Bean Feasa
This card haunted me in readings for myself, until I consciously cut down on my commitments and now he appears much less - it's uncanny how the cards seem to know when you've taken their advice.
The masked wooden puppet figure struggling up the steps with his heavy armful of wands is quite a startling one in the ToP - he stands out among the many graceful figures in classical poses. You can literally see the distortion he's undergoing from being so overburdened. He's all out of alignment, and not using his body well to cope with his burden. His poor feet are turned inwards; they look as if they're too heavy for him to lift so he just drags them them; you can almost hear the sound of wood on cobblestones. His face is contorted with effort and he looks as if he's gasping for air. The book points out that the city behind him is serene and tranquil in the evening light but that he's unaware of this. He's consumed by thoughts of all the work there is to be done.
The wands themselves look very attractive - they have carved heads and are shot through with rainbow colours. This adds to the message for the card for me - the undertakings, responsibilities, or projects that the wands represent may all be very striking and inviting and worthwhile but the fact remains that their carrier cannot do justice to all of them. Something's got to give.
A final thought - the black mask with its white streaks gives the figure an ethnic look (sorry if that's a really inane way of describing it). For me it conjures up an image of a Maori tribesman, say, or an Amazon rainforest native. I never thought of this before but I wonder if this card can carry hints of political oppression and slavery as well as personal burdens? Any opinions on that one?
The masked wooden puppet figure struggling up the steps with his heavy armful of wands is quite a startling one in the ToP - he stands out among the many graceful figures in classical poses. You can literally see the distortion he's undergoing from being so overburdened. He's all out of alignment, and not using his body well to cope with his burden. His poor feet are turned inwards; they look as if they're too heavy for him to lift so he just drags them them; you can almost hear the sound of wood on cobblestones. His face is contorted with effort and he looks as if he's gasping for air. The book points out that the city behind him is serene and tranquil in the evening light but that he's unaware of this. He's consumed by thoughts of all the work there is to be done.
The wands themselves look very attractive - they have carved heads and are shot through with rainbow colours. This adds to the message for the card for me - the undertakings, responsibilities, or projects that the wands represent may all be very striking and inviting and worthwhile but the fact remains that their carrier cannot do justice to all of them. Something's got to give.
A final thought - the black mask with its white streaks gives the figure an ethnic look (sorry if that's a really inane way of describing it). For me it conjures up an image of a Maori tribesman, say, or an Amazon rainforest native. I never thought of this before but I wonder if this card can carry hints of political oppression and slavery as well as personal burdens? Any opinions on that one?