Halloween Tarot Study - Nine of Ghosts

Nine of Ghosts - in many ways reminiscent of the 9 of Cups in the RW, of which this deck is pretty much a clone. But not quite.

For reference -
pumpkins = pentacles, coins
bats = swords
imps = wands
ghosts = cups

So ... with that in mind, this card very much resembles the RW 9 of Cups. But what I see here is not so much a well-fed man who is leading the good life, self-satisfied, but perhaps a man (ghost) who is happy/satisfied but I'm thinking with a false belief. The ghosts behind him are the real thing; he is not like them. He is acting like he belongs to the fraternity, but I'm thinking that he is still very much grounded in this world. The "solid" world.

Perhaps that is what the RW card is too - he is grounded in real life (well fed, and wears rich clothing). Hadn't thought of that before. I'm seeing it more clearly in the Halloween tarot though. MOre of a contrast. THe guys in the background are egging him to join - and he looks like he thinks he already has. But - his stance, his clothing, his face - he is not one of them.

So there is work to do before completion - getting to the 10 of suit. Getting to reality - *hehe* and we're talking about imps and ghosties and walking pumpkins here!!

However - having been away from (inactive with) the tarot for a few months I have a new perspective on suits now. If cups = emotions, spirit (!) and the subconscious, then in both versions of this card they are behind the main character. He is facing away from them. So - has he in fact turned his back on the spirit realm and gone instead with the mundane world of hedonistic pleasures??

Prithy, what sayest thee??

*S*

(The Hight Priestess jumped out while I was shuffling earlier today - so I've taken that as a sign! She will be my guide for now as I begin to delve more deeply into her associates.)

The cat beside the ghostly squeleton seems taking a cat nap. To me, the ghosts in the background seems to encourage the ghostly squeleton or they tries to bully him. I like the two little bats on his garment. He seems to be on a toys box. Maybe the background ghots want to have access to the toys box.

Skydancer said:

If cups = emotions, spirit (!) and the subconscious, then in both versions of this card they are behind the main character. He is facing away from them. So - has he in fact turned his back on the spirit realm and gone instead with the mundane world of hedonistic pleasures??

Click to expand...

Yes, I like that very much ! I had never thought of it before either, but it seems so obvious now.
And no, the person in the foreground is indeed not a ghost himself, he is as annik says, a ghostly skeleton. Look at his neck and his hands.
I so love the black cat on every card, he has so much expression. On this card he looks all contented.

Skydancer said:

So ... with that in mind, this card very much resembles the RW 9 of Cups. But what I see here is not so much a well-fed man who is leading the good life, self-satisfied, but perhaps a man (ghost) who is happy/satisfied but I'm thinking with a false belief. The ghosts behind him are the real thing; he is not like them. He is acting like he belongs to the fraternity, but I'm thinking that he is still very much grounded in this world. The "solid" world.

Perhaps that is what the RW card is too - he is grounded in real life (well fed, and wears rich clothing). Hadn't thought of that before. I'm seeing it more clearly in the Halloween tarot though. MOre of a contrast. THe guys in the background are egging him to join - and he looks like he thinks he already has. But - his stance, his clothing, his face - he is not one of them.

So there is work to do before completion - getting to the 10 of suit. Getting to reality - *hehe* and we're talking about imps and ghosties and walking pumpkins here!!

However - having been away from (inactive with) the tarot for a few months I have a new perspective on suits now. If cups = emotions, spirit (!) and the subconscious, then in both versions of this card they are behind the main character. He is facing away from them. So - has he in fact turned his back on the spirit realm and gone instead with the mundane world of hedonistic pleasures??

Prithy, what sayest thee??

Click to expand...

Excellent observations, my lady!

Now, if the guy on the box is indeed a skeleton, and now that it's been mentioned I think it is a skeleton, then is that a coffin he is sitting on? His feet are planted firmly on the ground while the ghosts float up above the ground. So it makes sense that he is more interested in the "earthly" things. The bats adorn his garment as well as his hat and bats in this deck are swords and to me, swords are thoughts, so his thoughts are also on his material things(garments)?

The ghosts do look like they want him to come play with them, and he does indeed seem to have turned his back to them. Everyone looks happy though-
D

Everyone looks happy, like they're celebrating something to me (but I tend to think of the DruidCraft's Nine of Cups, where the man has food and drink waiting for his friends - I love that deck).

I love seeing the cat look so contented.

I have the companion book for this deck!

He is a Skeleton Man and he is sitting on his 'box of riches'. The book also says that he has 'put his ghosts behind him' and is embracing his material prosperity. Even if it doesn't last forever.

About his clothing it says that they're roomy and adorned with lucky bats to show his 'contentment without constriction'.

Aren't bats seen as symbols of luck in China and some other places/cultures that I can't remember right now?

The bats on his clothes look different from the suit Bats. I looked through the deck to see how bats looked on cards that are not of the suit of Bats and they all have brown wings with gray heads. (Except the one on the World card - but I think that's because the four creatures are made of stone)