The Blending Vessel

From the Russian Lubok Tarot, Temperance; from the Oracle of Alice's Leaves, 'Blackberry:'

          Rather than combining liquids by pouring them back and forth, this Temperance is the blending vessel herself in which the mix will occur. She pours out a little water from one bucket in order to balance her yoke. It makes me think of resolutions for the new year which seem to be either one extreme or the other - I want to have more fun or I want to be more disciplined so I can ____ (lose weight, stop smoking, etc.). But we shouldn't have to choose one bucket over the other (with a little creative thinking), which may explain why those resolutions tend to fizzle out. Blackberry, or Rubus spp., is a plant I'm very familiar with. While living on a farm, we picked these juicy berries to eat fresh or freeze for making cobblers. Yet caution had to be observed: the briers were full of sharp thorns, the berries needed to be picked when black not red, and rattlesnakes often lay beneath the foliage. Discernment was needed, a message that parallels the acknowledgment that 'all or nothing' doesn't exist in a balanced state. However, I can have fun while being disciplined, and I can enjoy pleasures while not expecting them to last forever.