Fey Tarot

V - The Wise One

The Sentence

The Wise One is the custodian of the wisdom of the heart and the wisdom of the Spirit. It is said his room can he found on the other side of the threshold guarded by the Seer, because he is the intermediary between the material and the spiritual worlds. His words are comforting and calm; his virtues are wisdom and patience.
Of all the Fey, he is the one who has decided to accept time that passes, to grow old and vanish. But this has freed him from time and has given him the heart to see each thing in the present.
A venerable and wise creature, he is the source of infinite, ancient and wonderful memories, of experience and advice. He has learnt great things over time, and has fathomed the abyss of knowledge at length in order to learn.

The Image

The Wise One is the custodian of the wisdom of the heart and the wisdom of the Spirit. It is said his room can he found on the other side of the threshold guarded by the Seer, because he is the intermediary between the material and the spiritual worlds. His words are comforting and calm; his virtues are wisdom and patience.
Of all the Fey, he is the one who has decided to accept time that passes, to grow old and vanish. But this has freed him from time and has given him the heart to see each thing in the present.
A venerable and wise creature, he is the source of infinite, ancient and wonderful memories, of experience and advice. He has learnt great things over time, and has fathomed the abyss of knowledge at length in order to learn.

Simple Meaning

Wisdom, advice, experience, suggestion, ritual, rite, comprehension.

Advanced meaning

The wise one is the Seer's consort. For this reason the symbol of the hourglass recurs in both of their cards. However, if the link between the the Emperor and the Empress was one of communion, that between the Seer and the Wise One does not lead to them meeting, as their roads are diverse. Where she is a custodian, he bestows freely. His house is made to answer and to guide, to divide the wisdom that he has gathered.
With the Wise One, one has to return to the heart in order to reach the Spirit, and there find all the knowledge that cannot be learnt from books, but only from things that are made and experienced.
Furthermore, one needs to understand one's limits and accept the things that pass, keeping every memory intact, however.

The Chosen Symbols

The hourglass indicates the passing of time and the sin of hesitating uselessly. The Wise One's great age, his white beard and bushy eyebrows indicate how time is not an enemy but in fact allows things to grow.
The roll of parchment. lined with his writing, indicates that experience can be shared and given and that there is much to be gained from listening.
The closed eye in the middle of his forehead indicates the capacity to examine the heart and to see other than material things in the world of the Spirit. His eye is closed because he does not need it now, in his peace as a Wise One. Not all powers need to be used always.
The dragon indicates immense power, sleeping: the great power that the Wise One controls and can draw from.

Reflections

This card, also known as "The Wisest", introduces a guide. He has the great qualities of the elderly and the venerable, and also their defects. It requires great patience to interpret his wisdom and to get close to his advice. Again this card talks of time and reminds the Fey that a right time exists for everything, and likewise for beautiful things or things of great value: they need time to arrive at last and to bloom.