01 - You Original Title = Main Person. (Haupt-Person.)
Imagery = An unmarried man with blank gaze, passively standing near his livingroom table.
{illustration goof - table is missing its leg}
This card represents YOU, the person getting their fortune told, regardless of your gender/ethnicity/age.
This card is the opposite of card 02; and exudes a Neutral yang tone.
Historically it would have been likely that a woman was using this deck to ask about a potential marriage partner. Yet while the image on this card depicts a man, it would not at all be inappropriate for a male figure to represent YOU the Querent, as any Querent would be expressing active (masculine yang) energy. Only in more recent times has there been an inordinate focus upon the apparent gender/ethnicity/age of the images depicted on cards, even though such images are only concept archetypes, and an unnecessary effort has been made by readers to dynamically substitute this card with cards 02, 05, or 06 as the reader felt gender appropriate. Ignoring for a moment that such a swap steals a card that could be of importance elsewhere within the Spread; while a swap with card 02 could have been possible without significant divinitory disruption beyond energy misalignment (that card is also strangely titled Main Person), cards 05 and 06 pose a problematic wisdom energy appropriation.
Nowadays, while not "wrong" to use the card to represent a male, the reader would be better served if they ignore the image on card 01 (it is only a mnemonic aid anyways), and just use the card to indicate every Querent.
Tip: If you still have an insurmountable problem ignoring the cards imagery, after the card has been laid in the Spread, just cover the card with a small photo/token of the person.
Note that rarely this card will not appear in a Spread. In that event the Spread is forcing the Querent to re-examine themselves through choosing another card as an alias, such as perhaps card 12, 13, 22. or 30 as appropriate.
If both cards 01 and 02 are missing from the Spread, the reader should study the Spread very closely before assigning substitute cards, and unless specifically performing a specialized reading, should also give serious consideration to voiding the read entirely.
|| In the past this card was often titled "Prime Gentleman", and indicated a man in the prime of life. Alternatively it could also have indicated a male querent, a male significant, or a butch significant. ||