144 lines
17 KiB
EmacsLisp
144 lines
17 KiB
EmacsLisp
;;; tarot-major.el --- Major arcana cards for tarot.el
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;; Copyright (C) 2026 Jason McBrayer
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;; Author: Jason McBrayer <jmcbray@carcosa.net>
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;; URL: https://git.carcosa.net/jmcbray/tarot.el
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;;; License:
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;; This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
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;; it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as
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;; published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the
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;; License, or (at your option) any later version.
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;; This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
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;; but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
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;; MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
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;; GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
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;; You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
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;; along with this program. If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
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;;; Commentary:
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;; This file implements the major arcana cards for tarot.el. The
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;; descriptions and interpretations come from "The Pictoral Key To The
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;; Tarot", by Arthur Edward Waite, which is in the public domain.
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;;; Code:
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(defvar tarot-major-arcana
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(list (make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 0 :name "The Fool"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_00_Fool.jpg"
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:description "The Fool carries a wallet; he is looking over his shoulder and does not know that he is on the brink of a precipice; but a dog or other animal--some call it a tiger--is attacking him from behind, and he is hurried to his destruction unawares."
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:upright "Folly, mania, extravagance, intoxication, delerium, frenzy"
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:reversed "Negligence, absence, distribution, carelessness, apathy")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 1 :name "The Magician"
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:description "A youthful figure in the robe of a magician, having the countenance of divine Apollo, with smile of confidence and shining eyes. Above his head is the mysterious sign of the Holy Spirit, the sign of life, like an endless cord, forming the figure 8 in a horizontal position . About his waist is a serpent-cincture, the serpent appearing to devour its own tail."
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_01_Magician.jpg"
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:upright "Skill, diplomacy, address, subtlety; pain, loss, disaster, snares of enemies; self-configence, will; the Querent if male."
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:reversed "Physician, Magus, mental disease, disgrace, disquiet")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 2 :name "The High Priestess"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_02_High_Priestess.jpg"
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:description "She has the lunar crescent at her feet, a horned diadem on her head, with a globe in the middle place, and a large solar cross on her breast. The scroll in her hands is inscribed with the word Tora, signifying the Greater Law, the Secret Law and the second sense of the Word. It is partly covered by her mantle, to shew that some things are implied and some spoken. She is seated between the white and black pillars--J. and B.--of the mystic Temple, and the veil of the Temple is behind her: it is embroidered with palms and pomegranates. The vestments are flowing and gauzy, and the mantle suggests light--a shimmering radiance."
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:upright "Secrets, mystery, the future as yet unrevealed; the woman who interests the Querent, if male; the Querent herself, if female; silence, tenacity, mystery, wisdom, science"
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:reversed "Passion, moral or physical ardour, conceit, surface knowledge")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 3 :name "The Empress"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_03_Empress.jpg"
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:description "A stately figure, seated, having rich vestments and royal aspect, as of a daughter of heaven and earth. Her diadem is of twelve stars, gathered in a cluster. The symbol of Venus is on the shield which rests near her. A field of corn is ripening in front of her, and beyond there is a fall of water. The sceptre which she bears is surmounted by the globe of this world."
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:upright "Fruitfulness, action, initiative, length of days; the unknown, clandestine; also difficulty, doubt, ignorance."
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:reversed "Light, truth, the unravelling of involved matters, public rejoicings; according to another reading, vacillation.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 4 :name "The Emperor"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_04_Emperor.jpg"
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:description "He has a form of the Crux ansata for his sceptre and a globe in his left hand. He is a crowned monarch--commanding, stately, seated on a throne, the arms of which axe fronted by rams' heads. He is executive and realization, the power of this world, here clothed with the highest of its natural attributes."
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:upright "Stability, power, protection, realization; a great person; aid, reason, conviction; also authority and will."
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:reversed "Benevolence, compassion, credit; also confusion to enemies, obstruction, immaturity.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 5 :name "The Hierophant"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_05_Hierophant.jpg"
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:description "He wears the triple crown and is seated between two pillars, but they are not those of the Temple which is guarded by the High Priestess. In his left hand he holds a sceptre terminating in the triple cross, and with his right hand he gives the well-known ecclesiastical sign which is called that of esotericism, distinguishing between the manifest and concealed part of doctrine. It is noticeable in this connexion that the High Priestess makes no sign. At his feet are the crossed keys, and two priestly ministers in albs kneel before him."
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:upright "Marriage, alliance, captivity, servitude; by another account, mercy and goodness; inspiration; the man to whom the Querent has recourse."
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:reversed "Society, good understanding, concord, overkindness, weakness.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 6 :name "The Lovers"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_06_Lovers.jpg"
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:description "The sun shines in the zenith, and beneath is a great winged figure with arms extended, pouring down influences. In the foreground are two human figures, male and female, unveiled before each other, as if Adam and Eve when they first occupied the paradise of the earthly body. Behind the man is the Tree of Life, bearing twelve fruits, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is behind the woman; the serpent is twining round it."
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:upright "Attraction, love, beauty, trials overcome."
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:reversed "Failure, foolish designs. Another account speaks of marriage frustrated and contrarieties of all kinds.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 7 :name "The Chariot"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_07_Chariot.jpg"
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:description "An erect and princely figure carrying a drawn sword and driving a chariot drawn by sphynxes. On the shoulders of the victorious hero are supposed to be the Urim and Thummim."
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:upright "Succour, providence also war, triumph, presumption, vengeance, trouble."
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:reversed "Riot, quarrel, dispute, litigation, defeat.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 8 :name "Strength"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_08_Strength.jpg"
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:description "A woman, over whose head there broods the same symbol of life which we have seen in the card of the Magician, is closing the jaws of a lion."
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:upright "Power, energy, action, courage, magnanimity; also complete success and honours."
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:reversed "Despotism, abuse if power, weakness, discord, sometimes even disgrace.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 9 :name "The Hermit"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_09_Hermit.jpg"
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:description "A robed, cloaked man bearing a staff and a lamp; the lamp is not enveloped partially in the mantle of its bearer, who blends the idea of the Ancient of Days with the Light of the World It is a star which shines in the lantern."
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:upright "Prudence, circumspection; also and especially treason, dissimulation, roguery, corruption."
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:reversed "Concealment, disguise, policy, fear, unreasoned caution.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 10 :name "Wheel of Fortune"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_10_Wheel_of_Fortune.jpg"
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:description "The wheel has seven radii; in the eighteenth century the ascending and descending animals were really of nondescript character, one of them having a human head. At the summit was another monster with the body of an indeterminate beast, wings on shoulders and a crown on head. It carried two wands in its claws. These are replaced in the reconstruction by a Hermanubis rising with the wheel, a Sphinx couchant at the summit and a Typhon on the descending side."
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:upright "Destiny, fortune, success, elevation, luck, felicity."
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:reversed "Increase, abundance, superfluity.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 11 :name "Justice"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_11_Justice.jpg"
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:upright "Equity, rightness, probity, executive; triumph of the deserving side in law."
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:reversed "Law in all its departments, legal complications, bigotry, bias, excessive severity." )
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 12 :name "The Hanged Man"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_12_Hanged_Man.jpg"
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:description "The gallows from which he is suspended forms a Tau cross, while the figure--from the position of the legs--forms a fylfot cross. There is a nimbus about the head of the seeming martyr. It should be noted (1) that the tree of sacrifice is living wood, with leaves thereon; (2) that the face expresses deep entrancement, not suffering; (3) that the figure, as a whole, suggests life in suspension, but life and not death."
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:upright "Wisdom, circumspection, discernment, trials, sacrifice, intuition, divination, prophecy."
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:reversed "Selfishness, the crowd, body politic.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 13 :name "Death"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_13_Death.jpg"
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:description "The mysterious horseman moves slowly, bearing a black banner emblazoned with the Mystic Rose, which signifies life. Between two pillars on the verge of the horizon there shines the sun of immortality. The horseman carries no visible weapon, but king and child and maiden fall before him, while a prelate with clasped hands awaits his end."
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:upright "End, mortality, destruction, corruption also, for a man, the loss of a benefactor for a woman, many contrarieties; for a maid, failure of marriage projects."
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:reversed "Inertia, sleep, lethargy, petrifaction, somnambulism; hope destroyed.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 14 :name "Temperance"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_14_Temperance.jpg"
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:description "A winged angel, with the sign of the sun upon his forehead and on his breast the square and triangle of the septenary. I speak of him in the masculine sense, but the figure is neither male nor female. It is held to be pouring the essences of life from chalice to chalice. It has one foot upon the earth and one upon waters, thus illustrating the nature of the essences. A direct path goes up to certain heights on the verge of the horizon, and above there is a great light, through which a crown is seen vaguely."
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:upright "Economy, moderation, frugality, management, accommodation."
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:reversed "Things connected with churches, religions, sects, the priesthood, sometimes even the priest who will marry the Querent; also disunion, unfortunate combinations, competing interests.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 15 :name "The Devil"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_15_Devil.jpg"
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:description "The Horned Goat of Mendes, with wings like those of a bat, is standing on an altar. At the pit of the stomach there is the sign of Mercury. The right hand is upraised and extended, being the reverse of that benediction which is given by the Hierophant in the fifth card. In the left hand there is a great flaming torch, inverted towards the earth. A reversed pentagram is on the forehead. There is a ring in front of the altar, from which two chains are carried to the necks of two figures, male and female."
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:upright "Ravage, violence, vehemence, extraordinary efforts, force, fatality; that which is predestined but is not for this reason evil."
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:reversed "Evil fatality, weakness, pettiness, blindness.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 16 :name "The Tower"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_16_Tower.jpg"
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:description "The Tower struck by Lightning. Its alternative titles are: Castle of Plutus, God's House and the Tower of Babel. In the last case, the figures falling therefrom are held to be Nimrod and his minister."
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:upright "Misery, distress, indigence, adversity, calamity, disgrace, deception, ruin. It is a card in particular of unforeseen catastrophe."
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:reversed "According to one account, the same in a lesser degree also oppression, imprisonment, tyranny.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 17 :name "The Star"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_17_Star.jpg"
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:description "The Star, Dog-Star, or Sirius, also called fantastically the Star of the Magi. Grouped about it are seven minor luminaries, and beneath it is a naked female figure, with her left knee upon the earth and her right foot upon the water. She is in the act of pouring fluids from two vessels. A bird is perched on a tree near her; for this a butterfly on a rose has been substituted in some later cards."
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:upright "Loss, theft, privation, abandonment; another reading says-hope and bright prospects"
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:reversed "Arrogance, haughtiness, impotence.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 18 :name "The Moon"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_18_Moon.jpg"
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:description "Some eighteenth-century cards shew the luminary on its waning side; in the debased edition of Etteilla, it is the moon at night in her plenitude, set in a heaven of stars; of recent years the moon is shewn on the side of her increase. In nearly all presentations she is shining brightly and shedding the moisture of fertilizing dew in great drops. Beneath there are two towers, between which a path winds to the verge of the horizon. Two dogs, or alternatively a wolf and dog, are baying at the moon, and in the foreground there is water, through which a crayfish moves towards the land."
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:upright "Hidden enemies, danger, calumny, darkness, terror, deception, occult forces, error."
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:reversed "Instability, inconstancy, silence, lesser degrees of deception and error.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 19 :name "The Sun"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_19_Sun.jpg"
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:description "The luminary is distinguished in older cards by chief rays that are waved and salient alternately and by secondary salient rays. It appears to shed its influence on earth not only by light and heat, but--like the moon--by drops of dew."
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:upright "Material happiness, fortunate marriage, contentment."
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:reversed "The same in a lesser sense.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 20 :name "Judgement"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_20_Judgement.jpg"
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:description " An angel sounds his trumpet per sepulchra regionum, and the dead arise."
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:upright "Change of position, renewal, outcome. Another account specifies total loss though lawsuit."
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:reversed "Weakness, pusillanimity, simplicity; also deliberation, decision, sentence.")
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(make-tarot-card :suit 'major :number 12 :name "The World"
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:image "img/RWS_Tarot_21_World.jpg"
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:description "The four living creatures of the Apocalypse and Ezekiel's vision, attributed to the evangelists in Christian symbolism, are grouped about an elliptic garland, as if it were a chain of flowers intended to symbolize all sensible things; within this garland there is the figure of a woman, whom the wind has girt about the loins with a light scarf, and this is all her vesture. She is in the act of dancing, and has a wand in either hand."
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:upright "Assured success, recompense, voyage, route, emigration, flight, change of place."
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:reversed "Inertia, fixity, stagnation, permanence."))
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"A list of all the cards in the Tarot deck.")
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(provide 'tarot-major)
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;;; tarot-major.el ends here
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