Placement of people on cards in the RWS

Curtis Penfold

Forgive me if this subject has already been done here, but I'm wondering what the significance of where people are place is.

Examples:
The fool is looking to the left. Why?
Why is the High Priestess sitting down?
Why is the Empress's body facing towards the left.
Why is the Emperor body facing straight at you?
What are the Hierophant's hands doing?
Why is Death moving towards the right?
The Devil's hand position reminds me of the Magicians. Why?
Is the star supposed to be immitating an image of Aqaurius, or is there something special about kneeling on her left knee?
What about Judgement? Do the hands going this way or that way mean something?


I just am wondering if everything in this deck means something, or if maybe they just pick some positions because, well, how else can they be doing something. Any comments about the placement of people would be much appreciated. (You can also see that I'm most concerned about the Major Arcana, but if there's something interesting about the Minor Arcana, well, that's cool to mention, too).
 

Floss

Hmmm ... you may need to conjure up Arthur and Pam and ask 'em!!! (wicked grin...) ... BTW, have you bought yourself a deck yet?
 

Debra

A lot of this goes back to the Marseille tradition (see the Marseille threads for examples); Waite added a lot of mystical hoo-hah in his explanations.
 

Curtis Penfold

Debra said:
A lot of this goes back to the Marseille tradition (see the Marseille threads for examples); Waite added a lot of mystical hoo-hah in his explanations.

I recogonize that most of the imagery in the RWT is based off the Marseille deck. But I'm interested in Waite's explanations, because he seems to have believed that every image in the RWT had some type of significance.

Does anybody here know what he believed the placement of people symbolized?

Plus, I might add that the Fool in the Marseille deck is facing the right, not the left.

(And, um, no. I don't have a deck yet...)
 

AmethystEyes

Curtis Penfold said:
Forgive me if this subject has already been done here, but I'm wondering what the significance of where people are place is.


I just am wondering if everything in this deck means something, or if maybe they just pick some positions because, well, how else can they be doing something. Any comments about the placement of people would be much appreciated. (You can also see that I'm most concerned about the Major Arcana, but if there's something interesting about the Minor Arcana, well, that's cool to mention, too).
Hmm I don't know the "real" reason but in my mind this is what I think.....
Curtis Penfold said:
Why is the High Priestess sitting down?
Why is the Emperor body facing straight at you?
Why is Death moving towards the right?
The High Priestess could be sitting because she is hiding something. Not standing up and out into to the open and showing everyone her secrets. And it could be because of the learning aspect of her, she has a book. Maybe it represents sitting as if in class.

I think the Emperor is facing straight at you because of what he represents. He is a leader and authority figure. He wants you to take him seriously and listen.

For Death, I see right as moving forward, like writing and reading from left to right. Right could be showing that he is moving on to something else.
 

firecatpickles

What is "RWT"?
 

EarthFaery

Kilted Kat said:
What is "RWT"?
:laugh: I knew someone was going to ask that


I don't know "why" but things like that are important little tid bits of info during a reading. Subtle but strong details. They can indicate direction, looking at or looking away etc. it depends on the reading, they could mean just about anything. And It's not just this deck, I think they all are sorta like that.
As far as the death card, this is a card of permanent change and transition so it would make sense for him to be departing the scene, never to return. The same can be said for the knights. 2 arrive, and 2 depart.
 

Zezina

I've always assumed it refers to Rider Waite Tarot.

:heart: *Z*
 

Sulis

Kilted Kat said:
What is "RWT"?

Since we're in the Rider-Waite-Smith forum I'm presuming that Curtis Penfold thinks that that's the abbreviation for the Rider-Waite-Smith deck.

As for the questions Curtis, have you read through the threads on symbolism in this (the Rider-Waite-Smith) forum? I think you'll find your answers in the threads on the individual cards.