Feet?

caridwen

Do the feet in the RWS have significance? I'm sure they do - I've just done a reading and was looking at the Justice card with her right white shoe poking out.

Then we have the Two of Swords with her yellow shoes, as balanced as the Swords she is holding.
The King of Swords has a single red shoe, also his right foot.
The King of Cups has scales or armoured boots - one foot dipping into the water.
The Queen of Wands has what looks like a mouse, her left foot, poking out yet the colour is very hard to distinguish.
The King of Pentacles exposes his up to his left calf in armour.
The King of Wands has two equally balanced green shoes.
The Queen of Cups crosses her ankles, hiding one foot, exposing the other green shoe, her right foot.
The Queen of Pentacles, has red shoes, both exposed, poised as a ballerina.

The Hierophant has two white, very flat looking feet, with crosses. Maybe they're not his feet at all but part of his robe.
The Empress has a red right foot poking out, just the tip.
The Queen of Swords - again, a single red, right shoe.

And so it goes on...Also there is the differences in footwear, some have boots, some shoes, some armour and some a mixture of the two.
 

Fulgour

Some things that have come up from time to time:

4 of Pentacles : shoes are untied
7 of Wands : one shoe and one boot
7 of Pentacles : different coloured boots

:)
 

Parzival

The Page of Wands wears golden boots, made for outgoing movement of communications, for active service, long-wearing for far distances, durable. The Wands are mainly booted, with the Seven as noted in a left-boot and a right-shoe. He's got a problem with style and strength of will.
 

caridwen

It's interesting to note as well, that in the Two of Cups - the woman wears a very pure, virginial robe and dress yet has red shoes poking out. It's as though it's suggesting, there may be a chance of passion if you play your cards right. There's just a hint there, no more no less.

The Ten of Wands has flesh coloured boots as though he can feel that weight, burden right through his feet.

The High Priestess and Strength have no shoes showing.

I'm wondering why the King of Pentacles and Swords both expose their boots...something to do with freemasonary perhaps?

The Star wears no shoes as does Temperance and both have one foot in the emotional/subconscious and one on the earth/conscious.

The woman in the Five of Pentacles is also barefoot and totally exposed.

The Chariot needs no legs as the Chariot wheels are his feet.

The clawed feet of the Devil.

The bare feet of both couples from The Lovers and The Devil. And of course those of the child in the Sun. Also The World, her legs representative of a bare foot and upright Hanged Man.

The foot in the King of Cups dipping his toe into the water is really suggestive, to me anyway, of a bit of a playboy or player. There's something not a little sneaky about it.

The seven of Swords with his strange hat and boots. What are the significance of his Mid East boots?

I wonder if you could just read the meanings of the cards simply by the footwear and positon of the feet...
 

Fulgour

caridwen said:
The seven of Swords with his strange hat and boots.
What are the significance of his Mid East boots?
I've heard English theatre featured such a stock-character.
"The Turk" would be immediately recognizable as being slick,
and audiences likely howled when he'd tipsy-toe on stage.
 

caridwen

Fulgour said:
I've heard English theatre featured such a stock-character.
"The Turk" would be immediately recognizable as being slick,
and audiences likely howled when he'd tipsy-toe on stage.

Such an interesting idea in fact, that I immediately looked this up to no avail. I found nothing on it.:(

I'm now pondering why the Queen of Cups has crossed her ankles and what this means...(rubs imaginary goatee and stares into distance...)
 

psychic sue

I have been pondering the queen of cups crossed legs. Maybe it is just to show that she has one foot in the water - which if you look closeley merges with her dress, signifiying that she has combined her intuition and sensitivity with the real world.

Have you noticed that the Devil has what look like talons as opposed to the cloven hoof we would expect? Any thoughts on that?
 

Parzival

psychic sue said:
Have you noticed that the Devil has what look like talons as opposed to the cloven hoof we would expect? Any thoughts on that?

Interesting observation about the devil's feet, cloven hoof, or talons. His talons suggest attachment, gripping, grasping, clinging. They are animalistic, obviously, but here their gesture, as so often occurs in the Waite-Smith arcana, is key: talons that attach to matter and will not let go. The cloven hoof would not be so symbolically effective. In our own devilish natures, to what do our materialistic talons fix upon?
 

Lillie

Paul Foster Case, whoes deck is positively thieved from Ms Colman smith, clearly pictures his devil with talons.

In his book he says, "His feet are the claws of a eagle. The eagle is the bird corresponding to the sign Scorpio.Here the eagle's claws refer to the materialization and misuse of the reproductive power, and it's debasement in the service of sensuality."

I think, as they both came from the same teaching and tradition, we can assume that Waites devil had similar feet for similar reasons.
 

psychic sue

Talons

Yes of course, it seems so obvious now it's been pointed out to me.

Thanks for that.