel free to join the PATREON, buy a FORTY SERVANTS deck, get me a book or something from my Amazon Wish List, or just send me some money via PAYPAL. It all really, really helps, and is very much appreciated.
So, until next time,
MAY YOUR BEST DAYS BE AHEAD!
Tommie