Getting your feet wet - sharing a personal insight

The other day I was listening to a radio broadcast (Emily Carding and Janet Boyer were talking about the Transparent Tarot) and I believe Janet said something about "getting your feet wet". Interesting saying, I thought. Let me check what it means. And here's what the dictionary offered : when you get your feet wet, you gain your first experience of something. And it hit me. There are many cards with bare feet and dipping them or not in water. I always associated water with emotions but this take gave the Temperance, for instance an interesting twist. He only has ONE foot in the water. He is not ready or willing to commit completely to the experience. The 8 of Cups, shows a man who is stepping away from the water so he already experienced it and is moving away. The lady in the 2 of Swords has her shoes on and her back to the water. This chick is NOT going to get her foot OR feet wet. Kinda makes me create a card with people literally bathing (total embracing of emotions )

That's a really interesting context to look at the images of the cards within! I'll remember that

Em x

Sidhe-Ra said:

That's a really interesting context to look at the images of the cards within! I'll remember that

Em x

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Glad you liked it BTW, excellent interview!!

Thanks! x

Hi,

I always associated water with emotions but this take gave the Temperance, for instance an interesting twist. He only has ONE foot in the water. He is not ready or willing to commit completely to the experience.

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Mostly we consider the majors to be great archetypal symbols.
On the Temperance card we find an Archangel which most of us agree to be Michael
who was given the task to defeat evil forces by promoting live forces.
It seems to be a little funny that “he” is too shy to get his feet wet ...

The lady in the 2 of Swords has her shoes on and her back to the water. This chick is NOT going to get her foot OR feet wet.

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There are many things figures on the cards don't do.
So I would like to stay more with gaining an understanding
about how the things we can see on these cards are related
to the quetsions of the ones who look for an answer to their questions.

I imagine it is nice to play with different ideas, anyway.

maya

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maya said:

Hi,



Mostly we consider the majors to be great archetypal symbols.
On the Temperance card we find an Archangel which most of us agree to be Michael
who was given the task to defeat evil forces by promoting live forces.
It seems to be a little funny that “he” is too shy to get his feet wet ...
There are many things figures on the cards don't do.
So I would like to stay more with gaining an understanding
about how the things we can see on these cards are related
to the quetsions of the ones who look for an answer to their questions.

I imagine it is nice to play with different ideas, anyway.

maya

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I see what you're saying. You like to "study" the cards and probably read a lot about the symbols, archetypes and history of tarot. That's great but it's not how I deal with cards. I use Tarot more as an oracle so Michael could well be an angel or the cute guy next door. It all depends on how I feel at the moment I'm reading. I do rely on SOME principles, though. But very often, the set meanings give way to something quite unexpected and unorthodox.

... You like to "study" the cards and probably read a lot about the symbols, archetypes and history of tarot.

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Well, this is not the case.
Yet, I consider the cards keeping messages for all aspects of life.
There is no reason to separate higher and everyday issues.
Even Joe Nope's got a spirit underneath his engine bonnet.


maya

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I really liked the original post because I am intrigued by the metaphors we live by. Nice interpretation, ana luisa. And it has further inspired me to jot down metaphors in the future when I read the cards. Thank you.

An interesting observation and I will most certainly be able to use this with clients. An easy and accessable translation.


Maya

Diving deeper into detail and meaning is not always as relevant, archangel Michael it may be, it can also in a reading be the personification of the sitter for instance. How you view a card may not always be as black and white I feel... and meanings, especially personal may shift somewhat. The greater and more recognizable symbols, such as water, call it a meta symbol, give a more general direction and have a somewhat more steady meaning. Archangel is pretty specific and not everybody can relate to that. Michael is even more specific and has a history and traits, a known passion for humanity for example and many other details. This is not something well known to everyone. I understand symbols have a literal meaning and I use them often, but I am also open for more basic, general and intuïtive explanations as presented here. The details may not be streamlined but the general observation fits I believe... This is off course just my perspective on things ;-) .

Ana Luisa

I find your observations plaucible and usable and thank you for sharing.

Maya

Diving deeper into detail and meaning is not always as relevant, archangel Michael it may be, it can also in a reading be the personification of the sitter for instance. How you view a card may not always be as black and white I feel...

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I don't use cards black and white because I have got a coloured deck, I promise.
Well, here comes a very exciting aspect into play:
What is Tarot?
Somehow we all are re-inventing the tarot every time we read.
Nothing to speak against that.
On the other hand the Tarot was probably placed into life by wise men and women for purpose.
Let me give the example of Tai Chi. You can learn form a master for 1 week
and invent your own form by then. But experience shows that only people who learned under
the tutelage of a real master for 15-20 years understood the subtleties of the art.

Or as a wise man spoke:
»There are NO ORDINARY MOMENTS«


maya

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T A R O C C H I
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