marablu
The story used for this card is 'The Emperor's New Clothes', I believe that it is a story most people are familiar with, nonetheless I'll give a short summary; an incredibly foolish and vain emperor is taken in by two swindlers who sell him a supposedly fabulously fine cloth, that is, they tell him, invisible to the eyes of the unworthy and unrefined. Not wanting to admit to being unrefined, he buys pure air from the swindlers and orders clothes to be made for him from this material. No one who encounters the 'material' or the 'clothes' made from it wants to admit that they can't see it, until a little boy at a parade where the emperor 'wears' the 'clothes' points out the obvious: the emperor is naked!
I love this story and I think that it brings another, important, layer of meaning to the six of wands, which is all about public acclaim and admiration. This story begs the question- is there true glory behind that which is being glorified? And if that which is being lauded is completely insignificant or pointless, do we have the guts to believe in our own judgment, and challenge the established opinion?
I'd also like to point out the funny physique of the emperor on the card- he is short and fat and sullen-looking. Not very emperorlike indeed. Nonetheless he is surrounded by incredible pomp and circumstance. But the child is undaunted by all this, obviously still young and innocent enough not to put much stock by such silly displays.
What do other people think of this card?
marablu
I love this story and I think that it brings another, important, layer of meaning to the six of wands, which is all about public acclaim and admiration. This story begs the question- is there true glory behind that which is being glorified? And if that which is being lauded is completely insignificant or pointless, do we have the guts to believe in our own judgment, and challenge the established opinion?
I'd also like to point out the funny physique of the emperor on the card- he is short and fat and sullen-looking. Not very emperorlike indeed. Nonetheless he is surrounded by incredible pomp and circumstance. But the child is undaunted by all this, obviously still young and innocent enough not to put much stock by such silly displays.
What do other people think of this card?
marablu