Order from chaos - the craftsman in Daniloff Tarot

Today's card is 3 of Pentacles from Daniloff Tarot, a self-published deck from Alexander Daniloff. This card shows off a few of the qualities of the minors in the deck. The colours are more limpid than in the majors, slightly washed-out hues. Another thing to notice is the curious faces in the deck. They seem 'put together', like rag dolls or puppets more than human beings. If you look closely, you can see that the man's nose looks 'attached' to his face. I find this style of art interesting. It's a sort of 'Wizard of Oz Scarecrow' look. It is pretty consistent throughout the deck. Human figures have faces that remind me of puppets.

The 3 of Pentacles (or Coins) here portrays the expected scene of a craftsman working on a cathedral. It has the usual configuration (from RWS) of three coins carved into an archway. In addition, there are three gold coins on his garments (shoulders and hat). Interestingly, the two observers (a priest and a nobleman) are missing from the scene, and so the interpretation of collaboration or team work is less obvious, though one could still read them in I suppose -- there has to be a patron of this project, and the building, presumably, is still a cathedral. The work being does seems a bit more shambolic, with that rather haphazard-looking scaffolding in the back and some sort of copper pot with liquid slopping over its side. Still, the theme of working to a plan, of crafting something carefully and diligently, remains.

I found out on Thursday I have been shortlisted for Area Librarian and my assessment is next week. I need to begin work today on my 10-minute presentation. Right now I feel about as shambolic and mournful as this guy looks. But he'll make order out of the mess (as soon as he realises he's got the plans upside down) and so will I. :)