Two Trees: Symbolize the Left and Right Pillars of the
Tree of Life, while the central figure in the card represents
the Middle Pillar.
Wooden Fence and Cultivated Garden: An indication of the
orderliness of Virgo. The buildings in the background,
together with the garden, represent an estate and symbolize
wealth by inheritance. In this card the wooden fence is a
symbol of property, ownership and the manifestation of
wealth. The cultivated garden is a symbol of order, comfort
and safety.
Grapes: Symbol of abundance not quite available or complete
-- the soon-to-be fruit on the table, the not-yet-pressed
wine in the glass. Bunches of grapes, particularly,
symbolize fertility and also blood and sacrifice,
especially when the grapes are red. An enclosed vineyard,
as in this image, was a Christian allegory for the Church.
The purple color refers to Yesod (Foundation), the number 9
on the Tree of Life.
Symbols on Robe: A reference to Venus
Hooded Falcon: Especially during the Renaissance, the
hooded falcon symbolized hope for a light to illuminate the
darkness. The falcon was a royal hunting animal and the
hooded falcon was a symbol of court life. The falcon, like
the eagle, with its high flight and strength, represents
freedom of the spirit. In Egyptian mythology, the falcon
was the sacred animal of the Sun God, Ra, and Horus
generally assumed the form of the falcon. In this card the
hooded falcon is a symbol of high social status, modesty
and self-control, and potential freedom and power.
Snail: The snail is considered to be a lunar symbol because
of the shape of its shell and because it alternately shows
and withdraws itself and its antennae from its shell. In
this regard, the snail is also considered a general symbol
of constant renewal -- just like the waxing and waning of
the moon. This lunar aspect is another reference to the
Sephirah of Yesod (#9) on the Tree of Life. The spiral
shell also relates the snail symbolically to fertility,
conception, pregnancy and birth. Snail shells were valued
as money, as well as fertility amulets, in primitive
cultures. Here, it is a symbol of patience, the slow
movement of ripening and maturing -- its red and blue
coloring a balance of action and restraint.