The 2 cups and love and war.
I have been intrigued by the 2 of cups for some time. I have learnt that when this intrigue happens there is something developing in my consciousness appertaining to the essence in the card.
The Universe is expressing a truth to me through my toolbox and I am ready to absorb the message.
In recent weeks this card has been popping up in readings for myself and for clients. I have also learnt that when cards repeat in such a way that there is something going on in the ephemeris that has an astrological connection to the card. Now I am no astrologer! However I am totally fascinated by the movement of the planets and the link to human activity. I have great respect for those that plot charts and can interpret the celestial goings on, so my interest is cranked up a notch when I realise that the appearance of the card is possibly influenced by planetary movements and am even more excited when it becomes apparent that Tarot is trying to teach of itself by imprinting the subtleties of this dynamic into my brain, indeed spirit!
Recently, I discovered that Mars and Venus were in conjunction with each other. Suddenly it began to make sense as to why our duo had been making themselves obvious.....
You see, it's not just the 2 cups that fascinates me but the imagery in the RWS deck that draws me in demanding of me to discover more. So I went on a journey, into the card, with this couple and we ended up in Babylon!
In the two's I see opposites, a need to balance out the tension or life force between these opposing factors that will then create a healthy and sustaining regimen. In this card I can see how opposites attract.
I have found from experience that this 2 can herald the beginning of a new relationship or the start of a fresh new phase in an existing one.
There is harmony and healing, a sense of equality and leaving emotional woes behind. It denotes previous relationship misfortunes but this new chapter will bring emotional brevity and passion, fertility and creativity, on many levels.
The male and the female find their correct vibration, co-existing happily as they mirror each other, Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars, right?
Hence the excitement as with this thought in mind, it transpired that the same thing had been going on in the heavens......
But back to Babylon and the RWS 2 cups! The 2 serpents on the Labrys connect us to Hermes,(mercury)
these serpents were found by Hermes to be in mortal combat, Hermes seperated them with his wand, resulting in peace.
The winged lion is Ishtar, warrior Queen, her domain is fertility,war, love, sexuality and sex. Her dominion is over nature and its inherent oppositions, birth and death, peace and violence, animal and human.
Ishtar is also linked to Lilith, the difference being that Ishtar's wings are raised.
Those that followed Ishtar worshipped Baal, where sacred prostitution in the temple was all part of the rites.
There is something very earthy about Ishtar, blood sweat and tears. The Lion or Dragon is the familiar of Ishtar, giving the idea of sacred energy and protection.
This goddess also has the 8 pointed star, another attribution to Venus, as morning or evening star, we could possibly make a link to Lucifer here, as he was also known as the morning star and could explain why sometimes Ishtar has sinister connotations.
Then; I find myself considering the Star card and her relationship to the stars in the imagery, the portals of Istar perhaps, but that is a whole new blog......
So I can see from this overview of Ishtar, 2 cups and its symbolism that a whole drama is being played out in the skies and I am just an actor who shares the stage with Venus, Mars, Earth and Mercury, oh what a glorious dance....!
A desire for discussion about mythology and its ability to make sense of chaos emerges. The idea of the human need to discover the world, indeed universe through archetypes becomes a source of intellectual intoxication resulting in spiritual food and a funny kind of memory awakens somewhere.
If knowledge be the source of inspiration as likened to a bottle of wine, then pour me a large one, anyone care to join me?
