CreativeFire said:
I have also been wondering about the animals depicted in the card as well, TheoMo.
The Butterfly - is akin to the air, it is the mind, and the abiliity to know the mind or to change it. It is the art of transformation - transformation of self.
I was just thinking about the animals this morning. This interpretation of the butterfly makes a lot of sense -- it transforms from the catterpillar to the butterfly, stands for us.
The dove -- could it be as simple as equating it with the Christian dove, a symbol for the holy spirit? It radiates off some type of energy in the card in the same way that doves in Christian art radiate.
What do we make of the order? Does it matter that the dove seems to follow the butterfly which seems to follow the caduceus? Is the dove the beginning of the end of our journey, that which leads to the transformation to the butterfly, and then towards finding our power through the caduceus?
the croc - I perused some websites on crocodiles and mythology
http://www.viewzone.com/israel.html
This one seemed to mention that the crocodile, at least for some Mediterranean peoples like the Egyptians and Israelis is a symbol of evil. The croc seems to be slithering ever so carefully in the card, almost hiding behind the spirals, keen to not be that seen. Maybe this is the equivalent in other decks where the Fool doesn't see the cliff -- the croc here perhaps represents unseen dangers on the fool's journey, dangers that are part of the journey and must be encountered.
Finally, the tiger -- still no clue.