April 25, 2010 - Five of Cups

Coming late to the cards today, I asked what I should keep in mind for the week.  The Five of Cups made an appearance.  Oh Tarot, you know me well and you're truths are clear and unflinching.

I am the Five of Cups, mourning the three spilled cups, forgetting the two still full.  The river's right there.  I could fill the three spilled cups and have all five, but no.  That's me, still crying over what's gone, ignoring all I have.

When the Five of Cups shows up in a reading, typically it can alert you to the possibility of a loss.  If you're in the midst of it, you know what is gone.  If not, there is the hope that forewarned is fore-armed.  Maybe you can mitigate the loss, or at least reduce its toll.

Maybe it's about loss but I get the feeling its more about lingering sorrow.  It reflects a way of looking at the world, seeing the worst, ignoring the blessings.  Yes, I'm Eeyore and really, how long can I nurse this sorrow?  A couple of years seems long enough.

In the Jane Austen Tarot, the Five of cups depicts George Wickham detailing his woes to Elizabeth Bennett.   To hear George Wickham tell it, he's been much maligned and his poor position in life is not his fault but the fault of everyone else.  Lizzie believes him for a time.  It isn't long though before the true story comes to light and Lizzie and we, the readers, learn Wickham's real nature.

The Jane Austen Tarot supports my gut feelings about this card, that it's attitudinal and not prophetic.  We all suffer losses and setbacks, but not everyone loses themselves to sorrow.  Time to let go of grief and get on with the business of living.  As for how it goes, I'll keep you posted.