Thoughts on today's card - The Eight of Cups

After posting today's Card of the Day on my Facebook page from Vision Quest Tarot - The Eight of Water (Cups), I thought of some other aspects I hadn't included. The 8 of Cups is all about walking away from something - often a situation or even a job or place. It's also about setting out to find or create something new. After thinking about what Vision Quest's LWB discusses regarding this card, I realized it can also be a journey within to a deeper, truer integrity. That is, realizing what is real and what is a role, what comes from our deepest self and what has been absorbed from without or laid upon us. Our beliefs about ourselves, what we hold dear, our values - these are all open to self-scrutiny.

When we feel the sort of malaise that seems to have no clear reason and we find our energy is low though we know we're healthy, have slept enough, etc, then it is time to check in and see what we may be ignoring within. Trapped emotions can drag us down until we feel we're just going through the motions. Once recognized and acknowledged, the energy is freed and the lights come back on, so to speak.

So, the Eight of Cups is asking us how we feel today and if the answer isn't positive, look at the path out of the downer (literally seen in RWS with the figure walking away). It's probably time to let go of something, or more than one thing, to allow the energy to move and vibrancy to return.

I wasn't happy to have pulled this card today initially and even considered putting in back in the deck and trying again, hoping for a "better" card. But I felt this would be "cheating" and that Tarot always has a message we need to hear regardless of whether we want to hear it or not. So today was one of those times. I checked in with myself and found I did indeed feel a bit low energy and a slight malaise. Hmmm. So, I dealt with it. The first step was to tune in and feel and acknowledge where I was at and what I was feeling. Right away I felt reality returning -  at least I was now conscious of what was going on. Good first step!

The  more I work with Tarot, the more faith I have in it and the more I love it. The cards are not intrinsically powerful in themselves, in the sense that they are magical. No, they are just ink and paper. But they are Keys to the Kingdom and while they sometimes may seem like a Chinese puzzle, with patience, perseverance, will and trust the doors will open. Everything is connected.

Stay tuned, I'm going to review two decks here very soon - The Vision Quest Tarot and the recently released Tarot de St. Croix. I love both of them and I hope you will find out why!

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