Hands, feet, and posture: what the drawn body can say

A raised hand, a foot placed forward, or a tilted back attract the eye. In tarot they can serve to study the action that the image represents. They do not automatically describe the character, health, or intentions of the person consulting. Between “the figure extends a hand” and “you are a manipulative person” there is a leap that a card does not support. This article offers a way to look at the drawn body, relate it to a question, and make explicit which part is observation and which is a symbolic proposal.

First: locate the gesture and its object

Observe the hand without yet using words such as “protects,” “commands,” or “rejects.” Is it open or closed? Is it holding something? Is it directed at another figure, the edge, an object, or its own body? Is it fully visible? A hand that appears to point in a small photograph may be holding an instrument. The same goes for the feet: note whether they are planted, whether one is placed forward, whether they are hidden by clothing, or whether the image does not even show the lower part. The absence of visible feet does not mean a lack of grounding in anyone’s life.

Note the general posture: seated, standing, leaning, suspended, or walking, according to what your edition shows. Then compare head, arms, and body. Do they all suggest the same action, or is there tension? The figures imagined on this page serve to rehearse the procedure, not to describe a historical edition. The V&A’s history of tarot recalls the variety of objects and artists. There is no identical body language in all decks.

The gesture belongs to a composition

A hand raised can seem an invitation if there is another hand nearby, or a pointer if it points to an object. A standing figure before a table creates a different spatial relationship from the same figure in an empty landscape. Do not mentally crop out the gesture and turn it into a dictionary. Look at what occupies the rest of the card: tools, other figures, background, direction of gaze, and limits of the frame. Also note what you cannot know. The image does not report what happened a minute before or after the drawn scene. If you imagine that before and after, mark your account as a narrative hypothesis.

On the cover of Tarot Rider-Waite from Scratch several recognizable cards are reproduced, among them the Magician and the High Priestess. A cover observation can identify general posture and some objects; it does not always allow analyzing every finger. If you work with the physical deck, you will have better resolution. If you use a different edition, describe that edition. The value of precision is not academic for caprice’s sake: it prevents another person from looking for a gesture that does not exist in their card.

Fictitious example: a difficult meeting

Invented learning case. Beatriz asks how to prepare for a meeting in which she must request a redistribution of tasks. A seated figure appears, with one visible hand on an object. Beatriz notes: “seated; hand resting; object in the foreground.” She does not write “my boss is closed off” because the card represents a figure, not the boss. In the “personal resource” position, the posture evokes for her the possibility of arriving with data and speaking without rushing. In the “obstacle” position, the same posture could invite her to examine whether she is waiting too long. The position changes the function of the metaphor.

Beatriz then prepares verifiable facts: assigned tasks, time invested, two alternatives for distribution, and a deadline for reviewing the agreement. She rehearses a sentence: “In these three weeks I have spent six additional hours on X; I propose that we distribute Y or adjust the deadline.” The card does not promise that the meeting will go well. It helped focus on a behavior she can choose. If she had observed an outstretched hand, perhaps she would have asked what support to request. She would not have concluded that someone will certainly accept.

The test of usefulness is simple: does the interpretation lead to a question the person can answer or a decision they can review? If it only produces a fixed label—“you are passive,” “you are blocked”—it impoverishes the conversation. You can replace it with “what part of this gesture reminds you of your situation, and what does not fit?” The person may say it does not resonate. That discrepancy matters more than defending the metaphor at all costs.

Three scales of reading

In the first scale you describe visible anatomy: location of hands, placement of feet, and orientation of the body. In the second you describe relationships within the image: a hand near an object, two figures looking at each other, or a body before a threshold. In the third you propose a relationship to the question: preparation, pause, conversation, change of position. Each scale adds an inference. Do not jump from the first to “emotional diagnosis.” A person is not defined by the gesture of an illustration or by an isolated reading.

You can use a record card with three colors: black for visible features, blue for conventions learned from an identified book, and green for your own ideas. If someone says “that hand means authority,” ask: does a manual for this edition say so? Is it a personal interpretation? Is there an object of authority drawn? There is no need to prohibit the association; it is enough to attribute it correctly. The same applies to a foot outside the frame. It may be a consequence of the artistic framing, not a sign of fleeing.

Be careful with disability, health, and appearance

A seated figure does not imply incapacity; a tilted body does not represent illness; a hand missing due to cropping does not announce loss. Avoid using bodily characteristics as degrading metaphors. If the person asks about health, the cards do not replace professional evaluation. You can work with the question “what medical information or support do I need to seek?” without diagnosing or predicting from a drawn posture. In matters of relationships, also do not attribute consent, desire, or deception to a third party based on the position of a hand.

Real bodily diversity is much broader than that of many historical decks. If you teach with several editions, mention when a representation responds to conventions of its time or to the artist’s current decisions. Do not use a card’s aesthetics to judge the appearance of the person consulting. In an ethical reading, language should open possibilities and support the person’s autonomy, not impose an identity on them.

Comparative exercise with three figures

Choose three cards from your own deck that show people in different postures. Identify the edition and draw a simplified silhouette of each in your notebook, without copying or publishing the full artwork. Mark support, visible hands, and general direction. Write one observation sentence per card. Then change the question: one about time organization, another about learning, and another about conversation. Formulate for each card a useful question in that context. Observe whether a generic “meaning” sentence survives all three scenarios or needs nuances.

To review your exercise, another person can first describe the cards without knowing your interpretation. If they see a resting hand where you saw an outstretched hand, go back to the object. Perhaps the reproduction was small, or you were completing the image from memory. The possibility of correcting the observation is a strength of the method. Also review the position of the card in the spread: the same gesture can serve as a resource, obstacle, or pending question, depending on the agreed function.

Closing

Hands, feet, and posture make a represented action visible, but they do not speak for a real person without mediation. The question, the edition, and the conversation decide whether a detail brings clarity. Describe before interpreting; ask before attributing; verify before acting. If a gesture is not clear, record the doubt. If the metaphor does not help, there is no need to use it. That discipline allows studying images attentively and offering more respectful readings.