Furnace of Love

From the Rohrig Tarot, the Ace of Cups; from the Master Tarot, 'The Comet:'

          The companion book describes the Ace of Cups as "love in all its modes of expression." A woman walks into the fiery radiance of such love, offering no resistance. Where there is love, the heart is vulnerable and wears no armor. Whether it's a pet, a child, a spouse, a lover or friend, our heart resonates with their joys and their sorrows. Love can melt us in its furnace, yet it can also transform our heart. It requires us not to become self-absorbed in the emotion so that we lose sight of our connection. The Comet suggests an auspicious time and states that "something is about to pierce through our armor." Sounds like an opening of the heart, but in order to welcome it fearlessly, it might be best to take Sharon Salzberg's advice:

Love is a feeling and it’s what we yearn for, but looking deeper, it’s a capacity within us to care and to want others and ourselves to be free from suffering. We want to have a sense of belonging that’s rightful no matter who we are, and that is an ability within us. If we think of it as a warm fuzzy feeling then it’s in the hands of someone else. I describe it as being beholden to person holding a package on our doorstep who then changes their mind. They’ve gone somewhere else and then there’s no love in our lives. That’s the way we usually think about it. But if we see love as a capacity within ourselves to connect, then people can enliven it, enrich it or threaten it but no one is giving it to us. Or taking it away.