Four of Cups
The Fading Fellowship
If the information that generally comes to me when this card turns up holds true, it looks like today is one of those burnout ~ vs. ~ idealism kinda days. And please note: this IS another one of those BE CAREFUL cards.
When this card turns up for a client, I usually say something like, “Look. There are a couple of possibilities you need to watch out for here.”
One is that you’re nearing a point of disillusionment in your life (so go to my blog and look at the Card for January 1, 2009!), or real burnout, or both.
You really need to look hard at how you’re living so you will start taking much better care of yourself on that score.
The second possibility is that words like
imaginary vexations (watch out for THAT one!)
drunk,
sloppy,
disorderly,
foolish,
blind,
ego-driven blowhard
may apply with real impact somewhere in your life − although they may not necessarily be about you personally.
So what do you do in response to a card like this?
In the Legend deck I use, the image on this card gives a suggestion. It shows the Knights of the Round Table during the period when they had conquered their initial passels of bad guys and had nothing much to do but sit around drinking, thumping their chests and generally being swine.
But…
In the picture, there is one upright and stalwart fellow looking out a palace window. What he is seeing is The Holy Grail, floating in over the castle walls.
He sounds the call, the knights all run down to the great hall, The Grail casts its holy and magical spell over all present, and the lot of them clean up their act, pull themselves together and go on one of the great spiritual quests of all time.
[And, I’ll tell ya: The world could really use a great spiritual quest right now. We might even be able to have it, if we wouldn’t automatically start by spending most of our time and energy hacking each other to bits about who knows God by the right name {Harold} in the right color {blue} with the right kind of feet {one Air Jordan, one furry koala paw}.]
What this card implies is that, for your benefit and happiness, YOU CAN (and would do well to) be the one knight looking out onto a greater vista.
Stay grounded. Hold to your ideals. Refuse to demean yourself or anyone else by succumbing to a get-along by going-along philosophy. Don’t even agree with me if you don’t feel like it. But have another cuppa and think it over, do.
If you perceive that this card talks about the quality of your personal life:
!!!!!!!!!!!!!STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spend at least a little time taking stock of what is really important. Figure out how you can pursue that!!!
If this is a card about your workplace or a relationship − and you find it’s a situation worth working on − let yourself say:
“Hold on. IS this the right direction? I think we need to look at changing. What are the ways we can do so and move together, toward the highest and best?”
Be honest with yourself about elements of disillusionment or burnout in life. Be even more honest about any places where your ego may be overriding your truer, better nature.
Look toward YOUR Holy Grail, whatever that means to you. Then begin to do what you need to stay grounded and true to your higher ideals. And move toward them today.
Bright Blessings, joy and a spiritual quest!
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