to merry part ... and merry meet again ...

the title of this article may sound rather quaint and twee, but it hold a deep wisdom which I find best illustrated in the imagery of a particular Tarot card; the eight of Cups .

In essence, the 8 of Cups signifies an infinite ebb and flow of emotion: ∞ ...  what is given is received and what is received is given.

You may already know, that although the meanings of tarot cards, and the structure of the deck is the same with every deck, the style of artwork varies considerably. The illustration of the 8 of cups in the Rider Waite deck offers a deeper insight into the wisdom held within this card.

 

In the foreground of the card, there are eight cups; all of them are upright. This signifies that the emotions are intact and in good health; none of them a spilt and there is an absence of tears.

All sounds good so far ... however, there is an eclipse; traditionally, an eclipse is said to signify great change and although all the emotions are stable and well, change is in the air. A person is shown in the card, wearing a cloak of courage and holding a staff of wisdom; signifying a decision has been made which takes great courage. What is this decision ?

In classes, I ask my students, 'if the person continues walking, where will they end up ?'  what is the destination ?

If the person walked, and continued to walk, without stopping, they would find themselves once more next to the 8 cups. Having walked all around the world, they would find on their return that everyone is in the same condition that it was in at the moment of parting. In the case of the 8 of cups, this condition is good healthy emotions; joy, happiness, and general good feelings.

If one is in a situation which is still coloured by happiness, and yet one senses or knows that change is in the air, it takes wisdom to muster the considerable courage required to walk away; trusting that in parting merrily, then meeting once again will be merry too; whether the next meeting is the following day, some time away or perhaps in the next life.

I find this card offers a great instruction in how to conduct a parting, because any parting we have with someone may well be the last. Part well and we can meet well.

merry part ...

and merry meet again ... !

in kindness

David

© David Rowan, September 2011

‘A human being is part of the whole, called by us 'universe,' a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself part of the liberation, and a foundation for inner security’.

 Albert  Einstein

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