For Better or For Worse

  From the Illuminated Tarot this morning comes the Two of Cups:

In this image, the winged lion head is a symbol of divine protection; the caduceus, often mistaken as the medical rod of Asclepius, is a symbolic staff of Hermes/Mercury.  One myth suggests that Hermes came upon two snakes locked in combat.  He used his staff to separate them, and ever since the caduceus has been a sign of peace.  The two cups emphasize the need for both partners to each have their own "full cup" before they share it with another.  No relationship can be healthy (or peaceful) if either partner looks to the other for their own sense of happiness or self-worth.  Today I will be responsible for my own fulfillment rather than demand it from someone else. 

     The card chosen from the Dreaming in Color deck today is "Protection:"

The combination of the above tarot card and this oracle card reflects my evening yesterday.  My husband, who is also my best friend, experienced a case of vertigo last night that literally flattened him.  He spent an hour emptying his stomach in a trashcan.  There was little I could do except stand by with a cold washrag and the trashcan until (what seemed like many long hours) it passed.  There is an instinctive urge to protect those we love from harm and pain, but rarely do we succeed.  Perhaps it is enough to know that someone is willing to sit with us as we go through pain, fear, or grief and not run away from it.