Where ever
did I get the idea that the Wildwood Tarot is a wintry deck?
Today’s Cards is The
Forest Lovers. The setting of this card is during Beltane, the beginning of
summer, when the world is in full bloom. The Lovers are celebrating their
handvasting near a Birch tree, which is adorned as a maypole. Both are pledging
their love for each other with their hand over their heart; the seat of their
true love. It is very likely that their marriage will result in a third
creative energy. The lilies are symbolizing this very clearly.
Personally
for me The Forest Lovers is mainly a card of self acceptance which will
eventually result in true self love. This card is all about embracing the
darker aspects, the not so nice parts of myself. It is about commitment and about “for better and for worse”, even when we discover parts of ourselves
which we loathe and detest. Yes, these
are harsh words but it is not so difficult only to embrace our minor flaws. We
all have more despicable aspects too. When we uncover these parts, our self love
it really tested to the core. Can we hold our hand over our heart and say “I
do” even then?
I think
only if we can truly and completely accept and love ourselves, we can truly and completely
love someone else. Because “to truly love, we must be truly whole”
It is so strange that we are willing to overlook quirks and flaws in friends and family members, yet will rake ourselves over the coals for the same thing. I like the idea of the Lovers as being committed to oneself; it doesn't mean we can't change for the better, just that we won't hate ourselves because of our imperfections.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with you Bev. The first steps on the road of self love it to acknowledge and accept who we are right now and love our selves anyway Only then we will be open to change ourselves for the better
DeleteA favorite Sufi saint says, 'My flaws are God's perfections'. Which in actuality is quite a challenging truth to embrace let alone embody.
ReplyDeleteSo true! And if our flaws are God's gifts then the question arises if we can face the challenge to better ourselves without despising who we are right now :)
DeleteHis hand isn't over his heart but mirrors her pose. I wonder if that is a mistake in the painting or a true part of handfasting?
ReplyDeleteOops you are right.Honestly I don't know why this is.I haven't even noticed it
DeleteOne aspect I like about the Lovers is the element of "choice." Some people only see this card as relating to choice, or only to love, but I see they go hand-in-hand really nicely. And a "choice" is an act we must be conscious about. We sometimes have to realize how we treat each other, how our decisions impact ourselves and those we care about (or even strangers, really!). We must choose to forgive, and sometimes the hardest choice is to stand up for ourselves when we are being taken advantage of. I think the greatest act of self-love is the development of clear boundaries. That can be really hard to do. Sometimes it's easier to be flexible for others all the time, as if somehow it would be rude to do or be otherwise. Becoming aware of what we give away to others, and learning to make the choice to say "no" once in a while - that is a process all on its own. That ties in really nicely with your final quote!
ReplyDeleteI think to love yourself or someone else completely is a choice you make. As I said it is a commitment. The saying "love is verb "fits in with this choice beautifully. Every day we have to chose consciously for love and every time we make a mistake, we have to get up forgive and try again.
DeleteThere should never be any difference between loving others and loving our self! :D
Wonderful interpretation, Ellen! I was just talking to one of my Tarot students about this card, and explaining that with the Major Arcana, I always ask myself if the card might refer to an aspects or aspects of my Self that I would benefit from exploring and understanding. If it's okay with you, I want to share this blog post with my student to further reinforce what I told her.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Zanna . Of course you can share this post with your student I would be honored! :)
DeleteLoving self-acceptance, definitely a work-in-progress for me... :)
ReplyDeleteFor me too. A daily challenge....
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