Amashelle
I've finally had a chance to test a theory I've had about Froud's oracle. It occured to me when I realized that Solus was counted as one of the singers, and not the Sidhe, as I've always assumed.
That being said, I wanted to lay out all the cards in order, each row representing one group as outlined in the book (the singers, the sidhe, guides and guardians, help-line, and challengers). Sure enough, the cards divide evenly into these five groups (I knew that much would work out), and when you look at each column, there are some interesting connections that I never noticed before.
To better illustrate my point, the columns line up like this:
Unity: The Maiden, Nelys the Alchemist, Honesty, Death
Extasis: The Journeyman, Penelope Dreamweaver, Ilbe the Retriever, Epona's Wild Daughter
Guardian of the Gate: The Bright Mother, Ta'Om the Poet, Myk the Myomancer, The Soul Shrinker
He of the Fiery Sword: Himself, The Laume, Geeeeeooo the Slooow, Gloominous Doom
She of the Cruach: Lady of the harvest, Undressing of a Salad, Lys of the Shadows, Luathas the Wild
Connection: The Sage, Iris of the Rainbows, Taitin the Sylph, Ffaff the Ffooter
Intuition: The Dark Lady, Faeries of the Future, the Friends, the Bodacious Bodach
Courage: Faery who was kissed by the Pixies, Sylcanius, The Oak Men, the Pook
Initiation: The Master Maker, the Faun, Collection of Pixies, G. Hobyah
Healing: The Green Woman, Spirit Dancer, Mikle a Muckle
Transfiguration: The Piper, Tobaira of the Waters, Arval Parrot, Indi
Chalice: The Faery Godmother, Laiste Moon's Daughter, Topsie Turvets, Gawtcha
Solus: O! that gnome, Losguanna, the Rarr, The Fee Lion
I think these columns can be used to add another dimention of interpretation to the cards, in the same way that minor arcana cards are associated with their number in the major arcana to add to their interpretation.
For example, take the column of Unity. It begins with the maiden: the universal child. The babe we all start out as. Nelys' alchemy irrevocably changes everything from one to another, children to adults, for example, but her alchemy only works because she understands that, beneath whatever surface is projected, everything is a part of the one universal whole. We all possess every possibility within us, she merely brings it to the surface. In Honesty, true, unjaded honestly (not the harsh, hurtful type people call 'total' honesty), everything is revealed to us, the connections within us all, the truth inside our whole. And Death, the universal constant: all things die, and are reborn through unity.
There are some cards that surprised me --- the Laume turned up in the column of the Fiery Sword, not She of the Cruach, and I'm not sure how this could be interpreted, but it's an interesting thought, in my mind, and one I wanted to share with this group. I'd love to hear if anyone's looked at the cards like this before, and what their thoughts were, or are if they haven't considered this sort of connection --- even if your thoughts are that I'm completely off my rocker, lol.
That being said, I wanted to lay out all the cards in order, each row representing one group as outlined in the book (the singers, the sidhe, guides and guardians, help-line, and challengers). Sure enough, the cards divide evenly into these five groups (I knew that much would work out), and when you look at each column, there are some interesting connections that I never noticed before.
To better illustrate my point, the columns line up like this:
Unity: The Maiden, Nelys the Alchemist, Honesty, Death
Extasis: The Journeyman, Penelope Dreamweaver, Ilbe the Retriever, Epona's Wild Daughter
Guardian of the Gate: The Bright Mother, Ta'Om the Poet, Myk the Myomancer, The Soul Shrinker
He of the Fiery Sword: Himself, The Laume, Geeeeeooo the Slooow, Gloominous Doom
She of the Cruach: Lady of the harvest, Undressing of a Salad, Lys of the Shadows, Luathas the Wild
Connection: The Sage, Iris of the Rainbows, Taitin the Sylph, Ffaff the Ffooter
Intuition: The Dark Lady, Faeries of the Future, the Friends, the Bodacious Bodach
Courage: Faery who was kissed by the Pixies, Sylcanius, The Oak Men, the Pook
Initiation: The Master Maker, the Faun, Collection of Pixies, G. Hobyah
Healing: The Green Woman, Spirit Dancer, Mikle a Muckle
Transfiguration: The Piper, Tobaira of the Waters, Arval Parrot, Indi
Chalice: The Faery Godmother, Laiste Moon's Daughter, Topsie Turvets, Gawtcha
Solus: O! that gnome, Losguanna, the Rarr, The Fee Lion
I think these columns can be used to add another dimention of interpretation to the cards, in the same way that minor arcana cards are associated with their number in the major arcana to add to their interpretation.
For example, take the column of Unity. It begins with the maiden: the universal child. The babe we all start out as. Nelys' alchemy irrevocably changes everything from one to another, children to adults, for example, but her alchemy only works because she understands that, beneath whatever surface is projected, everything is a part of the one universal whole. We all possess every possibility within us, she merely brings it to the surface. In Honesty, true, unjaded honestly (not the harsh, hurtful type people call 'total' honesty), everything is revealed to us, the connections within us all, the truth inside our whole. And Death, the universal constant: all things die, and are reborn through unity.
There are some cards that surprised me --- the Laume turned up in the column of the Fiery Sword, not She of the Cruach, and I'm not sure how this could be interpreted, but it's an interesting thought, in my mind, and one I wanted to share with this group. I'd love to hear if anyone's looked at the cards like this before, and what their thoughts were, or are if they haven't considered this sort of connection --- even if your thoughts are that I'm completely off my rocker, lol.