Four of Jade

My latest tarot card, the Four of Jade, with a few of the stock photos I took to make this painting.

I took several photos, perhaps about 10, using myself as a model - I just used a timer on my camera. I held the pillow in a variety of ways, knowing more or less what I as looking for, and then I selected my favorite pose to use for the drawing, in this case, the one in the center.

In this card, a young man sits on the parapet of a palace, with great jades upon his head and at his feet, and another held lovingly, or protectively in his arms. He is crowned with the turquoise diadem of kings and power, and his boots and belts are decorated with symbols of jewels and wealth. His gloves, however, are decorated with the cross-roads symbol, which represent dark paths and uncertain fates. At his feet is an open casket, in which are numerous cacao beans, which in the ancient Aztec world were used as currency.

This card represents possessions, holding tightly onto what one has, and jealousy of ones belongings. However, it also represents inheritance, gifts, and one's legacy; this card offers plenty, but warns against the seduction of the material.