Emotionalism

This week I'll be using the Tarot of the Crone, a book and deck set created and self-published by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince. I'll be pairing it with Transforming Dragons, a set created by Sonia Cafe and published by Weiser. Today's cards are the Ten of Cups and Esberfonc:

          It was hard not to think of Coldplay's song, Sky Full of Stars, when I saw this card. Lorenzi-Prince writes that the Ten of Cups is about the power of emotion "to overwhelm your body with sensation, your mind with vision or delusion, and your soul with an epiphany beyond tongue to tell." This description sounds like the experience of mystics, which tends to be more feeling than intellect. In this state of being swept up by emotion, the usual separate sense of self falls away. The revelations or insights a person may have is usually difficult for him or her to fit into a box of words. The kicker is it (at least its natural, non-drug-induced form) comes out of the blue, like an unexpected gift.
          Esberfonc is emotionalism personified in dragon form. I often see this in people in recovery, whose addiction previously gave them the highest of highs. Without chemicals life seems dull and flat, so they seek out turbulent relationships and create drama for excitement. Mole hills become mountains in order to maintain the feeling of chaos. It makes me think of a spoiled child at his birthday party. When the gifts run out, he screams and cries for more. This synthetic kind of joy isn't real (and isn't really happiness either). True joy appears when the heart is open and reaching out with love, not when grasping selfishly.