From: brook@crl.com (Brook Schoenfield)
Newsgroups: alt.pagan
Subject: Re: Page/Princess
Date: 11 Aug 1994 09:53:55 -0700

bstafford@aol.com (B Stafford) writes:
>Page/Princess
<snip>

> Where the pip cards seem mainly to betoken events and situations,
> the face cards are said to represent primarily the people, or
> sometimes qualities in the people, who influence or bring about
> those occasions.

> Traditionally, the face cards of the suit of COINS represent persons
> who are dark of complection, hair, and eye; the SWORDS represent
> persons who have dark hair but fair skin and light eyes; the CUPS
> represent people who have medium skin and hair and either dark or
> light eyes; while the WANDS betoken blonds and redheads who have
> fair to very fair complections and blue, gray or green eyes.  I have
> difficulty with this system since it requires the suit of COINS to
> represent the majority of humans in Africa, the Americas, Australia
> and the Pacific, to say nothing of Asia.

> I generally choose, therefore, to say that the element of the suit
> corresponds to the element of the Sun Sign of the person indicated.
> COINS are thus limited to people who were born under the signs of
> Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn - a quarter of the human population of
> Earth rather than ninety-seven per cent of it, and thus a tremendous
> improvement.

I, too have a tremendous problem (I literally cannot do it) with the
northern european associations of cards to light or dark people and
with associations about people's characters based upon their coloring
(which is a traditional way of interpretation).

The way that I have solved this problem is slightly different, but
allows me much latitude in interpretation:

Each face card represents a stage of knowledge with respect to the
abilities that coorespond to the suits as they coorespond to the
elements.  Thye page/princess is just beginning the learning cycle,
the knight is actively practicing, the queen has mastered the
knowledge set and has deep understanding, while the king represents a
deep practical craftspersonship with respect to the element.

Assuming (but this is just my coorespondence) Cups - water, wands -
fire, swards - air, and coins - earth, then the queen of cups would be
a stage of deep personal emotional understanding, someone who has
spent a lot of time coming into and getting comfortable with their
internal processes and possibly those of other people.  She/he is an
empathetic person who understands.  Both king and queen embody
stability, page and knight, instability.

This removes all good/bad associations.  It also affords me the
ability to read a face card as a state of the querent or as a person
with whom they are relating who has a certain state. I do this
depending upon where the card comes up in a spread.

Just my method.  I resonanted with you problems with the 'traditional'
way, and offer my solution.

Peace,

Brook Schoenfield: brook@innosys.com brook@crl.com
"..desire cracks open the gates. If you're ready it will take you through.
But nothing lasts forever, time is the destroyer, the wheel turns again and
again, watch out it will take you through." - Starhawk