"I learned, among other things, that some of the Tarot cards are based on rituals evolved in Marseilles and that, even now, the very graffiti in the town contain cabalistic signs and symbols." —Books of the Times, Vol. 1, 1978

(Click photo for source.)

Once I sat high up

on Fortune's throne,

garlanded with all the blooms of prosperity;

indeed I was in the bloom

of blessed happiness,

but now I have tumbled from my eminence,

robbed of my glory.

* * *

Fortune's wheel turns:

I am cut down and fall;

another is raised to the heights;

the king sits at the peak,

too much exalted -

let him beware of ruin,

for under the axle we read

the name of Queen Hecuba.

* * *

Fortuna Plango Vulnera

(Seria LXXVII - fol. 48b)

Carmina Burana

This is part of an occasional series of Tarot images I encounter in the world, inspired by Craig Conley's enchanting Trump L'Oeil Tarot of Portmeirion. The photos were taken during a recent trip to the Stamford Museum and Nature Center. I spotted this cauldron on the grounds of the Heckscher Farm, near the maple sugaring and apple cider house. A beautiful Ace of Cups.

This tower is on the grounds of the Bendel Mansion.

Seen on Thames Street in Newport, Rhode Island.

Alexander Voet II's "The Elderly Fool and his Cat," c. 1660. Via BibliOdyssey.

A work by 16th century Dutch artist Hendrick Goltzius. It makes a glorious Judgment card.

This painting by Hendrick van der Borcht has a lush, opulent quality that immediately made me think of the Ten of Cups. The coins, as well as the round shape of the work, further reinforce ideas of money and wealth associated with that card.

On a related note, I ran across this book by Rohit Arya on using the Tarot to manifest wealth. I haven't read it, but it seems quite interesting.

In this antiquated ad for a firecracker, a Tarot-like stricken tower erupts money. Is this the home of the King of Coins?

"I guess we all take turns on the water wheel."
—Blondie, "Strike Me Pink"

Wheel of Fortune (second version)
from Urban Tarot by Daisy Rose Anderson
(via Reclaiming Quarterly)

This 15th century engraving of St Sebastian by E. S. Meister reminds me of the Hanged Man. Like his Tarot counterpart, Sebastian is tied to a tree, helpless. In this respect, he also recalls Odin's ordeal on the Tree of Life. The martyrdom of the Saint contains the elements of surrender and sacrifice that are present in the Tarot card.

The similarities between the themes present in the Major Arcana and the saints are explored more fully in Robert M. Place's Tarot of the Saints.