Onaorkal
In the Mystical Cats Tarot, The Cat is the equivalent of The Fool. He leads us on the Way of the Cat, reminder of the usual Fool's Journey.
You can see a cat standing in the middle of a cat-size paved way, smelling flowers and appearing quite relaxed and non-threatened. He's a typical mackerel grey tabby cat (striped), which is not a breed but a common pattern seen in cats. His underside from chin to abdomen and his paws are white. We can assume he's not in a rush, as his whole body is turned sideways (not facing towards the road) while he's smelling some flowers. We can see a lot of plants and flowers in the front of the image, but they become more sparse along the way. Not too far, on each side of the road we see a water fountain on the right and what looks like a small temple a bit further on the left. Then you can see the winding road leading to mountains in the back. The Sun is rising on the left and little white clouds appear in the blue sky.
Colors : A lot of green, all flowers are shades of purple, blue and reddish.
The definition and hints given by the book show us that the core meaning is quite similar to the one of the Fool of the traditional tarot. Some keywords taken from the book are "curiosity, openness to serendipity, ability to live completely in the moment".
It's possible to gather a lot of other useful information from the image itself, rich in symbolism. Here is what I found.
Tail up : When a cat keeps its tail in an upward position, it shows its contentment and his friendliness. I also read that a mother will swing her tail up to make her kittens follow her. So we can make the analogy with the Cat telling us that he's friendly and that we should follow him on the Way of the Cat.
Tabby cats : Even though it's not a breed, cats with a tabby pattern are very popular and for a good reason ; they have the reputation to be very clever and social and they love to play and explore. Also, many cats from many different breeds carry the gene for tabby, so this kind of cat is a good image to represent any 'ordinary' person.
White paws : It's not unusual for tabby (or any) cats to have white paws, but they still caught my attention. White is a common symbol of purity and innocence and I think it suits the Cat quite well.
Water fountain : Symbol of endless flowing energy. Also gives the impression of not being in a totally wild setting. Available drinking water, which is the most basic need to survive.
Temple : Going in pair with the interpretation I have for the fountain, it shows a possible shelter, giving a sense of security. Past both those objects, no construction is seen on the path.
Road : It's winding, long and wild (only presence of some vegetation). It shows us that the way is not an easy straight line, is sometimes uncertain and that you cannot see into the far distance.
Mountains : Possible obstacles to get over eventually.
Sun rising : A new day, symbol of new beginnings, gives the card a very luminous feel.
There are a few plants and flowers present on this image, but unfortunately I was not able to identify them.
You can see a cat standing in the middle of a cat-size paved way, smelling flowers and appearing quite relaxed and non-threatened. He's a typical mackerel grey tabby cat (striped), which is not a breed but a common pattern seen in cats. His underside from chin to abdomen and his paws are white. We can assume he's not in a rush, as his whole body is turned sideways (not facing towards the road) while he's smelling some flowers. We can see a lot of plants and flowers in the front of the image, but they become more sparse along the way. Not too far, on each side of the road we see a water fountain on the right and what looks like a small temple a bit further on the left. Then you can see the winding road leading to mountains in the back. The Sun is rising on the left and little white clouds appear in the blue sky.
Colors : A lot of green, all flowers are shades of purple, blue and reddish.
The definition and hints given by the book show us that the core meaning is quite similar to the one of the Fool of the traditional tarot. Some keywords taken from the book are "curiosity, openness to serendipity, ability to live completely in the moment".
It's possible to gather a lot of other useful information from the image itself, rich in symbolism. Here is what I found.
Tail up : When a cat keeps its tail in an upward position, it shows its contentment and his friendliness. I also read that a mother will swing her tail up to make her kittens follow her. So we can make the analogy with the Cat telling us that he's friendly and that we should follow him on the Way of the Cat.
Tabby cats : Even though it's not a breed, cats with a tabby pattern are very popular and for a good reason ; they have the reputation to be very clever and social and they love to play and explore. Also, many cats from many different breeds carry the gene for tabby, so this kind of cat is a good image to represent any 'ordinary' person.
White paws : It's not unusual for tabby (or any) cats to have white paws, but they still caught my attention. White is a common symbol of purity and innocence and I think it suits the Cat quite well.
Water fountain : Symbol of endless flowing energy. Also gives the impression of not being in a totally wild setting. Available drinking water, which is the most basic need to survive.
Temple : Going in pair with the interpretation I have for the fountain, it shows a possible shelter, giving a sense of security. Past both those objects, no construction is seen on the path.
Road : It's winding, long and wild (only presence of some vegetation). It shows us that the way is not an easy straight line, is sometimes uncertain and that you cannot see into the far distance.
Mountains : Possible obstacles to get over eventually.
Sun rising : A new day, symbol of new beginnings, gives the card a very luminous feel.
There are a few plants and flowers present on this image, but unfortunately I was not able to identify them.