Comparative Tarot

Description: Three rooster-headed men blow long straight horns toward the left of the picture. The roosters are nearly identical, perhaps brothers or a father and his sons. They wear light green shirts, medium brown vests, darker brown pants and short dark green boots. The ground beneath them is barren and rocky, with grass and trees visible downslope behind them. Two peaks rise blue in the distance, with a yellow sky behind them.

The Wands’ suit symbol, the Salamander, appears in a small circle at the upper left.

My take on it: In the Chinese zodiac, those born in the year of the Rooster are honest, open, and keenly observant. They tend to be perfectionists, particularly when it comes to their appearance (which might explain why these three look so much alike). Roosters also demand this same level of perfection in their surroundings and in those around them. Two cocks placed together will fight for dominance until one is the clearly recognized victor.

Now that I stop to think about it, it seems unusual that there are three roosters here “crowing” together. They’ve climbed the mountain, reached their goal, and now they’re tooting their horns in victory. If they were truer to their animal natures, they would have fought each other along the way, and perhaps none of them would have made it. Apparently this was a victory that couldn’t be achieved alone. These guys overcame their urge to be the sole leader in order to work together for a group victory.

Tracy Hite