Fulgour
10 of Pentacles by Penelope
"...where does symbolism end and an over active imagination begin."
There is a very good reason that The Pamela Colman Smith Tarot has been and surely will be the most significant and popular Tarot deck of all time. What she did for Tarot, William Shakespeare did for Drama: through a combination of her native genius and the intuitional wisdom of her natural gifts, Pam brought to life these images, and they are here to stay ~ as much a part of the Tarot as the ancient wisdom upon which it is founded. Of course there have been imitators, along with volumes of interpretations, but the best answers to be found will always come from the images on the cards themselves, Pam's generous endowment to every generation of enthusiasts since then and to come. And just like Shakespeare, there have been lots of speculations, and many criticisms, but as with all true originals: the test of time has shown that what is here has come to stay,
proudly indomitable and yet openly, freely available for all.
Penelope said:I can remember the first time I felt I really saw this card, and the shock that came seeing the stark grey banner across the top with such a glaring "X" in the centre. I felt horrible that the card seemed ruined by this flawed aspect, and then I noticed Pam's delightful PCS there on the right and it hit me: she was doing this on purpose, making a big statement about the imagery on the rest of the card below.
Patterns, patterns... the generations of life, the nature of the family, cities and towns, structure and emblem. Even the dogs know where best to turn, and then there is that iconoclastic headline ~ the force of the contrast made me feel as if Pam were saying: Do you get it, do you see what I'm saying? As if we are right there with her in her studio watching, as she sits back and sighs at her own audacity ~
to stress an important point she was willing to go against the grain
of her beautiful design.
Don't just go along with the same old routines, look up!
There's so much more...
"...where does symbolism end and an over active imagination begin."
There is a very good reason that The Pamela Colman Smith Tarot has been and surely will be the most significant and popular Tarot deck of all time. What she did for Tarot, William Shakespeare did for Drama: through a combination of her native genius and the intuitional wisdom of her natural gifts, Pam brought to life these images, and they are here to stay ~ as much a part of the Tarot as the ancient wisdom upon which it is founded. Of course there have been imitators, along with volumes of interpretations, but the best answers to be found will always come from the images on the cards themselves, Pam's generous endowment to every generation of enthusiasts since then and to come. And just like Shakespeare, there have been lots of speculations, and many criticisms, but as with all true originals: the test of time has shown that what is here has come to stay,
proudly indomitable and yet openly, freely available for all.