Visconti-Sforza Tarot (Cary-Yale 1466): Charity
Charity. Altruistic love. Compassion. Empathy. Friendship. Reaching out to strangers.
The Charity card represents altruistic love. It is the card of giving and mercy, and reaching out with compassion to strangers to form friendships. The questioner may be subject to charity, or be a giver of charity. This card can even represent advice to the questioner to learn and understand what true altruism is, in order to become a better person. It serves as a warning that life can be empty, shallow, and meaningless, without the connections we make with others. Compassion is what makes us human, and we should treasure our humanity.
Reversed Meaning: Miserliness. Selfishness. Lack of compassion. Lack of empathy. Prejudice. Bigotry. Elitism. Privilege.
Reversed, the Charity card represents miserliness or a Scrooge-like figure. The questioner may be subject to some cruelty or selfishness, or indeed be the cause of the same. The Charity card may serve as advice to the questioner to question their own prejudices, lack of compassion, or bigotry. The questioner may not know how lucky they are, but demand the same privileged standards from those who are less fortunate.