What's with the mitt????

spoonbender said:

Thirteen said:

In the Western world we go OVERBOARD putting sinister spins on things, because we live in a climate of fear.

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That may be true, but I don't think that's what's going on with the Six of Cups. If you examine the whole card, something's just not right: (a quick sum up for those who haven't read the thread Jmd referred to)

• A guard is walking away from the scene. Things are obviously happening here outside of the 'protected', official area.
• Why does the smaller figure show no sign of taking the cup offered? She's holding one of her arms under her scarf, as if she's really refusing to take the cup. And she has a white mitten on her other hand. Someone said that "the wearing of white gloves by Freemasons is a symbol of purity, preventing unwitting and direct contact with anything unclean." And that little girl couldn't carry that cup, it's way bigger than she is!
• And what about that second face in the hair of the girl? A face that's looking toward the ground, facing away from the taller person.
• Also notice that noone on the card is smiling--happy and joyful, I think not!

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I think the significance of the mitten shows that the little girl is the one selling the cups and giving them to the little boy:

• The guard is not walking away from the scene as much as he is patrolling the scene -he is on guard duty. He has a walking stick, or weapon, not only to protect the entrance (who is going to guard an exit??) but to beat time for all within earshot to hear.
• The smaller figure had just given the cup to the larger:
  • She is releasing the chalice, having had been holding it from the cup (above the node) and the receiver had just accepted it by grasping the stem (below the node).
  • The fact the little girl has the gloves on supports this in that she doesn't want to get fingerprints all over the merchandise she is hocking
  • She is not carrying the cup, just lifting it for the purchaser.
• I'm sorry I do not see "the second face."
• I see both characters "smiling," well, as much as one could while working (whistling, perhaps, since one of them is a drawf? <hehehe>)

Are we reading too much into the mitts? Maybe, maybe not.

But the fact that most of us "automatically" assume that the little girl is the receiver of the goods, based on our "modern" concept of a passive-aggressive/dominant-submissive paradigm, is a mistake. I do not believe in proof-texting.

It makes more sense to me that: 1) The seller of the goods is protecting herself from scratching or smudging her merchandise with gloves; 2) the littel girl is there to sell, lifting the heavy objects for her customer, she being in control; 3) the guard is protecting the entrance, not the exit, to the bazaar (in which the peasant girl is working); and 4) she is the one who obviously needs the money, dressed in mismatched clothing, selling the wares to the more affluent, older child who is wearing the fancy red velvet hood of the scholar.

I think our tendency to assume that the bigger of the two is controlling the action not only puts a modern spin on this card (i.e. proof-texting it), but also it, as Thirteen points out, puts a sinister spin that necessarily neede not be there at all...

KK

firestorm said:

What significance, if any, would there be in the one flower in the first pot facing the other way?

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I believe the flower facing backwards to the littel girl/old woman/drawf -whatev it is- shows that she is the memory-giving force; it is from her that the nostalgia flows.

firestorm said:

Why would the guard not be in color like the other two people?

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The guard is camouflaged for their protection, again, guarding the entrance to the mall, not the exit.

Just my two-cents.

And I would like to add that these are only my opinions stating to reinvigorate an interesting and lively discussion! I do not want to be perceived as someone with an agenda, or as somewhat as a "you-know-what-"stirrer, by anymeans. (My broom stick is for sweeping, not stirring! <hehehe>) I do not believe in an "I-m-right-you're-wrong approach;" like some of us on other threads tend to be; -only the offering of possibilities in interpretations, which are endless with tarot -isn't it lovely?

My two cents on the card

Hey I need practice forming intelligent stories relating to these cards

so what I see is two kids enjoying preparing for the end of the school year festival; decorating the 'stage' courtyard for an openhouse, class plays and end of the school year festivities--a day at school not having lessons and whatever that implies to you (I'm really old we did cool stuff like that in school)

the figure in the background is a father coming home from work early so he can attend his child's school openhouse

To me this card has two opposite meanings- nostaligia and and new situations. Its very clever depiction of both.
First of all the cups have a memorial aspect to them as if the are being set out for say the aniversary of the girls father death. The girl looks past the boy as if remembering the grey ghost of her father who was her security and happiness. She has her right hand on her heart the perfect symbol of remembering with love. I think the flowers are daffodils, which like Sunflowers, they always face the sun, except for that one on the end. I not sure what that means. The Gloves maybe recalls the saying 'Clean hands and a pure heart' which was especially a tribute to children. Its not too cold as the daffodils show Spring.
The second meaning of the card is of new situations that are just beginning.
White gloves used to symbolise that any action you took was free from bribery and corruption. But by the 1900's that was not so. In the Renaissance a white glove worn on the left hand meant nobility, but her other hand is under her shawl over her heart. If it alludes to nobility, then the lad might be the Gardeners son and is offering her the chalice of flowers and she is being rude and ungrateful for the help and just looking past him. That is the possible affront aspect of the card. I like how the colour yellow is awash in this scene except for one small area which may warn you not to wallow in nostalgia and be frozen and unable to begin. ~Rosanne

The figure to the left, who seems like a child i suppose, is being chivilrous to teh figure to the right, who does seem older although not nessacarly.

It is a matter of deciding what you want with this card, there are clues here and there depicting what is and isn't important. i am using the Universal Waite so the guard in my case is colored in light blue and white pants, and is quite visible althoguh takes second scene to teh two in front. I see this card as a symbol as what is important to a community, making sure that kids can be kids, so that they can dream about being knights and protectors of the citizens and not be disillusioned by corruption. The scent of the 'star-flower' might be the scent of this kind of dream, innocent and pure from corruption.

the flower facing the direction opposite the others is intersting, there is also a second bloom in the second cup on the ground that is (in my deck) starting to turn white. Perhaps this is indicating of the 'second path' that one can take, instead of a soilder, they can be leader, instead of a knight and page they can be emporer or heirphant.

Perhaps someone just turned that cup around, but it sfacing the same direction as the sentry on teh paved street.

Perhaps they are just gardners enjoying the result of a long years of hard work for the courtyard, and the youthful feeling that it gives. Maybe the sentry is going to go see someone, his superior, in teh building on the left and the two civillians in front are enjoying their classless equality with respect to those who serve to protect.