Are stage cards universal?

Teheuti

I propose that for the Stage Cards, the background is meant to be a generic theatrical scenic backdrop that does not convey the traditional meanings of the cards but was added by PCS in order to fill out the space. Despite this we often include background items in our modern interpretations. I see nothing wrong with doing this. In fact, some of the background stuff, like in the 5 of Cups, may come from her intuition that "something more" was needed to offer richer possibilities to an interpretation.

This doesn't mean that Smith consciously planned it. After all, ask any Tarot deck creator and they'll probably tell you that Tarot readers have seen things in their own cards that they (the artist) never consciously intended but that add to the card's potentials.