ThusSpokeZarathustra
Do other cultures hold different opinions on the meanings of the tarot? Namely, Japan, but learning about any culture other than our Western one would be appreciated.
Do other cultures hold different opinions on the meanings of the tarot?
As Griz pointed out , you dont have to have a different culture for that, I live in a similar area to 3 people on AT and we all have similar cultural upbringings and we could probably all stand on three extreme corners of AT opinion and throw rocks at each other .
So I imagine, even more so with different cultures. What is familiar and makes sense in one way to one culture may be totally different from another.
Eg. As child I would be taken to the old LaPerouse site south of Sydney, as they had a reptile show and weapons display of stone axes, boomerangs, etc. there were boomerang throwing displays by the aboriginals. Someone bought out an entertainer from America who was touring Sydney to see the show, he was one of those guys that threw knives and tomahawks around his assistant as she stood against a board ... so he bought some of his stuff along to do a show there as well.
The Aboriginals did their stuff and he was impressed, so he said he would do his show for them ... there were some visiting Aboriginals from the interior there and most of all the Aboriginals had no idea what he was going to do, although they were very impressed with the quality of his knives and little axes.
So he did his show and some of the Aboriginals became agitated and went apart and had a big discussion about it. An interpreter asked them what they thought of the 'show' and asked what they were talking about.
They had come to the conclusion that the man's wife had been cheating on him so she had to be punished, and it was done publicly in front of everyone to appease his honour, but actually, he must have really loved her because, although being required to punish her, he pretended to miss each throw so she she wouldn't be harmed ... so really he was a smart man; he had followed the law, kept his dignity and he still had a wife .