To experience each card, I started by thinking about why each animal was featured. Then, I thought about what the animals were doing. As I viewed each card, I observed the landscape, season, and time of day. If there was any predominant color, I wrote that down, as well. Whenever I felt a feeling such as being pricked with thorns or freezing cold, I noted that too.
What I learned by observing and then experiencing the cards, is that often the minor details will merge into a whole. The various details caused me to ponder why they are there and what their meanings are. As I reflected on each, I would receive feelings that settled inside me. By experiencing the cards instead of just viewing them, I intuitively came to know what each meant.
The cards as I perceived them.
0. The Fool. This card highlights a young European badger walking through a dark, snowy forest on a winter’s day. Along with his hobo stick, he carries a puffin, whilst a magpie sits in a tree branch watching. After laughing about how absurd carrying a puffin around is, I then felt the cold and darkness. I became aware of an adventure that was tempered with foreboding. The dynamics of the Fool for me was represented by the magpie, who was wryly amused by the pair.
I. The Magician. This card features a red fox playing “find the bean under the cup,” with an audience of a field mouse and a scarlet tanager. Standing in a briar thicket, he uses a giant toadstool as his table. Although I feel pricked by the briar thorns, I cannot stop myself, since I want to play the game, too. The fox is an illusionist and if I am not careful, I will be caught in his invention. Meanwhile, the toadstool and the autumnal colors speak of alchemy, with the fox being the master Magician. When I entered the briar patch, I stepped in a world of mystery, beyond my senses.
II. The High Priestess. In a glen of cedar trees, a cow elephant sits regally on a tree stump with an open book, whilst sunlight bathes her head. At her feet are two striped squirrels sitting in the yellow asters. These squirrels are taking her bits of knowledge and “squirreling” them away. I feel that this High Priestess will keep the mysteries, only telling them to those who will secret them away. (Matriarch elephants hold the wisdom of their herd.) Meanwhile the curves between the trees and those of her tusks remind me of the moon, where the secrets are often kept. The bright sunlight tells me that if I develop the inner sight then I can see the mysteries, which are hidden in plain sight.
III. The Empress. Sitting on a turtle throne, a she-wolf gazes off in the distance, lost in thought. Surrounding her are her playful pups, who are chasing the butterflies. While the Empress sits in a field alive with flowers, a toucan sits behind her watching the pups. Although all life is exploding around her, the Empress seems remote and untouchable. Even though I feel safe being watched by the toucan, I wonder about the Empress. Is she serene or merely removed? Meanwhile, the profusion of butterflies and mallow flowers at her feet give a hint of her fertile powers.
IV. The Emperor. Dressed in casual clothes, the Emperor wears a crown and rests his hands on a sword, as a falcon perches on the hilt. Adding to this casual feeling is his throne which is a tree stump. Ruling the African veldt, the Emperor, who is a lion, stares directly at me with a look of authority. With his sense of easy power, the Emperor cares not what he wears or sits on, for he is in control. Meanwhile, the bright sun highlights his potent aura.
Other entries in this series:
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