Wendywu
Wow – what a card! I absolutely love it.
Central for me is the obvious – the woman. She is dressed in the purple of spiritual purity, and her dress is modest but still pretty, and she has a laurel (?) wreath on her head. Her hair is loose and flowing. She wears no makeup and for this reason I think her not over-concerned with worldly matters.
She is looking at, and gesturing towards, the rose held by the skeleton dressed in a red cloak. Roses are a symbol of love and I see this as the skeleton offering her his love. Because he is a skeleton he could be absolutely anybody – this is a love that has not yet blossomed, but that could develop.
Beside her as she sits on the ground are stacks of books. Loads of them. And a used candle stands propped above an open book. She has been studying really hard. Her books and study are obviously hugely important to her – she has been acquiring a lot of books and they are not cheap tatty ones. A sand-timer lies on its side on a cloth just forward of her current book - time doesn’t matter at all when you’re stuck in a good book – and why limit yourself to the minutes and hours if you don’t have to. (Of course, there are those of us who ignore what we ought to be doing in favouring of reading a really good book …….)
The wine glass is being used to hold a pamphlet open, and just behind the pamphlet is a fat book, opened but with some pages tattered and torn. Beside the pamphlet lie some shells. It is a group of different shells, each with its own beauty. Reminds me that people are like that too.
The skeleton seems to be pleading with her and holds the rose up out of reach. She is not stretching towards it – just gesturing at it. I think she is choosing between her studies and romantic love. I don’t think the card is about those specific choices, but rather about the very difficult decisions and choices we are faced with. Neither of her choices will be wrong – each will bring her its own benefits, joys and heartbreaks. But she has a definite choice to make. Of course these days one can have romantic love and study, but there are many either/or decisions to be faced in life.
There is an angel behind the woman which is pointing towards something. It is not the rose and skeleton that she points at. It could be the temple in the background of the card or it could be the tree on the left side of the card. The angel seems to look downwards and not where she is pointing – she is either very sure of the direction she points at or is slightly “off” with her pointing finger. I think she is aiming at the temple, and she is urging the woman towards it. Why? She wants the woman to marry in the temple? Or she wants her to dedicate her life to service, prayer and study.
Close to the angel is a cowled monk. He and the lady are sitting on the ground back to back. Actually there is nothing to say the monk is actually male. The monk is reading and a small figure rings a bell over his open book. Is the monk reading a holy book and the bell chimes as a counterpoint to its spiritual song? Or is the bell just to try and attract the monk’s attention. The pointing angel who looks downward seems to be casting a down and sideways look at the book the monk is reading. Is this the book of the woman’s life? And they are taking a lively interest in its contents, anxious to read on as she lives her life.
I see the monk as the lady – they mirror each other, but she looks to the rose and he studies. These of course, are her choices.
Beside the skeleton are four more skeletal figures, indistinct save for their skulls and the arms of one of them who is playing a violin. The girl is wooed by mankind and its trappings – the lover, the home, the family and in those days, in making that choice she would be waving goodbye to her freedom to study. The other skeletons are cowled, holding staffs and talking to each other. I see them as interested onlookers who will not take part in her decision but who will feel free to comment on it to each other.
Meantime, behind her there is the Temple in the shadow of the mountain. To me, the mountain is hers to climb. We all have to face our own climb up the mountain, and if we make it we have the amazing moment of joy, satisfaction and pleasure in our achievement. Of course, we could choose just to walk around the mountain but then what growth would that see in us? Throughout our trials we develop and become strong. There is a saying “That which does not kill me makes me stronger” and it is true. If the girl chooses the rose, will she miss her shot at the mountain?
The sky is interesting in this card. Directly over the temple and mountain it is bright and clear, but as we had off towards the right of the card, above the angel, the sky is very dark and almost threatening. It is not so dark on the left hand side. But there is a very obvious arc of clear and inviting sky over the Temple and mountain.
I notice that the girl’s left hand, lying in her lap, is clenched. She’s not having an easy time trying to work this one out. I can understand this – making life changing decisions often isn’t easy. Occasionally there are those moments where the choice is blindingly obvious, but this card is about those times when it’s really difficult. You talk yourself into first one choice and then the other, knowing all the time that you really do have to make your mind up.
Sometimes, if I can’t make up my mind, my choice is to do nothing because if I can’t choose then possibly neither option is the right one. But this girl, at this time and in this card must make a choice, and soon.
And that for me is what this card is all about.
Central for me is the obvious – the woman. She is dressed in the purple of spiritual purity, and her dress is modest but still pretty, and she has a laurel (?) wreath on her head. Her hair is loose and flowing. She wears no makeup and for this reason I think her not over-concerned with worldly matters.
She is looking at, and gesturing towards, the rose held by the skeleton dressed in a red cloak. Roses are a symbol of love and I see this as the skeleton offering her his love. Because he is a skeleton he could be absolutely anybody – this is a love that has not yet blossomed, but that could develop.
Beside her as she sits on the ground are stacks of books. Loads of them. And a used candle stands propped above an open book. She has been studying really hard. Her books and study are obviously hugely important to her – she has been acquiring a lot of books and they are not cheap tatty ones. A sand-timer lies on its side on a cloth just forward of her current book - time doesn’t matter at all when you’re stuck in a good book – and why limit yourself to the minutes and hours if you don’t have to. (Of course, there are those of us who ignore what we ought to be doing in favouring of reading a really good book …….)
The wine glass is being used to hold a pamphlet open, and just behind the pamphlet is a fat book, opened but with some pages tattered and torn. Beside the pamphlet lie some shells. It is a group of different shells, each with its own beauty. Reminds me that people are like that too.
The skeleton seems to be pleading with her and holds the rose up out of reach. She is not stretching towards it – just gesturing at it. I think she is choosing between her studies and romantic love. I don’t think the card is about those specific choices, but rather about the very difficult decisions and choices we are faced with. Neither of her choices will be wrong – each will bring her its own benefits, joys and heartbreaks. But she has a definite choice to make. Of course these days one can have romantic love and study, but there are many either/or decisions to be faced in life.
There is an angel behind the woman which is pointing towards something. It is not the rose and skeleton that she points at. It could be the temple in the background of the card or it could be the tree on the left side of the card. The angel seems to look downwards and not where she is pointing – she is either very sure of the direction she points at or is slightly “off” with her pointing finger. I think she is aiming at the temple, and she is urging the woman towards it. Why? She wants the woman to marry in the temple? Or she wants her to dedicate her life to service, prayer and study.
Close to the angel is a cowled monk. He and the lady are sitting on the ground back to back. Actually there is nothing to say the monk is actually male. The monk is reading and a small figure rings a bell over his open book. Is the monk reading a holy book and the bell chimes as a counterpoint to its spiritual song? Or is the bell just to try and attract the monk’s attention. The pointing angel who looks downward seems to be casting a down and sideways look at the book the monk is reading. Is this the book of the woman’s life? And they are taking a lively interest in its contents, anxious to read on as she lives her life.
I see the monk as the lady – they mirror each other, but she looks to the rose and he studies. These of course, are her choices.
Beside the skeleton are four more skeletal figures, indistinct save for their skulls and the arms of one of them who is playing a violin. The girl is wooed by mankind and its trappings – the lover, the home, the family and in those days, in making that choice she would be waving goodbye to her freedom to study. The other skeletons are cowled, holding staffs and talking to each other. I see them as interested onlookers who will not take part in her decision but who will feel free to comment on it to each other.
Meantime, behind her there is the Temple in the shadow of the mountain. To me, the mountain is hers to climb. We all have to face our own climb up the mountain, and if we make it we have the amazing moment of joy, satisfaction and pleasure in our achievement. Of course, we could choose just to walk around the mountain but then what growth would that see in us? Throughout our trials we develop and become strong. There is a saying “That which does not kill me makes me stronger” and it is true. If the girl chooses the rose, will she miss her shot at the mountain?
The sky is interesting in this card. Directly over the temple and mountain it is bright and clear, but as we had off towards the right of the card, above the angel, the sky is very dark and almost threatening. It is not so dark on the left hand side. But there is a very obvious arc of clear and inviting sky over the Temple and mountain.
I notice that the girl’s left hand, lying in her lap, is clenched. She’s not having an easy time trying to work this one out. I can understand this – making life changing decisions often isn’t easy. Occasionally there are those moments where the choice is blindingly obvious, but this card is about those times when it’s really difficult. You talk yourself into first one choice and then the other, knowing all the time that you really do have to make your mind up.
Sometimes, if I can’t make up my mind, my choice is to do nothing because if I can’t choose then possibly neither option is the right one. But this girl, at this time and in this card must make a choice, and soon.
And that for me is what this card is all about.
