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

[Glitterbird]

Originally Posted by Yurikome

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

On my University Books edition it sure looks like a cross marking a grave in the distance.

[Sophos]

Originally Posted by re-pete-a

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.

Some people see it as the symbol of Saturn.

[Rasa]

Originally Posted by Yurikome

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 had thought that the trees behind them were the Tree of Life, and the Tree of Knowledge, making the figures an allusion to Adam and Eve before and after the fall... but then why grapes, instead of an apple?

[Teheuti]

Originally Posted by Rasa

why grapes, instead of an apple?

An allusion to the intoxication of life?

[re-pete-a]

Originally Posted by Glitterbird

On my University Books edition it sure looks like a cross marking a grave in the distance.

Upon closer inspection there seems to be a minute figure on knees in front of that cross.

[GRAFLIX1]

The major arcana MOON depicts VULPECULA the FOX and LUPUS the WOLF.

These are found either side of the sun's ecliptic - the YELLOW ROAD.

It it were Egyptian, we would see the dung-beetle rolling the sun along, rather than its alternative (indicating the nexus at Scorpio).

[Morgan Le Fei]

I just noticed something in the Hierphant and I can't beleive I never saw it before. Then I came here to find a place to post and found this thread!

The Hierphant is a woman!

I was doing a reading and the Hierphant directly followed Justice. For a split second I was confused by how similar they are at first glance in appearance and then really examined the differenes between them.

Look at the face on the card. In no way does that look like the face of a grown man to me but very much like a woman's. Also, above her crown there is a W!

Also, the three crosses on her sash: the bottom one looks like a standard Christian cross, the middle one less so and the top one is more like a plus sign with the "cross" part directly in the middle.

[slfrank67]

Originally Posted by tarotkey

What about the bat wings that are spouting out of either sides of the Queen of Cups, oversized Chalice/Grail cup? Why such a strong and obvious emphasis on what is basically a prop?

it isn't a cup, it's a heptagon-shaped chest of drawers! i've seen those in real life at a persian/indian rug store, although i have no idea what they're actually called (my google searches were fruitless.) the ones i've seen were wood with very intricate carvings, gold leafing, etc. they were absolutely gorgeous. some were small and i imagine used for jewelry whilst others were very very large, with either proportionately large drawers or just a ridic/fabulous amount of small drawers. the smallish ones, like the one the queen is holding, were surprisingly lightweight!

[LRichard]

Little details sometimes can make a big difference in how one views the cards. I used to look at Temperance and be puzzled by the image. Sometime last year I saw a post that mentioned the "crown" in the sky, which I had always taken to be just a weird-looking sun. Since that revelation, the symbolism of the card in relation to the Middle Pillar of the Tree of Life has steadily unfolded, like a flower from bud to full bloom.

[mac22]

Originally Posted by LRichard

Little details sometimes can make a big difference in how one views the cards. I used to look at Temperance and be puzzled by the image. Sometime last year I saw a post that mentioned the "crown" in the sky, which I had always taken to be just a weird-looking sun. Since that revelation, the symbolism of the card in relation to the Middle Pillar of the Tree of Life has steadily unfolded, like a flower from bud to full bloom.

RWS was my first deck and is still one of my favorite for symbolism. Pixie Smith had fun with her Easter eggs. After 40 years + I'm still finding new ones.

Mac22