By Sarah Taylor
This week’s is an interesting reading. The reason I write this is because the cards tell an immediate, pretty concrete story that is hard to refute. As I drew them, the first thing I thought was, “This is a reading about marriage.”
And indeed it could be in its most literal sense. From left to right, there is a progression of images that suggests the coming together of two people and an offering of love (Six of Cups), a celebration under an arbour of wands (Four of Wands), and a formal, if not institutionalised, rite of passage (The Hierophant).
This interpretation, however, narrows to a point a reading that has something to say on a scale that is broader, but no less charged with the energy of togetherness and community, and the honouring of these.
The foundation of the reading lies in the Six of Cups. This is the card of childhood and golden memories; it is also the card of soulmates. I see it as the foundation because the Six of Cups refers to the past, or, more accurately, the energy of the past as it shows up in the present.
In the card, the figure of a boy presents a cup to a woman or girl — it’s hard to determine which. That, I feel, is the point. The strange perspective of the boy on the left seeming younger, and yet who is taller, than his companion denotes that sense of a bond that transcends one lifetime. In essence, the Six of Cups is a reunion, and one in which both parties are able to let down their guards — seen literally in the walking away of a greyed out figure carrying a spear in the background. In the foreground, there is full colour and each cup carries a flower. There is a feeling of tenderness, regard, and love. This is a connection that is respectful and uplifting.