tedglart
Does anyone have any ideas about the fact that the star woman is on one knee? In a Christian deck would we would expect her to be more reverently on both knees? Perhaps it has an astrological association. Or is it just more physiologically accurate to suit the task at hand? The card seems to be a counterweight to the Temperance card where the water is retained and the angel wears heavy robes. Both are on land beside water. A river or a lake? To me the image has vague echoes of Mary Magdalene washing the feet of Jesus, except that she seems to be washing her own feet, suggesting self-purification maybe. The position of the jar in her left hand is in front of her crotch and has sexual associations. I just finished reading a frankly terrible book by Robert Swiryn which attempts to link the 13th century Cathars with the imagery of the TdM, and he points out that Mary Magdalene was a supremely important figure in their philosophy.