sapienza
In this card we see an elaborately dressed man standing on what appears to be the top of a building, surrounded by a turreted wall. In the background we see the pointed rooftops of other buildings. The sky is a pale blue and there are many birds flying across it. The man holds his right hand in a fist and his left hand is open and held lower down. He has a look of melancholy on his face, but also appears calm.
This card has always been one I've been drawn to in all the decks I have used and I particularly like this depiction. The Golden Dawn call this card Dominion and link it with strength, courage, boldness and ambition. Mathers also lists riches, fortune and opulence. Etteilla on the other hand gives meanings as sadness, melancholy, affliction, desolation and dark thoughts. While I've never been a big fan of the Waite Smith deck I always liked how Pamela Colman Smith managed on so many cards to draw an image that depicted the marriage of both the Golden Dawn and Etteilla meanings. In this instance, when the meanings are almost in opposition to one another, she has come up with an image that I think is rather inspiring. Waite himself states that there is 'no marriage possible' between the different meanings and in an attempt to reconcile them suggests that the figure is Alexander who is sad despite having grandeur and wealth.
To me, this gives the card multiple layers of meaning when it comes to interpretation. The figure in this deck could also be seen to be sad despite his obvious wealth and privilege. In this image I also see more though. I believe that the number two always symbolises some form of duality and here the clue for me is in the figures hands. One is clasped firmly shut and the other is open and I wonder if this could symbolise the need to decide whether to hold on to what one has, or let it go and open the door for something new. While it is pleasing in some ways to accumulate wealth and status it can also be a burden. Sometimes passing things up or leaving some things behind can provide opportunities for new experiences in life. I also see his hands as the issue of being in control vs. going with the flow. Grasping vs. indifference. Attachment vs. acceptance.
The birds in the sky symbolise movement and change to me but the stone wall around him shows a fixity that can lead to feelings of being trapped and stuck in a rut. Often we have a sense that life is going on around us while we are focused on managing our stuff, whether that is material stuff or the emotional and mental 'stuff' in our head.
I guess in a sense the Taoist concept of simplicity might fit well with the card too, or be a possible message. I know in the Waite deck, and most other decks, this suit is associated with fire but for me it works so much better as air, particularly with this card which I think taps into a situation very much about the mind and how we view our life and the world in which we live.
This card has always been one I've been drawn to in all the decks I have used and I particularly like this depiction. The Golden Dawn call this card Dominion and link it with strength, courage, boldness and ambition. Mathers also lists riches, fortune and opulence. Etteilla on the other hand gives meanings as sadness, melancholy, affliction, desolation and dark thoughts. While I've never been a big fan of the Waite Smith deck I always liked how Pamela Colman Smith managed on so many cards to draw an image that depicted the marriage of both the Golden Dawn and Etteilla meanings. In this instance, when the meanings are almost in opposition to one another, she has come up with an image that I think is rather inspiring. Waite himself states that there is 'no marriage possible' between the different meanings and in an attempt to reconcile them suggests that the figure is Alexander who is sad despite having grandeur and wealth.
To me, this gives the card multiple layers of meaning when it comes to interpretation. The figure in this deck could also be seen to be sad despite his obvious wealth and privilege. In this image I also see more though. I believe that the number two always symbolises some form of duality and here the clue for me is in the figures hands. One is clasped firmly shut and the other is open and I wonder if this could symbolise the need to decide whether to hold on to what one has, or let it go and open the door for something new. While it is pleasing in some ways to accumulate wealth and status it can also be a burden. Sometimes passing things up or leaving some things behind can provide opportunities for new experiences in life. I also see his hands as the issue of being in control vs. going with the flow. Grasping vs. indifference. Attachment vs. acceptance.
The birds in the sky symbolise movement and change to me but the stone wall around him shows a fixity that can lead to feelings of being trapped and stuck in a rut. Often we have a sense that life is going on around us while we are focused on managing our stuff, whether that is material stuff or the emotional and mental 'stuff' in our head.
I guess in a sense the Taoist concept of simplicity might fit well with the card too, or be a possible message. I know in the Waite deck, and most other decks, this suit is associated with fire but for me it works so much better as air, particularly with this card which I think taps into a situation very much about the mind and how we view our life and the world in which we live.
