A Tarot exercise: deconstructing The Princess/Knave of Coins.
Deciding to check in with Tarot to ascertain how I'm handling the events of the past week, I pulled a card. While I would typically ask a more proactive question like "How should I handle the situation?", I felt I needed a card to reflect where I am before going forward.
http://www.arnellart.com/tt-princess-coin.htm
I have reacted to the legal issues surrounding reading Tarot with the practicality of the Coins suit. I contacted clients, set up a meeting with a person who will be helping me with web design, and arranged an interview. All of these actions I view as points of necessity.
I'm going to approach the card from the perspective of the image. It's a useful exercise to look at individual components of the card and how they fit a situation. Personal connection to the images are perhaps more important in this exercise than how they relate to the standard meanings of the card.
The Dog: Years ago, I had a dream that I visited the Norse underworld and the Goddess Hella, in the guise of an old woman, offered me a dog. I hesitated in the dream and let her know I would consider her offer and later searched for her. I walked up the steps of an old brownstone and found her picture pinned to a cork board outside of a room where a man was reading Tarot with the door open. When I looked at the photo, her face reconfigured to show me the development of the Earth from fiery liquid to the hardening of the soil, to the inception of plant life and the movement of animals across the land. For a moment in my dream I felt span of time from the creation of the planet until the present. I woke up screaming not because of visiting the realm of the dead but because I never fully understood just how new I am in comparison to existence of time. Even having an old soul just doesn't cut it. The dog in the card makes me think of Hella's hounds, which guard the boundaries between the worlds and also offer shamanic protection.
The poppies: I have a few responses to the flowers. First they make me think of the perfumery work I have done with my bath products. Since poppies also relate to sleep, they carry echos of the dream I described but also make me consider looking at my present dreams more deeply. On a earthly level, I really could use a day out in nature to renew my senses.
The hands: They rest close to the heart chakra and are situated protectively. I feel it's telling me to keep track of my heart center, shield the sanctity of my feelings, and endeavor not to be afflicted by the weight of the emotions. My tendency towards the practical is on target.
The golden attire of the woman: She looks small but solid. She reminds me of the Sun card and what is the Sun but a golden disc? There is a relation to the coins suit. Although she is alone in the frame of the card, her light is kindled. She is luminescent.
The gilded rose: I think of the rose in the RWS Death card, the symbol of life out of death. Here it is not exactly life but preservation since it is coated in gold, enduring and timeless. The rites of divination exist beyond cycles, just as the Fates that usher them. They inhabit the cycles without being moved by them. They are at the center of the Wheel.
The face of the female figure: It appears she is a sculpture and almost doll-like. The eyes suggest movement, and she is looking to the side. There is more to the image than is in frame, certainly a greater view that needs to be seen, making me think of how the Princesses are in the early stages of expansion. They embody potential.
http://www.arnellart.com/tt-princess-coin.htm
I have reacted to the legal issues surrounding reading Tarot with the practicality of the Coins suit. I contacted clients, set up a meeting with a person who will be helping me with web design, and arranged an interview. All of these actions I view as points of necessity.
I'm going to approach the card from the perspective of the image. It's a useful exercise to look at individual components of the card and how they fit a situation. Personal connection to the images are perhaps more important in this exercise than how they relate to the standard meanings of the card.
The Dog: Years ago, I had a dream that I visited the Norse underworld and the Goddess Hella, in the guise of an old woman, offered me a dog. I hesitated in the dream and let her know I would consider her offer and later searched for her. I walked up the steps of an old brownstone and found her picture pinned to a cork board outside of a room where a man was reading Tarot with the door open. When I looked at the photo, her face reconfigured to show me the development of the Earth from fiery liquid to the hardening of the soil, to the inception of plant life and the movement of animals across the land. For a moment in my dream I felt span of time from the creation of the planet until the present. I woke up screaming not because of visiting the realm of the dead but because I never fully understood just how new I am in comparison to existence of time. Even having an old soul just doesn't cut it. The dog in the card makes me think of Hella's hounds, which guard the boundaries between the worlds and also offer shamanic protection.
The poppies: I have a few responses to the flowers. First they make me think of the perfumery work I have done with my bath products. Since poppies also relate to sleep, they carry echos of the dream I described but also make me consider looking at my present dreams more deeply. On a earthly level, I really could use a day out in nature to renew my senses.
The hands: They rest close to the heart chakra and are situated protectively. I feel it's telling me to keep track of my heart center, shield the sanctity of my feelings, and endeavor not to be afflicted by the weight of the emotions. My tendency towards the practical is on target.
The golden attire of the woman: She looks small but solid. She reminds me of the Sun card and what is the Sun but a golden disc? There is a relation to the coins suit. Although she is alone in the frame of the card, her light is kindled. She is luminescent.
The gilded rose: I think of the rose in the RWS Death card, the symbol of life out of death. Here it is not exactly life but preservation since it is coated in gold, enduring and timeless. The rites of divination exist beyond cycles, just as the Fates that usher them. They inhabit the cycles without being moved by them. They are at the center of the Wheel.
The face of the female figure: It appears she is a sculpture and almost doll-like. The eyes suggest movement, and she is looking to the side. There is more to the image than is in frame, certainly a greater view that needs to be seen, making me think of how the Princesses are in the early stages of expansion. They embody potential.