Leo62
Very interesting point, Helvetica, but I would go beyond even that. My reaction to this card is that this is someone much more evolved than that. To me, he represents the very process of how we attempt to deal with our desires, our shadow sides. He is the process of being authentically human, rather than just a collection of desire, emotions and urges. I think he represents a balance of both instinct and reason - and the path to that precious balance is through madness. He has been swallowed by The Beast and emerged the other side...at least that's how I see him!Helvetica said:He is at a stage of proto-ethics, if you like, before reasoning has taken hold of what is happening and built a moral and social structure, but he already acts morally, without reasoning - instinctively. That's how I understand "pre-civilisation".
I may be pushing the mythological boundaries here, but that's truly what I see when I look at this card