[Sophie-David]

In this card we see Percivale's mother skilfully making her son a beautiful tunic to prepare him for his vocation as a knight. Although she does not want him to leave and enter upon the dangerous calling, she support him in his chosen tasks. The sun streaming through the window evokes a sense of the sacred in her work. Although it doesn't look very comfortable for her seated on the window shelf, she approaches her task with determination and wants to work in the strongest light she can find so as to not make any unseen mistakes. Not only her work, but the material she is using looks like the very best that she can afford. Even though she is poor, she wants her son to make a good impression on Arthur, to be accepted and to succeed. The Legend Three of Shields reminds me of the heroism of many single parents who scrimp and save so that a child may go to university. She sacrifices so that her child can follow his dreams.

[Leo62]

I love this card! There's a real sense of peace and serenity and deep concentration. The creative work here is a solitary undertaking, unlike the RWS 3 of Pentacles.
Yes, there's the element of loss and sacrifice, but I associate this card with the profound feeling of personal satisfaction that comes with creative endeavour. The shafts of light give a sense of divine blessing to this - on the face of it - very ordinary, practical activity, lifting it up, out of the mundane. The sewing of the tunic becomes a magical act in which the mother pours all her love for her son.

[Sophie-David]

Originally Posted by Leo62

The shafts of light give a sense of divine blessing to this - on the face of it - very ordinary, practical activity, lifting it up, out of the mundane. The sewing of the tunic becomes a magical act in which the mother pours all her love for her son.

Beautifully put Leo! The creative make divine love incarnate: the soul infuses the material, and in manifesting brings wholeness to all.

This card also speaks of Percivale himself, the tunic and his mother's love are the foundation of his successful calling to the achievement of the Holy Grail.

[WalesWoman]

I love this card too, it is so different from the usual image of a apprentice and yet this is what is behind the apprentice... in a sense. The preparations to begin the apprenticeship of a knight. Ok, he's done the apprenticeship as a squire and is ready to take that next step of knight in training... sort of like graduation and entering the "real" world. So this would be a very special time, especially if he is of noble birth but has no fortune to go with it. This was how young men with no other prospects made their fortunes and being accepted into Arthur's court would be high honor indeed.

I like the red of her dress, the heart, the desire, the motivation out of love and desire for a better life for her son. Her hair is unbound and unadorned to show the purity and simplicity of her thoughts and action she takes.

The sun's rays are like a blessing, enlightenment to see how to do this in the best way possible and create the focal point of where to direct one's actions and endeavors.

She is still, calm and patient, working on this one stitch at a time, not taking shortcuts or rushing, using great care to avoid making mistakes because she is aware of the value of this undertaking and the material she uses to create something far greater than the original piece of cloth. You can have a chest full of wonderful things stored away, but until you make something of them, they are just stuff stored and not available, potential unrealized.

She is protected and surrounded by solidity and stability... something that withstands onslaughts and the changes of the seasons, that will stand for a long, long time. It's family, home, security and represents the past foundations that will endure into the future... a place called home. So I would think that it could represent that feeling of being at home with what you do and what you make of it, that it is something you can use for the unseeable future... something that will serve you well far into that future.