Cupid or Love: a blindfolded Cupid, his bow in his left hand, is reaching for an arrow from the quiver on his back with the right hand. Upright Meanings: love strikes you, or is about to, for Cupid is getting ready to take aim; love is blind. The seemingly-random nature of love sometimes. Someone who isn’t watching where they’re aiming. Feeling like someone is using you for target practice. Reversed Meanings: animosity, hate; Cupid’s arrow has found the wrong mark. Resentment of another’s romantic happiness. A formerly-loving relationship ends. Lovers turn into friends instead. Pulling the arrow out of one’s posterior and seeing reality. Dodging the bullet. Cupid took aim and missed you—this may or may not be a good thing.
Death-a skeleton stands on a grassy mound with the regalia of a king, a bishop and a knight under its bony feet. It holds up an arrow in its left hand, and holds downward an hour-glass in its right. The ruins of a building stand off to one side in the background. Upright Meanings: death, or its rapid approach; death of an idea, a person, or an organization; changes, particularly endings; time is fleeting and life is short. Reversed Meanings: decay, putrifaction; attempting to revive something dead. Rebirth; this could be a sense of being reborn after a long dark night of the soul, or the rebirth of either an idea or an organization in a new form. For those who believe in reincarnation, this card reversed could mean someone they know who has died, has reincarnated.
Disappointment-a well-dressed couple and a clergyman react with dismay to the events depicted on-stage—the gentleman has thrown his hat and his cane to the floor in his outrage. It appears he may have also dislodged his wig in his consternation. The clergyman appears to have thrown his sermon to the floor and it lies underfoot as he gestures toward the stage. Only the woman seems to be keeping it together, but her hands appear to be nervously playing with her fan. Upright Meanings: alarm or dismay at the course of events; consternation; the ‘play’ has taken a turn for the worse. You had the entire scenario mapped-out in your head. You knew exactly how you wanted things to go. They had ONE JOB. And now someone’s thrown a monkey-wrench in the whole works. You could just spit. (Expletive). ‘How do things possibly get better from here?!’ you may ask. Reversed Meanings: Satisfaction. Gain after a setback. Recent developments have been encouraging, and there is a sense that things are being restored to some sort of proper order. Or, because this card is facing away from the reader, it could indicate schadenfreude—feeling illicit glee at the misfortunes or disappointments of another. Seeing the high-and-mighty brought low.
Equipage-a fine carriage, with a driver and footman, travels along a country road. Ahead of it, around the bend, a provisions wagon is traveling toward what looks like either a small town or a large country estate. On closer inspection, one of the figures in the carriage appears to have their arms crossed, and the provisions wagon appears to be empty. This card could be depicting a wealthy landowner going to collect his due from the people who farm his land. Upright Meanings: the Rich and their possessions; collecting what is one’s due; a landlord collecting the rent; having Great Expectations; being properly-equipped for an expedition; having a Nice Car; appearing richer than one actually is. Possible sub-messages: conflict among the rich? Anxiety or a guilty conscience about socio-economic disparity? Reversed Meanings: the Rich meet with adversity; revolution, rebellion; a tax-revolt; the ‘peasants’ refuse to give the Rich what the Rich feel is their due, and they wreck their Nice Car to boot. ‘Striking a blow for the little guy.’
Fidelity-a man stands at the bottom of a ladder which is leaned up against a wall, his left foot upon the second rung. He is turned to his right to offer the dog a sausage. Behind the dog is its dog-house, and lying at the dog’s feet is a carrot, possibly an earlier offer of food rejected by the dog. Who is the man? The owner? A handyman hired to work on the house? Or a thief, come to rob it? Upright Meanings: fidelity, loyalty, devotion, allegiance; dependability; securing someone’s loyalty or allegiance by offering a gift or treat; offering a bribe. Reversed Meanings: infidelity, disloyalty, treachery; offering a bribe for someone to ‘look the other way’ while a crime is committed; a bribe rejected. Or, a bribe that didn’t stick—the bribe was offered, accepted, then the bribe-recipient bit the briber anyway. A double-cross.
Flattery or Deceit-a snake wrapped around a tree is in the act of handing off an apple to a naked Eve, whose back is toward the viewer. Upright Meanings: someone is being flattered, conned, lied-to, bamboozled, or fooled in order to get them to do something which may be inimical to their longer-term welfare. Temptation. Being told one is attractive (supremely-intelligent/talented/admirable/masterful/etc.) in order to provide the flatterer with a fall from grace/sticking-it to The Man/sex, or whatever else they want from the ‘mark.’ A successful con job, for the ‘mark’ has taken the ‘bait.’ A warning to the inquirer that they are being fooled. Reversed Meanings: realizing someone (or oneself) has been fooled. The scales fall from the eyes and the deception is revealed. The regret, sorrow, or embarrassment which happens in the wake of this realization.
Folly or Idleness-a jester-hat-wearing fool is sitting on the back of what looks like a donkey, and is hitting the animal over the head, between the ears, with a stick. Perhaps the animal wanted to munch on the plant near its mouth in the lower right-hand-corner of the picture, and that may be what precipitated the beating. On closer inspection, the rider is smiling as he hits the animal. Jerk. Upright Meanings: a poorly thought-out action or plan; lack of foresight; someone with more money than taste or common sense; criminal-stupidity; an excessively costly or unprofitable undertaking. Going on a fool’s-errand. The unemployed, lazy, or having no evident lawful means of support. Also abusers. Reversed Meanings: fools, wastrels, grifters, and abusers get their comeuppance; they are ‘thrown’ by their mount. Rebellion against excess or waste, and a restoration to reality; common sense administration of resources and prudence after a period of ridiculousness and waste.
Fop-a man in fine clothes, with animal physical traits (for he has a goat-like face and a rat-like tail!), is walking down a road. An extra-long sword hangs at his left hip and a fancy cane is in his right hand. A fancy bed-roll hangs on his back. Upright Meanings: someone who devotes much care and attention to how they look, and is rather vain about it; a dandy. A clothes-horse. A fashion victim. All appearance, no substance. An emphasis on looking good and not actually being good. Reversed Meanings: not being as concerned with the surface appearance of either people or situations, as with what’s inside, or hidden below the surface. The exact-opposite of a fop–someone who looks unpromising on the outside, but on the inside, they’re solid gold. Or, the fop gets roughed-up by reality and suddenly doesn’t look as pretty. Someone is exposed as the ‘empty suit’ they really are.
Can you please share it? I can only find it incomplete and I love this deck, I’m feeling very connected to it.
I’ll double-check that posting and reload. Thank you for calling this to my attention.
Done! The complete deck, with an updated notation on the box, is now posted. I apologize for the oversight.