Here's a Fool from Lisle de Vaux Matthewman's Brevities (1903). Note that the fool is stepping on the tail of his animal companion. The caption reads, "Life may be a huge joke, but too often either the joke is not evident, or it is on us."

Playing card royals unite as The Lovers in these United States stamps.

"Under criss-crossing overhead subway lines, old Japanese men in black velvet read fortunes at rickety tables by candlelight. I noted a chart of the palm at one spot, a tarot deck in another." -- Jennifer Dumpert

Demeter, the Greek Goddess of grain and fertility who according to myth taught humanity agriculture, is often associated with the Empress. It's interesting to compare the image of her above, taken from the 19th century work Dr. Vollmers Wörterbuch der Mythologie aller Völker, to the RWS Empress.

The throne, scepter, and grain are elements present in both images. They communicate this archetype's dominion over growing things, and represent a figure who is both maternal and authoritative.

The Biblical figure of Samson is sometimes associated with the Strength card. He was, of course, renowned for his great strength, and like his Greek counterpart Hercules slew a lion. The image above is a 15th century engraving by E. S. Meister of Delilah cutting Samson's hair. By this act, she removed the source of his physical prowess. This depiction of a woman subduing a powerful man by the use of her feminine wiles makes for an interesting variation of the Strength card.

"scant mention was made of the Esther Scroll,

which is like a tarot containing ,

, , the

, ,

, the ,

, and It is the only biblical text in which

God is never named, and, in fact, there is no God in the tarot deck of cards. God plays his hand, and, some might dare to claim, He cheats."

****

Many thanks to Craig for providing the idea for this post.

"Take Tarot cards. . . if you do readings. They should “speak” to you. If the images are dead and don’t get you creatively excited, find another deck that does!" -- Stuart Cumberland

(Thanks to Craig for inspiring this post. The above image is of the legendary Madame Lenormand, giving the Empress Josephine a reading.)

This detail from the Altarpiece of the Last Judgement by Rogier van der Weyden shows the Archangel Michael weighing souls. When I saw this image I thought it might be interesting to have a Tarot where all the Major Arcana explore the theme of balance. This image would be Judgment, naturally. The Magician could be portrayed juggling balls. The Fool could be shown at a crossroads, weighing his options. The Lovers would show a man deciding between two women. Death could be juxtaposed with a newborn, and so on.

AN EMILY DICKINSON TAROT REBUS

Because could not stop for
He kindly stopped for me;
held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My , and my too,
For his civility.
We passed the school, where strove
At recess, in the ring;
We passed the fields of gazing ,
We passed the setting .

Or rather, he passed us;
The dews grew quivering and chill,
For only gossamer my ,
My tippet only tulle.

We paused before a that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.

Since then 'tis centuries, and yet each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward .

"A philosophy which does not include and cannot explain the possibility of prophecy by means of coffee grounds cannot be a true philosophy."

—Walter Benjamin, Letters, qtd. in The Road to Delphi: The Life and Afterlife of Oracles, by Michael Wood