Card Symbols

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 07 Mar 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

blumoon	07 Mar 2002
i have a deck that has some symbols that i am not too sure about, one being a key...at the moment i cant think of a meaning for a key...2 cards have a key on them; judgement (a butterfly carrying a key) and the page of pentacles (a guy dancing over a strawberry vine thingy holding a key in his right hand)...can anyone here help me out? :)

arizonagirl	07 Mar 2002
It might help us answer if you could please tell us what deck you're using. Thanks!

jade	07 Mar 2002
a key. the answer that you are seeking. unlocking your true feelings or emotions of something. getting to the heart of the matter. meeting someone that will assist you in your quest. stuff like that. in light, jade

blumoon	08 Mar 2002
Quote: Originally posted by arizonagirl It might help us answer if you could please tell us what deck you're using. Thanks! i am using the tarot nova by dennis fairchild and julie paschkis :)

DeLani	17 Mar 2002
Hi, Keys usually symbolize answers, wisdom, enlightenment. Butterflies are symbols of transformation. So for the Judgement card, enlightenment through transformation (or, transformation brings enlightenment). Hope that helps, DeLani

Malachite	17 Mar 2002
I guess no-one would be daft enough to put symbols in a card that no-one else could understand...so I usually assume my first intuitive assumption is right, unless someone shows me a better one...so...what do keys do?..unlock locks...and metaphorically open doors...remove obstacles...

Ophiel	17 Mar 2002
Cirlot's "A Dictionary of Symbols" has this about butterflies... "Among the ancients, an emblem of the soul and of unconscious attraction towards the light. The purification of the soul by fire, represented in Romanesque art by the burning ember placed by the angel in the prophet's mouth, it is visually portrayed on a small Mattei urn by means of an image of love holding a butterfly close to the flame. The Angel of Death was represented by the Gnostics as a winged foot crushing a butterfly, from which we may deduce that the butterfly was equated with life rathe than with the soul in the sense of the spirit or trandendent being. This also explains why psychoanalysis regards the butterfly as a symbol of rebirth." Perhaps you will find this useful, perhaps not.

Original Destiny	17 Mar 2002
Try looking on this sight www.geocities.com/~ninalee/oniell it has a lot of information on symbolism for the Rider Waite deck of which most modern decks are based. (dont know if your deck is though)

rostie	18 Mar 2002
original destiny, i tried out your link but yahoo geocities says it doens't exist? hope you help me out, i'm very curious about your link. thanks a lot!

blumoon	18 Mar 2002
thanks everyone, your posts helped me alot! :) :)

Kaz	18 Mar 2002
Rostie, Here is the complete link: http://www.geocities.com/~ninalee/oneill/index.htm Kaz

rostie	18 Mar 2002
thanks a lot Kaz! now it works!

The Card Symbols thread was originally posted on 07 Mar 2002 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.