Psycards Study Group - 36. The Puzzle

The Puzzle is a cool card right out of the box because it is oriented landscape, not portrait, unlike the rest of the cards. I believe this is to encourage creative thinking.

Two doors mysteriously appear in a courtyard--yet there is no building behind either door. We, the observers of the card, are apparently locked in, but the statue in the center holds a key. Presumably, this key will fit both locks. The pattern on the floor is black-and-white, and incorporates the trees.

Which door do we take? Does it make a difference? Do the doors lead to the same place?

The Hobson book says,

The Puzzle is telling us of a blockage to our plans and progress. * * * This card encourages us when we are on the horns of a dilemma to make an act of will.

Click to expand...

What do you think?

M_M~

The picture seems to be more about choice, blind choice where you don't have all the info you need. The word puzzle makes me think of problem solving, and games of logic. I don't see where they get blockage.

This reminds me of the 8 of Swords in the Housewives Tarot, it's an
hors d' ouvres tray and the message is that you have to eat something or starve, so you have to make a choice even if the options aren't appetizing.

I suppose the locked doors are meant to represent blockage.

I like your distinction between blind choice and logic puzzles. A labyrinth or a maze might have been a good image choice for this card.

Perhaps it is because I am so used to tarot, but these images aren't as straightforward as they seem at first.

I remember someone referring to them like reading a picture book... they are much more subtle than that. At other times, they are breathtakingly direct... for a deck of only forty cards, they have considerable range.

.traveller. said:

Perhaps it is because I am so used to tarot, but these images aren't as straightforward as they seem at first.

I remember someone referring to them like reading a picture book... they are much more subtle than that. At other times, they are breathtakingly direct... for a deck of only forty cards, they have considerable range.

Click to expand...

Fascinating, isn't it? They're supposed to be a "demystified" tarot, but they're also supposed to be read intuitively, which to me is an inherently mysterious process.

I think one gets out of these cards what one puts in.

This is one of the most fascinating and yet also tricky cards of the deck. I have been spending some time exploring it. There is little details in it that seem really important and some things explained in Nick Hobson's book and some things not and why is this not a maze or another artwork?

The identical doorways are clearly in a forest with the tree's around it. I wonder if this represents that a person has gone through a forest and confusing time, now they have a choice or obstacle in their path. We don't know if there is forest (of confusion) on the other side or if that is the way out in the open ground. The doors are the same but there is two interesting clues. The door to the left has a subtle sign next to it on the left hand tree trunk. I have no idea what this sign means (it's easy to miss because it blends with the card number square on the right). It's a circle or globe with different coloured segments and a red segment at the top. I have tried to find a reference to it but can't see any mention of it and maybe it just adds to the puzzle.

In the middle is a statue of a Queen like a chess piece, she seems perfectly neutral, in the middle of the doorways and facing outwards. But one arm holds the other arm, and the end of the hand holds the key! You need to take the key and open a door. Maybe it was just easier to draw it like that but the key and the arm holding it, point to the right hand door and thus the part of the statue which breaks it's neutral status, is this also a clue?

I am not sure if they are tree's on the mosaic floor, they could also be thistles, like a Scottish thistle because they are spiky. Thistles are a spiky weed which are hard to kill and have beautiful flowers. The purple flower sits on a flower head which is quite prominent amongst the spiky leaves and some people see it as a "crown" on the flower head. It is associated with the crown chakra (it's a purple flower as well), heraldry and enlightenment. It's the symbol for Scotland because there is a legend that some Vikings were going to invade and they stepped on a thistle outside the castle walls which woke the soldiers and King behind the walls and thus saved the day! Jesus had to wear a crown of thorns and mystics are also associated with them. I think it symbolises here adversity, pain but keep persevering as well as enlightenment. Standing before the doors isn't meant to be a pleasant experience or enjoyable!

I think the card isn't a maze or labyrinth because the person isn't lost or stuck, this is about a blockage in the path or a decision to be made. They can go backwards through the forest (or the beginning if you see it as that) but to move forwards you have to choose a door! There is a part of the Hobson book that you can't use intuition here or really divination either, you have to make a blind choice! It's the puzzle card because this is about logic and lateral thinking (it takes lateral thinking to turn the card horizontal to read it ). Sometimes we just have to make a choice when we don't know which route to take or what is on the other side of each door! In my readings this card always poses more questions than solutions but it's something that has to be dealt with! A decision must be made.