Thirteen
Obviously, we can find that meaning for the card and, once again, I'm not arguing with what you, personally see in the card or what books by authors you respect say about it. Certainly older tarot authors like Mathers and Thierens are in agreement with you in defining the card as "Happiness" though less that of happiness from love and friendship than from getting what you most wished for, whatever that might be (love and friendship included).HoneyBea said:Now concerned that I have grasp perhaps the wrong meaning for this card, made me look it up in Karen Mahony's book that accompanies the deck, she says of this card
I'm merely saying that I think interpreting it as meaning "value friendship etc. over wealth" is a little narrow for my tastes. The reason why I say this is because authors who I greatly respect put it this way when they view the 10/Pents: "The Lord of Wealth": ...material gain so vast it may lose it's importance." Or as the Thoth deck puts it, "When wealth accumulates beyond a certain point, it must either become completely inert and cease to be wealth, or call in the aid of intelligence to use it rightly."
That, to me, personally, is not the same as "love, friendship, etc. is more important than money." That, to me, is a very interesting message indeed. It has less to do with wagging its finger at us for going after material goods, and more to do with exploring the very intriguing results of having vast amounts of money. That can range from the Scrooge who has turned accumulating wealth into the be-all and end-all even though he could never spend what he's got in one lifetime, to Citizen Kane, spending money with abandon on so many warehouses of stuff that he can't even remember what he's got. It can range from a rich housewife who can buy a museum to feature her own artwork even though she can't paint, to philanthropists who create libraries, hospitals, museums and foundations with their money and thus, enrich lives for generations, keep the arts alive, and change the world in ways no average individual, not even some governments, ever could.
Or it could, as in the case of the BG card mean that the Old Man has so much wealth it has lost it's meaning, while the siblings have so little wealth that they know what matters on all levels, including love, friendship, family, etc.
My point is, this sort of layered meaning really fascinates me, and avoids clashing with the 10/Cups which, in the Rider-Waite deck, is defined as: "perfection of human love and friendship." (From this website: http://supertarot.co.uk/meaning/tarotcardmeanings.htm). Which is why I, personally, would quibble with interpreting the card only or primarily as "value love over money." Putting it another way, I, personally, know people with both valued love and a lot of money. I would never insult their intelligence by reminding them that, "love is more important than money." They know this. What some of them don't know is to how to understand the value of, say, having a roof over your head. It is as likely the siblings in the BG card are reminding the old man of that, as they are that "love" is more important than wealth.
Perhaps what the card is really about is what we take for granted?