Dame Fortune's Wheel - Six of Batons

sapienza

In this card we see six crossed batons on the pale blue background consistent with the other cards of this suit. In the foreground is a man (a servant according to Huson's extended LWB) carrying a scroll which he is looking down at. He is walking along a cobbled path.

Etteilla's meaning for this card upright is a servant. Huson has incorporated the idea of a servant, but also a message or messenger is indicated by the design of this card. Given that most people today do not have servants it's good that this extra layer of meaning is there. When working with Etteilla's meanings I often see this card as representing the concept of service. Sometimes it can be about doing things for others, looking at what we can give rather than what we can take. In this representation of the card there is the other lay of a message/messenger. And then also, the fact that our messenger/servant is intently reading the scroll. Could this add another layer of meaning along the lines of minding our own business? :)

I really like this card. I think it fits the traditional Etteilla meaning well, but also adds many other possibilities for interpretation.
 

Marchal

I may be wrong, but I try to fit my "keywords" for the Dame Fortune tarot in a way that I do not go too far away from what I see as the meaning of e.g. my RWS cards. This may not be quite appropriate but Huson does something similar in his book where he gives Mathers's meanings and Waite's along with those of Etteilla or Picatrix.
The "servant" interpretation leaves me a bit clueless, I do not know where this really comes from. But these keywords seem to fit in my view: victory over the low and base, messenger, good news, success - agonized waiting, treachery, quarrel, transient victory
 

sapienza

The 'servant' interpretation is Etteilla's. I guess one of my aims when working with this deck is to really get familiar with Etteilla's meanings, and in some ways escape the clutches of the Golden Dawn. It's interesting that in most of the minor arcana cards Waite incorporated both the Golden Dawn and Etteilla's meanings, but not so much for this card where the image sticks to the Golden Dawn idea of 'Victory'.

I think Paul Huson's aim with this deck was to illustrate Etteilla's meanings, which in many cases are similar to the RWS deck, because Waite used so many of his meanings. I can see in this image how 'messenger' and 'good news' fit really well, not so sure that it looks much like victory to me, but I hadn't really considered that as a possibility. :)
 

Bernice

I'm inclined to agree with sapienzas' first post (#1) for this card. However we may be overlooking the fact that in some ways an employee is a 'servant' - that fellow reading the scroll intently could be some guy reading his terms of contract!

......actually, he doesn't look very pleased, he appears to be studying it quite seriously.

Bee :)
 

sapienza

I like the link between servant and employee. An employee is probably more relevant to modern readings.
 

Bernice

Something I overlooked at first is the (obvious) fact that the fellow is striding along a path/roadway. He's clearly on route to somewhere or something.... someone who is 'on the way', whether as a student or otherwise.

Bee :)
 

Queen of Disks

l like the employee/servant idea, and the idea he may be reading his contract. He might also be reading some instructions or reading some very important information, and he will need whatever it is when he gets where he is going.
 

Rose Lalonde

I agree about Etteilla's employee meaning from book and extended LWB, even stretched to someone who perhaps owes the querent a favor or feels indebted somehow.

When I do readings, it's the movement of the cobblestone path that usually clicks. The way he's 'on the way' as Bernice mentioned, and headed for the card to his right. When he's left of the Hierophant, he looks like he has his notes in hand and is off to learn something new. Or left of the 3 of Swords, he appears to be bringing a letter to the forlorn young woman. Or sometimes it's just that with his eyes down on the page, he's not paying attention to where he's going.