TAROT

KING OF CUPS § FOUR OF CUPS § SEVEN OF SWORDS

The King of Cups is quite good at keeping his feelings, which are often strong and always deep, to himself. While a reserved presence is a fine way to limit personal drama and attend to matters at hand, it is also how we may hold back our most sincere thoughts. The King of Cups slides into our focus to remind us that emotional intelligence means knowing when it is best to hold our tongue and when it is appropriate to express ourselves. When you refrain from stating your positions or asking for what you need, always ask: Why am I doing this? If you fear reprisal for setting a boundary or feel certain that if you voice your desire it will necessarily have to be denied, those are toxic traits in another and they will make you genuinely sick. Consider whether your reticence to speak is a consequence of your past experiences or if you are in a current circumstance of tainted interactions.

We have a choice to make in the Four of Cups. If we take this particular cup we will find the brew not exactly bitter, but certainly acrid. This potent elixir, when consumed, will walk us through a kind of dream wherein the way we gain a sense of control over our environments and our relationships will crystalize. Our own flaws will be easy to accept as true because the judgment we generally hold will be relaxed, or maybe just too tired to double down. We are strongly encouraged to take the Cup, the critique, the point of view we are offered, whether it comes from an external source or arrives by epiphany. If we take the Cup, we begin a new relationship with all there is, was, and ever will be. If we elect to reject this Cup, we continue on in the patterns of problems we know too well. So, choose your own adventure.

The Seven of Swords will help us cut our losses or keep us company while we eat our humble pie. We are supported now in seeking relief from obsessions, addictions, and entrenched personality traits. While this requires work on our part, we are likely to feel less burdened by it than we would have imagined only months ago. Grief has made us eager to live with greater intentionality and keep time in more pleasant and loving hours. Our time here is precious and brief, our loneliness is universal, and our self-loathing and denial nearly imperceptible under our competitive judgments born of our need to survive the manmade systems of control. These long days of summer will illuminate the long shadow you cast. May we accept the necessity and beauty of grieving while we make plans to get up and get on with it.