Apportionment

From the Tarot de St. Croix, the Six of Pentacles; from the Archetype Cards, Slave:

When we are motivated by compassion and wisdom, the results of our actions benefit everyone, not just our individual selves or some immediate convenience. ―The Dalai Lama

Yab-yum statues, seen in Tibetan Buddhist art, often just look like deities copulating to Western eyes. Yet this form actually represents the primordial union of wisdom and compassion. The male symbolizes mercy and appropriate response (compassion) and the female depicts insight and intelligence (wisdom). As an illustration of the Six of Pentacles, it implies an equal footing when it comes to giving and receiving. But this is not always the case, as the Slave archetype warns. I am reminded of the phrase "I serve at the pleasure of the president," meaning that one's position depends solely on the contentment of another rather than our own. Giving up our integrity or agency in return for something we think we need is not a balanced or healthy type of apportionment.