Animal of Nature
Tarot of Origins by Lo Scarabeo
Animal of Nature
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- Description
- The Animal of Nature, the 12 card in the Nature suit, is a Chimpanzee. His wise, silent face stares out at the watcher of the card with a knowing look. The knowing look seems pessimistic, as if all of this has already happened before, and there is very little that will change what has happened. The lower third of the card contains the face of a young man looking off to the right holding a staff decorated with bone and perhaps cloth.
- Interpretation
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I've always considered the Tarot of Origins a quiet tarot, and this card reflects that. I believe this card represents a person who listens much and speaks little. A person with much to offer, but who may not be willing to offer it to just anyone. The young man in the bottom of the card may be a young shaman early in his journeying who has sought out this chimpanzee as a guide. It's possible then that this Animal is a teacher of some sort, but one who is not willing to shout above the noise to be heard.
Update
I drew the Animal of Nature again this morning, the second time in two or three days. Obviously the tarot is trying to tell me something. So, loking at the Animal of Nature, the chimpanzee, didn't tell me anything I hadn't already seen.In frustration I visited the ATA tarot site to review all of the knights to see if the attitude of the chimpanzee (honestly, you wouldn't call this animal a chimp) matched any of the descriptions that I read of any of the knights. In frustration I broke out all the Animals to have another look at them. What I noticed, and what I never noticed before, was that there's a person in each of the Animal cards. My new interpretation of the Animal cards in this deck is that they are spirit guides, or animal guides, the kind that shamans look for in their spiritual journeys. Each of the men pictured with the animals are encountering or seeking to encounter their spirit guides. In the case of the of Animal of Nature I believe that there is a harmony between the young shaman and his spirit guide. The two are aware of one another, and working together in harmony.
Thus, the Animal cards in the Tarot of Origins are certainly about people, but also about relationship. The Animal of Nature is a person who is in good relationship with their spirit guide. Perhaps they wouldn't call it that, but instead intuition. For the Animal of Jewels, a boy with a bird perched on his head, the relationship is young and likely flighty, without weight or real understanding; one whose vision is true, but not consistent. The man pursuing the rhino in the Animal of Soul seems at odds with his intuition. He carries a spear across his chest, and the animal escapes him. There is a journey ahead of his man, and much learning before he puts down his spear. The man in the Animal of Blood is in a worse position, he's caught his spirit guide, but his guide has become giant a bear, rearing on his hind legs to be three times as tall as the man pursuing him. The man in the Animal of Blood has a powerful ally, if he can learn to work with it.
- Application
- This card may be the tarot itself for me. Full of wisdom and knowledge, but careful about how it is distributed. The young man in the picture may be myself, and perhaps this card may serve as my guide as I continue my journey through the Tarot of the Origins.
- Traditional Meanings
- Aeclectic Tarot
- ATA Tarot
