The Fish Card

In the original instruction sheet FISH (King of Diamonds) is described as:

"Making a fortune by sea, and a series of happy enterprises, but if it is distant,
they are sinister omens that the best projects will be reversed."

It has come to refer most directly to liquid assets (money, income) by contrast with Bear's stored assets (savings, investments). The idea is that fishing as well as shipping was a major source of wealth in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is also considered to be the card of the entrepreneur. The suit of Bells or Diamonds is quite appropriate as a suit of money and the ups and downs of fortune. The King of Diamonds can be seen as an entrepreneurial business man or even as Neptune, King of the Sea.

Some modern meanings include: many or a multitude, fertility, and even food. For instance, House+Fish could indicate a fish restaurant or shop as well as a local bank branch (a large bank as institution would be Tower+Fish).

I've actually seen Fish appear in a reading to indicate that a lost object was near water objects (an umbrella, a picture of the sea, and a fish restaurant promo card in the shape of a fish).

How has the Fish card appeared for you?

Have you ever found it to indicate project failure when at a distance in a Grand Tableau?

I apologize. I found several other Fish discussions here. For instance:
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=213192

well i dont think there's anything wrong with opening a more current thread. Sometimes people find new things out about cards.

In a rather amusing twist, the fish discussion thread you linked had a link to yet another fish discussion thread lol. The fish are abundant here!

I did a tableau for myself which just finished yesterday and covered about 2 1/2 months. Fish was far and badly aspected. My money sure did dry up in the time alotted unfortunately, but the Bear was nicely aspected and close, which made sense as i did great with what little i had.

Andy Boroveshengra wrote on his blog that the essence of Fish would be "depth", and i am inclined to agree. This has been most accurate for me when Fish shows up in readings dealing with emotions, since in that context Fish is probably not talking about your personal income. I know some people find Fish to be "non-comittal" as a feeling, but i have not got that impression myself.

mysticsphere said:

Andy Boroveshengra wrote on his blog that the essence of Fish would be "depth", and i am inclined to agree.

Click to expand...

I always appreciate Andy's insights on the cards. I can see the point of depth, although, along with money, I'd probably pick multiplicity as my main keyword - "all the fish in the sea". It echoes the idea of fertility and even the dangers of alcohol[ism] (when next to cards that warrant that), that are sometimes connected with this card.

I haven't paid enough attention to Fish-at-a-distance in Grand Tableaus to confirm the reversals of fortune, so I'm grateful to hear your own experience.