Five of Cups

A robed figure stands alone, his head is hanging low, and his shoulders bear the burden of loss. Before him lies a river, impassable except for a single distant bridge. The bridge leads to the other side on which we can see a castle and green trees & lawn. He however is isolated, surrounded only by 5 cups; 2 upright and 3 that have been knocked over, spilling their contents onto the barren earth he stands on.

This is a card of loss, sorrow and isolation. However, all is not lost, there are still 2 upright cups positioned behind the robed figure. Unfortunately he does not seem to notice them as his focus is directed on what he has lost – namely the 3 overturned cups. If only he would lift his head a little from the weight of his sorrow, he would notice the bridge to his right. Being positioned to the right of the traveller we know that it lies in his future, as opposed to the overturned cups that lay to his left and thus in his past.

The bridge shows that there is a way out of this pain and suffering. A way to overcome this sense of loss. It offers the robed figure a means by which he can reconnect with the other side, the side where the castle stands, strong and secure. But, in order to do this, he must lift his chin, leave his past behind him, turn to the future and cross the bridge.

In life we all have reason and opportunity to occasionally indulge in a bit of self pity, often  for a little longer than necessary. Like the robed figure on the 5 of Cups we too all to often focus only on what was lost on such occasions, and seldom on what might be gained. Yet, sometimes we can change the course of our own future histories, if only we’d consider what may be gained.

Rome had been divided amongst 3 leaders, Julius Caesar was one of them. Because Ceasar became very popular with the common people of Rome the other two became jealous of him.  They forced Ceasar into a situation where he had very few choices; he could continue to suffer humiliation and abuse at their hands thereby playing the victim, or he could do the unthinkable, he could cross the river that divided Gaul and Italy – called the Rubicon river with his soldiers to confront his enemies. He knew that once he and his men had crossed the river, history would be forever changed, it was an act that could not have been anticipated or undone. This was not a decision that Caesar made lightly. Caesar understood that a critical decision confronted him as he looked out over the river Rubicon, which formed the frontier between Gaul and Italy. He turned to his soldiers remarking “we may still draw back, but once across that little bridge, we shall have to fight it out.” Caesar and his men saw an apparition that snatched a trumpet from one of his trumpeters, ran down to the river, blew a thunderous blast, and crossed over.  Caesar exclaimed: “Let us accept this as a sign from the Gods, and follow where they beckon, in vengeance on our double-dealing enemies. The die is cast”’

To get back to the 5 of Cups card, perhaps the gifts of the upright cups that stand unnoticed behind the figure on the card contain the courage and faith needed to take that step away from self-pity & victimhood.

We all have – within us – the ability to cross the proverbial Rubicon, we have within us the ‘better army’ capable of facing and conquering our enemies  namely self-pity and doubt. We simply need to lift our eyes when drowning in loss and sorrow, and turn our attention to the future rather than the past. We need to pluck up the courage to do as Caesar did and face what – at the time feels like – the impossible. Making a life-changing decision and creating a better future for ourselves…

The Emperor

The Emperor is a father figure. A stern disciplinarian. One who shows and gives us direction. He is loving but firm. The Emperor is not to be messed with or disrespected. Mars and Pluto are his ruling planets.  And as we all know, Mars is a symbol of war, it is anything but passive.

The Emperor – in the Zodiac – is Aries, the Ram. In the illustration of this tarot card we see the Ram repeatedly carved in on the throne of the Emperor. The Ram butts his way in, he does not require permission to lead the way, and is one amongst only a few animals who is not daunted by the sheer intimidation of mountains on his path.  The ram light-footedly leads the way up the very same mountains that many others would avoid altogether.

With Aries being the first on the Zodiacal procession, so too is the Emperor who looks to his right (namely the future) and leads the way.  As any good father he provides guidance and direction. Teaching us that order and discipline have a valid place in our world.

The Emperor is the 4^th card of the major arcane in the tarot deck. In numerology the number four is a fixed number, solid, inflexible, and square. It is associated with the element Earth. Thus, the Emperor is grounded, practical and pragmatic. When this card appears for us, there is nothing airy-fairy about the energy emitted from it. The Emperor demands in a no-nonsense way that we demonstrate order and structure, and that we remain grounded in our efforts to reach new heights in discipline.

There is much we can benefit from a structured and orderly discipline, especially as Pagans who often reject authority. However, in this context the authority that the Emperor is demanding we adhere to is the authority that we have over ourselves. The authority to push ourselves harder in pursuit of higher levels of attainment in our meditative and magical practices. None of these miraculously appear without adhering to a strict discipline of practice and routine. The no-exception rule of a daily regime of yoga or meditation or some other discipline that will strengthen us and enable us to travel as confidently and light-footedly as Ram does across the rocky mountains to reach the summit of self awareness.

Once we are trained and disciplined we become the Emperor who leads the way. The Emperor who displays discipline and structure, and who gives direction in an otherwise scattered world.

Today we ask ourselves what areas of our lives we need to take control of and exert discipline over. What areas of our lives do we need to firmly lead out of chaos and into order? It may be something as simple as straightening out our living environment, creating order and structure in our living space so that the energies may again flow freely instead of stagnating and causing blockages. Or we might be prompted to take a long hard and honest look at ourselves and come face-to-face with the reality of our ungroundedness. In doing so we may achieve heights that previously seemed unattainable to us.

Perhaps we should consider the message that this card brings to us today as a sign that we can address those issues in our lives that we have been putting off for so long. Let us not become overwhelmed, instead we should try to focus on only one thing that can be improved in our lives today if we were to commit to a routine or discipline for a set period of time. Do we want to lose weight and get into shape perhaps? Now is the time to take the Emperor approach to that goal. Or, perhaps we want to gain control of our finances again, eliminate our debt and get into a position where we can begin to save money every month.

Whatever areas we need to work on, I have no doubt that we will all benefit from the rewards that we will create for ourselves if we follow the advice of The Emperor, get off our proverbial butts, and take the required action to instil the necessary order, routine and discipline that is needed to achieve those goals.

Queen of Cups

She sits upon a throne, noble and confident. Her throne is adorned with mermaids and shells, creatures of the sea. In her hands she carefully holds the cup of visions into which she stares. She is the queen of visions, the queen of intuition. She can foretell the future, and she can understand the language of intuition.

As she is queen, and sits upon a throne it is clear that she is an adept, not a novice. She is in command of her gifts, and uses them wisely. When she appears to us, we are gently guided by her to get in touch with our own intuition, to embark upon our own vision quest, and to seek the answers from within.

It is believed by some that upon his crucifixion, the pregnant  wife of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, escaped persecution by travelling across the oceans to the shores of France, where she became known as Mary of the Sea. She carried with her not only the bloodline of Jesus, but many mysteries that became the vision on which the foundation of several secret societies was based.

Also, the legendary tale of the Holy Grail comes to mind, a cup   possessing miraculous powers, which according to old Christian lore was the  vessel that caught the blood of Christ during his internment. But as the legend of the Holy Grail shows, it is only the spiritually enlightened that eventually discovers that the Grail is not the elusive object  that many a king sent subjects out to find in vain, it is in fact closer than imagined. It is the reward of intuition and wisdom within, that has been with mankind from the beginning.

For many cultures the sea brings in knowledge, whether it be through new inventions or foreign invasions. Our queen of Cups is sitting on the beach, intently staring at the cup of visions, maybe the Holy Grail, in her hands which enables her to attain knowledge of the future.  

When this card appears we might be gently guided to listen to our own intuition, to honour our own visions and dreams, the subtle hints of knowledge that lie deep within.

We might ask how do we honour our dreams? One sure way to do this is to keep a dream journal and to record our dreams upon waking, for they will soon fade and disappear into obscurity, forever gone. However, if we record these important visions born of our dream world, we may decipher and discover the knowledge that they carry to us, through the deep and unknown oceans of sleep.

Like the Queen of Cups, if we honour the wisdom of our intuition we too will eventually become adept at understanding the symbolic language of visions. We too will be able to seek the council of our intuition, and perhaps in time will develop intuition based wisdom that will reaffirm our connection to Source. We all have within us the power of insight, the power of intuition and the ability to see visions.  By developing the ability to listen to our intuition we are all divinely guided into the future.

If we take only a moment each morning to tune into our intuition, almost as-if holding a sea-shell to our ear and listening to the sounds of the ocean, we may find that we are a lot more in tune with the ebb and flow of our daily lives. We may find that life holds less unexpected surprises and more subtle hints that steer us along our path to enlightenment and self awareness.

The Hermit

A solitary, robed figure stands alone. Staff in one hand, a lantern in the other. The landscape around him is barren and wrought with difficult icy peaks. His hooded head is downcast, seemingly searching for a sign in the dim light of the lantern, to lead the way.

He is on a solitary journey, one that can only be travelled alone. Called by some the ‘Dark night of the Soul.’

In his lantern shines the six-pointed star, the essence of which seems unattainable and unreachable. The six-pointed star is known in some circles and the Seal of Solomon. Made up of 2 triangles, one pointing up the other pointing down, symbolizing the axiom, as above so below.

Just as one needs to engage in an exercise regime to keep the physical body fit and healthy, so too must one exercise the inner spiritual body to keep it conditioned so that we may benefit  from its wisdom and guidance. A Guidance – like the light from the lantern in the Hermit’s right hand -  that illuminates the path when all around us is dark.

The Dark night of the Soul is an ordeal often experienced by the seeker before gaining a higher consciousness and awareness. It is often a painful experience that requires courage and self-reflection and honesty to endure the ordeal. Many see this as an important initiation into the higher mysteries. As it is a necessary albeit painful step of inner reflection before we can step out into the light, in other words attain illumination.

This reminds me of the story of the Egyptian god Osiris, who goes into the underworld every night through various ordeals to triumphantly resurrect again the next morning. It was Osiris who was cut into many pieces by his jealous brother Set that Isis managed to reassemble all but one body part, the phallus. She used magic to impregnate herself thereafter and thereby gave birth to Osiris’ son, Horus. The cycle being complete.

This is the ordeal of The Dark Night of the Soul, experiencing a pulling-apart of ones soul, to be reassembled again once each part has been rediscovered. To be reborn with a fresh a new outlook, as symbolized by the newborn Horus. As spiritual beings on a quest for self awareness, this is a necessary ordeal to experience the reconstruction of the new you. Someone that has a fresh perspective on creation and destruction, for one cannot exist without the other.

Are we in a position to take the Hermit’s journey? This is not an easy path as it confronts many insecurities that lurk deep within. We  might ask why we would want to explore this path to begin with, why not steer clear from the ordeals that it promises. But we already know the answer to this as the Goddess in the Charge reminds us:

And you who seek to know Me, know that the seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery: for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without..

The High Priestess

The High Priestess card speaks of the inner mysteries. It speaks of secrets and the unknown. Hidden knowledge.

In the card, the HPS is surrounded by pomegranates. This is a fruit that, even today, still holds many – as yet unknown – healing properties. Properties that are only now starting to be discovered. It is still an inner mystery, hidden knowledge as-it-were.

In the story of the garden of Eden in the bible, mention is made of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It is unknown where the notion came from that the fruit of this tree was an apple, as there is compelling evidence to suggest that this was in fact more than likely a pomegranate. In which case it makes perfect sense that Eve would experience a realization of duality for the first time once she partook of this fruit of the High Priestess. In tarot it is the Magician and High Priestess who together first introduce duality into the journey that the Fool undertakes. She is the passive, feminine and the shadow, the opposite of the qualities of her counterpart the Magician. The pillars depicted in the HPS card, one white the other black, show duality clearly too. Duality is in fact one of the great mysteries that the HPS represents to us.

The HPS worships the Goddess, of which the moon is a symbol. In a patriarchal society where focus has for a long time been on the God and therefore the masculine aspects of divinity, we do not yet fully understand the Goddess. She remains a mystery still – attainable only once we are able to eat of this symbolic fruit that holds mysterious properties so that we may cast aside the veil.

This card tells us that it is time to examine what is going on inside our heads, in our thoughts.  Things that aren’t out in the open, that are hidden from view. We can expect the unexpected, as is typical of the HPS, because all the tools we need are there, they are merely hidden from view. Explore the unobvious, and prepare to be surprised by what is revealed.

To entice the mysteries out involves work. We might need to examine reoccurring patterns in our lives. We would need to try to discover why these cycles repeat themselves. Therein lies a great mystery too. Once we understand the need for the repeating patterns in our lives, we need to work towards bending it in our favour, in other words, work at gaining clarity and understanding that these reoccurring cycles are trying to teach us. Seek to unveil the inner mysteries is what the HPS whispers in our ear,  if you dare… Yes, we may eat of her fruit to discover her mysteries, but we need to know that there is always a risk.  We risk expulsion from our very own gardens of Eden, gardens of ignorance, predictability, order and uniformity, possibly even monotony. States of being that lack challenge, duality, chaos  and… well, pretty much the knowledge of so-called good and evil, in other words the mysteries.

The HPS furthermore warns that once the mind has been expanded it can not be returned to its original state, hence the expulsion from the garden of it’s former dwelling.

Before Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of duality (namely good and evil,) they knew eternal life only, no death. There was no duality, therefore there was no death.  The risk therefore when seeking the mysteries of the Goddess that the HPS closely guards is the risk of death. We could live ‘forever in ignorance’ in our own gardens of Eden, thus ignorance, or we could expand our mind and thus experience death of what we have known before.

The choice is ours to make, and it is not a light choice to make. Today this card asks us to examine whether we are ready to explore our own inner mysteries, despite what we may find there, the good and the bad. Or whether we would prefer not to ‘rock the boat’ as-it-were and thereby rather exist outside these mysteries.

Do we really want to know? Are we ready to partake in communion with the HPS as we eat the forbidden fruit. We had best be sure that we are ready if we do. For once we do, we will never again be the same. And dare I say that those of us who have tasted this forbidden fruit would not want to go back, even if we could.

Page of Cups

In the Rider Waite Smith deck, a youthful figure is holding a cup in his hand, from which a salmon fish emerges. The youth is wearing a blue hat with veil, the veil is cast aside indicating that he can see the object of his inspiration with clarity.

How does the salmon peering from this cup inspire us? According to old Celtic lore, salmon is a sign of sacred wells and healing waters, and its presence symbolized foreknowledge of events. As-if to confirm that we are dealing with emotive and intuitive issues that will not go away by merely ignoring them, we see in the imagery these very waters on the horizon swelling-up, reminding us that we do need to deal with our issues. Issues that reside in the vast world of emotions and/or intuition.

If we examine the behaviour of the salmon, we find that we would be hard-pressed to find one more determined to overcome adversities and obstacles. Salmon swims upstream, against the very flow, for approximately 1500 miles, leaping over rapids and through waterfalls in this epic pilgrimage he makes to re-unite himself once again with the sweetly familiar waters of his birth. It is a difficult and treacherous journey, yet this does not discourage salmon or dissuade him from embarking on it.

Totem Salmon Art - Animal line drawing by Thailan When

Therefore, when this card appears for us, as it has done today, it might be prudent for us to take a closer look at what our emotions and intuition are trying to tell us. Is there a difficult journey ahead, perhaps one we have been avoiding to take? Daunting as it seems, we need to remember that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step in the right direction. What emotional pilgrimage do we need to undertake that will once again reunite us with the sweet healing waters of our origin, our truth? What healing needs to take place on an emotional level? Are we afraid to embark on this journey in pursuit of healing because we fear the obstacles along the way?

This card reminds us that we have what it takes to make this pilgrimage, to pursue emotional well-being and balance. It gives us permission to acknowledge that there may be a need for an emotional cleansing and purification, and that what at first appears to be a daunting task is in fact attainable, and may very well be viewed as an adventure of rediscovery of our emotional authenticity. More than attainable, this journey becomes necessary for us to plunge into the emotional rapids, and to face the potential obstacles that may present themselves, if we wish to be emotionally prosperous. For, salmon makes this epic journey in order to ensure his immortality. The waters of his birth calls him into their sweet and comforting folds where he procreates so that his offspring too may be born in the sweet waters of their home-coming, their origin, their authenticity, where the cycle once again repeats itself as the young salmon leave their birthing waters to which they too shall return upon maturity. But, in order to do so they too will embark upon a pilgrimage – as their parents did – in order to continue the cycle.

How does this all apply to us and to our self-development and growth you might ask? Here is what I think this card suggests to us. We need to remember our emotional authenticity.  Go back to what it is that needs emotional healing within us.  We need to revisit the origin of our emotional ills where we will manifest healing. Embarking upon what may appear to be a daunting journey to make our way back, so that we may recapitulate until we reach the point of our dis-ease, so that we may pour healing waters upon it. That moment or event in which our pain and emotional discomfort was born. We may find that the journey in itself is cathartic enough to reawaken our memory of perfection, and in doing so we may discover that the purpose of pain is to encourage us to take this epic journey in which we reassemble ourselves, reminding us that everything is and always has in fact been perfect, exactly as it is.

Ten of Cups

Ten of Cups speaks to us of emotional abundance, a coming of age as-it-were on an emotional level, or emotions having come full circle. What was previously one cup (the Ace of Cups) has now become a family of cups. Potential has thus fully manifested.

The card illustrates a beautiful rainbow. In itself an important symbol.  Andrew Lloyd Webber brought to life the biblical character Joseph and his amazing technicoloured dream-coat. A coat that represented a rainbow of colours.  The narrator in Lloyd-Webber’s production is telling a story, sometimes to children, encouraging them to dream. She then tells the story of Joseph, another dreamer, encouraging him to dream with the song ‘any dream will do.’

Rainbows and dreams can both be seen as stairways to the proverbial heavens. In Norse mythology Heimdall, the god of light, was the guardian of the rainbow bridge that led to the realms of the gods. And surely it is here, in these godly realms, where we can be assured that our dreams come true?

Heimdall guarding the rainbow bridge.

Ten of cups reminds us that we can indeed manifest our dreams, and that we do indeed possess the power of the gods to do this.  Notice how one cup has manifested into a family of cups on this card, and how community and family seem to be the central and dominant focus of the card. This card serves to remind us that this is indeed the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. That it is safe and good to dream and to continue dreaming our desires into manifestation.  The emotion that is emitted from this card is that of joy and accomplishment. It is a time to examine and congratulate ourselves on what we have achieved. Yes, we have achieved much,  but perhaps we forget how far we really have come? Well, now is the time to stand back, and for a moment allow ourselves to relish the satisfaction of our achievements. Recognize the rewards that we have manifested in our lives as a result of allowing ourselves to dream a better dream, a better reality.  Yes, I am speaking directly to you, even you who may think that you still have such a long way to go before you can stand back to examine your achievements. Take stock for a moment of how far you have already come, since you first recognized the stirrings of power that resides within you. The power to make dreams come true. Your dreams.

I dreamed the sky and the earth were dreaming about their love -  Walter Logeman
http://www.thousandsketches.com/blog/?p=1103

So, we may ask ourselves what are we dreaming today? What dreams do we give our attention to today that will tomorrow be manifest? Perhaps this is what the card is nudging us to examine, and re-examine. Are we dreaming the reality that we want to manifest tomorrow? Or are we dreaming the reality that we don’t want? We have the power to do both, either or…

The sense of community that this card brings us is also a reminder to us that when we work to bring something to full manifestation, the effects of these spill over and impacts on more than just ourselves alone. We are thereby reminded that we are all interconnected, so that what we manifest will touch and affect others. In the case of this card, it is joy that touches the lives of those around us, as a direct result of our manifestations that have fully matured and materialized.

Therefore, we learn today that it is okay to dream. More than okay, it is encouraged. For conscious creation must surely be better than unconscious creation? Where our attention should lie in the dreaming process is clarity on what it is that we are dreaming into realization, because it will manifest and when it does it will spill over to touch the lives of others too.