The things I missed in this deck - after 28 years of looking!!

Sorry for resurrecting the thread, but it is a good one.

My new observation (call me blind): one of the puddles in 5 of Cups is green, whereas the others are red. Maybe by spilling it he saved himself an earthquake of a tummy ache?

Thanks for resurrecting this.

Regarding the Moon faces on the Charioteer's shoulders - I'd always assumed they were meant to represent the tragedy and comedy masks of the theatre. It relates to him being armored - putting on a Persona to go forth in the world. Plus, they mirror the pull of the two directions of the sphinxes - maintaining focus between the pulls of the opposites (the pillars of mercy and severity), in which the Moon represents opposing emotions, while the sphinxes are instinctual drives.

I've just noticed the big cliff behind the Queen of Cups... could it be the one the Fool is approaching?
Also, I just noticed the top of her chair is a scallop shell, for the first time.

Rasa said:

I've just noticed the big cliff behind the Queen of Cups... could it be the one the Fool is approaching?
Also, I just noticed the top of her chair is a scallop shell, for the first time.

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Perhaps it's a buttress against the turmoils of the sea.( stolid against the pressures of the mind and the ravages of emotional storms, making her the queen of the desires, yet down to earth and natural , hence the water sprites on her throne. Maybe.)

I'll stick to that description until something of better value and higher understandings comes along to shatter that nice comfortable fireside story.

Teheuti said:

Thanks for resurrecting this.

Regarding the Moon faces on the Charioteer's shoulders - I'd always assumed they were meant to represent the tragedy and comedy masks of the theatre. It relates to him being armored - putting on a Persona to go forth in the world. Plus, they mirror the pull of the two directions of the sphinxes - maintaining focus between the pulls of the opposites (the pillars of mercy and severity), in which the Moon represent opposing emotions, while the sphinxes are instinctual drives.

Click to expand...

RWS.
If I may,
There's a lot to notice about the Chariot.
The curtain ( milky way)
the arm guards, shells.
The breast plate square( squaring of the heart)
The star in the crown ( a star in the milky way?)
The signs printed on his dress.
The four pillars that support the milky way curtain,(the four cardinal points of the compass)
The river behind(journey through the emotions and the mind)
It's in a field of grass away from the fortified and encircled city.(separated from others and society)

Basically he/she has gained enough knowledge that he/she is no longer entrapped by the norm' and has been able to travel away from bondages and sits squarely in the middle of their own creation with /by the special understandings of knowledge and the understanding of the place occupied by themselves.
The dissolution of pride via experience,Hubris.

That's a long winded way of saying the Buddhist middle path.

Hope you didn't mind.

re-pete-a said:

That's a long winded way of saying the Buddhist middle path.

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It's interesting that you see the Buddhist middle path in the image of a warrior ;-) . Personally, I see it more as attempting to achieve the middle pillar of the Tree of Life, while constantly being pulled to either side. It requires control and concentration on his vision/goal (the Star) in order to make the moment-by-moment adjustments needed to not get swayed off his path. Similar, but different metaphors.

The Hermit is standing on the very peak of a snow-capped mountain. I only saw this while copying him for a linocut Christmas card this year...

Pen

Teheuti said:

It's interesting that you see the Buddhist middle path in the image of a warrior ;-) . Personally, I see it more as attempting to achieve the middle pillar of the Tree of Life, while constantly being pulled to either side. It requires control and concentration on his vision/goal (the Star) in order to make the moment-by-moment adjustments needed to not get swayed off his path. Similar, but different metaphors.

Click to expand...

An unarmed warrior and perhaps by choice.

Yes , very similar to your understandings. Though the Tree of life understandings elude me as yet. The Hermetic calls for now.

Has anybody noticed the coiled serpent in the crutch of the Devil on that card?

Perhaps it's the base Kundalini waking up. It's certainly in the right place.

Also the inverted 4 on the palm of the raised hand.

I'm not certain yet but there's a sneaky suspicion that the raised hands four fingers are purposely parted into two sets of two ,for a reason.
It'll come to me some day.

Perhaps the horns shape has a significance as the star is inverted as well.
I feel it's message is the same as whats on the Ace of cups reversed. Inverted it's horns form a W as it stands it's an M.

For Me it's 'Morti', and inverted, 'Word', but that's my take.

Also about the Devil - and maybe it's in all the books out there, which I didn't read - the woman has a fruity tail, the man a fiery one... Just like the woman's and man's respective trees in the Lovers card. Significant somehow?

I also have an observation regarding the Wands court, although it's not really consequent - the Page has the pyramids ahead of him, plus the background is orange. The Knight is just passing the pyramids, which are a bit illuminated. The Queen has the pyramids in her past, they are in full light now. They are completely gone in the King's card (except instead of being the brightest, the background goes back to being dark). So maybe a significant progression there, which I didn't particularly notice before.

And: is there a crucifix in the Death card? Above the horse's lifted hoof?