The Darkness

poivre

Does anyone know why these cards were chosen to have so much darkness in them? Is there a reason? Are these three connected in anyway symbolically?

Is this a good sign that the client is in darkness or depressed if all three turn up? (I think so but may be wrong).

The Devil
5 of Pentacles
9 of Swords
(mabee 10 of swords but I don't find this one as dark)
 

Centaur

Ros,

I am thinking that the 5 of Pentacles and the 9 of Swords could be considered to be cards relating to considerable anxiety and worry.

The Devil is a card which could be considered to refer to desires within ourselves which are unhealthy or bad for us: for instance, addictions.

Therefore, both cards can be considered to refer to the capacity of the human mind to inflict a considerable amount of distress upon oneself. It is just a thought, but perhaps one could relate the darkness in these cards to the presence of mental distress sparked from within oneself. Yes. Anxiety is most usually triggered by an external event, but it is usually our own over-worrying etc, which in turn causes us to be upset and sometimes over-emphasise negative aspects.

I wonder if there are any other cards characterised by darkness which could also be linked to this line of though: perhaps the Two of Swords, reflecting a dilemma that one is caught between, or the Eight of Swords, reflecting the feeling that one is trapped in a specific situation.

What do you think?

C
 

poivre

Yes I agree with you Centaur but they are almost forced into darkness.I mean that they have blindfolds on. These other cards the eyes are open & only the 9 swords the person covers their eyes with free hands not tied like the 2 & 8 of Swords.

So yes don't you just love where these threads take you.
Now I have to figure out the "darkness" as in the black coloring in the cards & darkness of having your eyes shut.

Another different but the same. AUGH!
 

poivre

Just an idea,
Darkness could be a void of an experience.

A time of dead air!
 

Imagemaker

Most of my RWS decks show the 5 of Pentacles with the two people turned away from each other, out in the snow and outside the lighted window.

Yesterday I received my Morgan Greer deck and was shocked to see the two people holding each other, comforting each other. That gives me a very different message!

I didn't like it :) I like different visual interpretations of cards, but that seems like a complete switch to me.

Comments?
 

tmgrl2

5 of Pentacles....loss? of something real or imagined?
9 of Swords....too much mental activity...awakening from a nightmare? just quick thoughts
 

Centaur

ros said:
Just an idea,
Darkness could be a void of an experience.

A time of dead air!

I really like that. I guess one could liken the darkness to a a static period of nothing. Being stuck. Imprisoned by one's own mental thoughts.

I am thinking that in some of these cards perhaps they have actually forced themselves into their blindfolds. And having done so, find it increasingly difficult to figure out how to get them back off again.

Interesting!

Imagemaker, I am not familiar with that specific card in the Morgan Greer but I too think I would find it to be curious. In my Rider-Waite decks the people in the Five of Pentacles just look plain miserable. I guess perhaps the Morgan Greer is taking a more positive stance and indicating that one should seek comfort in the midst of one's anxieties? Just some more thoughts...

C
 

TemperanceAngel

In a reading I have sometimes found them to be related to health issues...
XTAX
 

poivre

Does the question have to be about health or do you just use your intuition & the client to know.
I don't do a lot of health issues in readings.
 

Rusty Neon

Imagemaker said:
Yesterday I received my Morgan Greer deck and was shocked to see the two people holding each other, comforting each other. That gives me a very different message!

I didn't like it :) I like different visual interpretations of cards, but that seems like a complete switch to me.

Comments?

As noted by Waite in _Pictorial Key to the Tarot_ but not illustrated in a clear manner by the RWS 5 of Pentacles card, one of the traditional divinatory meanings for the 5 of Pentacles is Love and Lovers. In fact, it's an Etteilla (pre-Golden Dawn) meaning for the 5 of Pentacles. The creators of the M-G deck must have picked up that meaning from Waite's book. However, the M-G card does, at the same, illustrate also the RWS card's poverty/misfortune meaning through the man and woman's external appearances.