Tarot has been a part of Barbara Moore's personal and professional lives for nearly twenty years. Right from the start, tarot intrigued her with its marvelous blending of mythology, psychology, art, history, mystery, and magic. She has studied under...
Unlike the communal celebration in the Four of Wands, this card focuses on the recognition and celebration of the accomplishment of a single person. It is a happy and public occasion for the one being recognized. Victory of some sort is inferred. The person is the center of attention and the focus of the limelight. Public accolades are generally considered positive events. Victories and accomplishments bring satisfaction in and of themselves, but being honored by others definitely adds to the happiness. There is also a certain joy felt by those doing the honoring—pride in the achievement of a friend, gratefulness for what was accomplished, or even a sense of relief in the presence of reliable leadership.
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The Universal Waite card shows the public in the background. They set the stage, but it is the figure on horseback that is the focus. He wears and carries laurel wreaths, symbols of honor. The audience lifts their wands as if in unity with the hero. This card conveys the feeling that although one person is being honored, everyone benefits in some way.
Core meaning: Recognition of achievement.
The Legacy card lacks the community feeling—at least regarding other people. Instead, the community aspect is represented by an arch erected in the hero's honor. It looks as though it should be a great and glorious event; although colorful and dramatic, there is a sense of loneliness.
The card from Shadowscapes also shows a single person. He is clearly proud of his achievement, holding aloft his laurel wreath and standing on a sculpture of a lion, an elephant, and a snail. There is a sense of wanting all present—if, indeed, anyone is present—to bow down before him.
