What a delightful card for our upcoming Thanksgiving holiday here in the states. A happy family of husband and wife in a graceful embrace waving and dancing children look out to a verdant green landscape with blue stream running through it and a quaint cottage up on the hill. A radiant rainbow of ten golden cups arches up above shedding divine light on the entire scene. Whenever I see this card I am struck by the fact that the figures are faceless. In truth, the husband and wife face away from us. We have no idea to whom they are waving. This is the “everyman” family, the traditional picture of ultimate achievement in the suit of cups having to do with emotions, relationships, intuition, flow.
How does this picture resonate with you? Does it capture the comfort, security, and bliss at the top of your relationship scale? There are many different kinds of families. I knew a person who didn’t have a good relationship with her family and gave shelter and care to beings from the animal world. That was her family. The familial bond does not necessarily have to be by blood. It is fostered with love and caring. In the end we are one big family and the rainbow of golden cups shines on us all. Let us look to the good in each of us and expand the concept of family so the blessings of this holiday season travel gently on a path of love and light.
To me this is the card of hollow victories. The fellow holds three swords and the other two turn their backs in defeat having laid down their swords. Ok. But the storm clouds still fly in the sky and there is a feeling of ambivalence. Swords in tarot are double-edged–their power can be used constructively or destructively. That’s where choice comes into play. And swords referring to the element of air in tarot we know we are not only speaking literally here; we are dealing with the instruments of communication. Words can pierce or they can soothe. We can fight our battles and win our skirmishes but at what cost? What comes after the battle? Will there be reparations, a pardon, some reconciliation? How will you handle your power once you have won? These are important questions and the answers will establish your moral code of responsibility.
This week be prepared to be served up all kinds of choices–some good, some bad, some perplexing. What is that shrouded figure coming out of one of the golden cups? Is it a ghost? After all, Halloween is Wednesday! You are cautioned to weigh each option carefully and meditate on the illusory aspect of desire. Seven is the number of assessment and knowledge. Cups are love and relationships. Don’t get carried away by your idealistic nature. Dig a little deeper for the truth. Remember…”all that glitters is not gold.”
Things are a bit topsy turvy right now with all that’s going on in your life. It’s a bit much to keep up with, quite frankly, so rather than letting some potentially important balls drop, why not “chillax”, scale back, maybe ask a friend to help out. (Nannies have to make a living too, you know.) There’s nothing wrong with admitting you’ve bitten off more than you can chew. Prioritize what’s most important and make a list from 1-10. Then set about accomplishing them and checking them off one by one. It might take a bit longer, but you’ll feel so much better and rest easier. Balance is everything.
This week the tarot instructs us to be mindful of our negative thoughts that keep us trapped in a web of negativity. This beautiful woman in her gorgeous red dress is blindfolded and bound within a cage of eight swords. She stands suspended above a landscape of water and earth. She is neither grounded or connected inwards to her intuition. She is stuck, trapped, perhaps of her own making. Have you ever been told, “You’re overthinking things…” When the thoughts are negative they feed a victim mindset and one can feel helpless and hopeless. But look closely at this picture and observe more closely. What if the woman loosened the binding (it doesn’t seem too tight around her body) and then took off the blindfold. She would see the path of water in front of her and quite possibly the castle on the hill behind her and quite possibly the connection between the two. Looking for solutions rather than dwelling on the problems you will naturally be drawn to the light and all will be revealed.
SpiritedTarot 