29 - RestrictionOriginal Title = Prison. (Gefängnis.)
Imagery = View of a wall surrounded Prison building.
This card represents a feeling of being trapped.
This card is the opposite of card 36; and exudes a Negative tone.
This card describes CONCORD, and can be judged as a lesser form of card 23.
In a Spread, this card indicates that the associated party is functioning under the perception that they are somehow trapped or unable to make progress. While this can be triggered by an actual unwanted obligation (or rarely isolation), it is often just a pessimistic mental state brought about by seemingly unresolvable disharmony amongst the participants.
Historically the word prison was a simile for the "feeling" of having a loss of freedom, whether it be a notion or the result of alienation. Unfortunately the illustration has often been taken way too literally as to mean that this card is about being locked away in jail. The label of Restriction is thus a good title for contemporary understanding, as it makes no reference to a legal system and instead emphasises the underlying concept of limitation.
|| In the past this card was often titled "Trapped", and indicated an unwanted obligation or restriction. Alternatively it could also have indicated isolation. ||