Soundtrack by Floex (Tomáš Dvořák): soundcloud.com/floex/lovemaking-inside-of-the-watercamel
Because that's what I was listening while making this image =D
WYSIWYG is an acronym especially used on computer user interface design, and it comes from words 'What You See, Is What You Get'. Tarot cards are very much an user interface as well, and experienced "reader" uses them exactly to let the "customer" to see there what the customer wants. One or more rather general symbols are used to make a person to reflect her or his own inner thoughts, hopes, fears and feelings. So, a cleverly conducted Tarot session is not actually about future telling, but more like a psychological analyses.
'The Sunday Challenge' here was to illustrate one or multiple of so called "seven heavenly virtues", which (based on some sources) are: prudence, justice, temperance, courage, faith, hope, and charity. I chose temperance because it is the only virtue mentioned on Tarot card titles, and it has been there since the first known examples of illustrated Tarot cards made around mid-15th century. Virtues as such are however much older origin, and they have been the "building blocks" of humanity in many cultures around the world for millenniums.
The journey I took to research this topic was extremely interesting and inspiring. People do like stories, and they clearly want to make them even more colourful and exiting, by adding their own interpretations onto what they have seen and heard before. For example I found out this Tarot card originally did not represent winged angel at all. There was just a woman pouring water from one jug to another*. Later on came the wings, and in more recent versions the person transformed to an androgynous character, dressed in white robe, and standing one feet in water and another on dry land. Also the interpretations of the symbols have varied a lot. Some claim there's wine mixed with water, which is probably one reason why Temperance has seen to refer to sobriety. The "angelic" appearance of Temperance has then made people to see there references even to archangels, and some sources claim there's Gabriel, some sees there Cassiel.
But what makes the concept of temperance especially interesting is the close relation with temperament. So, in real life the ability of being able to moderate one's behaviour and feelings is very much a feature learned through numerous repetitions within social interaction. According one pedagogical point of view, we can't "teach a horse" out of the context. Whether a horse learns not to afraid a squeaking gate depends on the sum of all the situations when the horse has to go through any gate, and not only based on those occasions when the horse is trained. Which means the training (learning) does not ever end. Correspondingly self-control is something one has to practise all the time. And perhaps it can be seen, and has been seen, as a profound ability what also all other virtues can be built on. In other words, all virtues can be seen as different forms of self-control (temperance).
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperance_(virtue)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperance_(Tarot_card)
www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=temperance
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperament
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_virtues
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue_ethics
TSC footnote and art references:
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Constructive suggestions are always welcome! =)
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The possible noticeable references to Dante Alighieri's Paradiso and Gustave Doré's art are intentional ;-) Do notice Dante wrote Divine Comedy earlier than claimed origins of Tarot cards, which means the Tarot cards are very likely based also on ideas spread by Dante. Just like Dante has inspired many artists ever since.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradiso_(Dante)
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paradiso_Canto_31.jpg
* And after posting this, I discovered there is actually no liquid displayed at all on the oldest versions of Temperance card. It is left for imagination to see there something poured.
