Six of Cups – Adapting our Memories

Today’s card is the Six of Cups from The Wild Unknown Tarot with the keywords: Memories, Childhood and Joy. A very fitting card for me, since I’ve visited my mom last weekend.

In this version of the Six of Cups we see a Fir tree with a stunning, intricate and colorful root system. On the surface this Fir looks like any other Fir in the forest but when we look more closely, each Fir has developed in his own unique way. His roots and his trunk could tell us so much more about his growth throughout the years. 

And the same thing is true for us. Our memories, happy and sad ones alike, are partly cause of who we are today. But memories are not stagnant, they change when we change they way we feel about them. It is not the exact memory which determines how  we respond to  whatever life throws at us but the way we relate to those memories. Our perception might change over the years. Memories laden with guilt can  become filled with acceptance and compassion. And so we grow new roots each day and strengthen old ones, or cut them off from our energy flow so they wither and be forgotten.

With this notion I try to approach the Holidays. Traditions, childhood memories and expectations are not stagnant. They are truly alive and can become part of something new and fresh Our personal stories, even the sad ones, can be retold from a more empowering perspective. 

Let’s fill our memories with Compassion and Joy

Flooded with memories all over again

This week I am working with  a “card of the week”, namely the Five of Cups. I am not quite sure if this was such a  wise experiment. Although I do not believe this card was a foreboding  to a depressing week, I do think it is possible to be influenced by the energy of this card.

And so after working a few days with the Five of Cups I think I was rather susceptible for a not so pleasant mood swing caused by some family matters. I felt rather down and I didn’t feel like doing anything at all. I wasn’t planning to blog today either  but then I pulled “Remembrance” from The Gaia Oracle and when I read the guidebook, I knew this was the perfect card for me today and I felt called to write this post anyway. The keywords of this card are: Resurfacing of past feelings and emotions.

And a very fitting part from the guidebook is: “This card signifies that past feelings and emotions are resurfacing from deep within you and you may find yourself on an emotional roller coaster over the coming days. Do not fight it, this is all fine. It is important to occasionally remember and honor your past, for it is part of you and part of your soul’s journey.”

Now this is exactly how I felt these past two days. Sometimes memories come flooding back and can overwhelm  you and although the first instinctual reaction might be to run away to safe and higher grounds,  there is actually nothing to be afraid of. They are just memories and yes they can cause grief and pain again and again but this experience also signifies that you are not done with them yet. Each time when you get washed over by these memories, it will be different and  perhaps a little bit less scary. And remember the waves always will bring you back to the seashore again, where you can bask in the sunlight to dry up and warm yourself….. and rest

Affirmation:

 “I bless my past and I am grateful for every experience,

for every experience has helped me expand my understanding of love.

My life is forever unfolding as it should; the past, the present and the future are one.

I honor and respect my feelings and emotional, for they are part of my story.”

Six of Cups - A trip down memory lane

Just before I went to visit my mother, I pulled for myself the Six of Cups from the Goddess Tarot. Although this deck has a lot of Rider Waite based imagery, this card seems to lack the two children where one child offers the other one flowers. Here we see a house in the distance and six cups, neatly arranged and filled with soft purple flowers. It is a card of memories: Of reminiscing about a time when everything was fine and life was simple: Of remembering our childhood. Whenever I am with my mother I feel often like a child again. In her own way she still takes care of me, simple because she cares for me unconditionally. And that feels safe and it gives me a chance to completely relax.  I didn't know I needed this so much until I got there. I loved listening to her stories and even now after so many years some of them where still new to me. This card radiates  peace and quiet. Everything has it’s place and time there, just like with my mother. Her house is clean and organized in contrary to mine especially with our puppy running around messing with his toys and stuff. So when I came home I felt a bit overwhelmed and I had some difficulty to adjust to our everyday life.  Even the idea of starting to blog again wasn't appealing. It felt more like a chore than something I love to do so much. So I started to leave some comments here and there and that felt good. I know eventually I will adapt and fit in again. Today is already so much easier than yesterday and gradually I am getting used to our own way of living which I do love a lot J

“Grown means nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? In a mother’s heart you will always be her baby.”