Choose Wisely

This week I'll be using the Tarot de St. Croix, created and self-published by Lisa de St. Croix. Along with it, I'll be drawing from the Archetype Cards, created by Caroline Myss and published by Hay House. Today's cards are the Seven of Cups and Martyr:

Emotion and imagination can produce wonderful visions, but without grounding in both action and the outer realities of life these fantastic images remain daydreams, ‘fancies’ without real meaning or value. ―Rachel Pollack

The Seven of Cups reminds me of three kinds of people: those who spend time dreaming about what they want in life, those who try to do a multitude of things at once, and those who choose one thing that lights them up and devote themself to it. The first set of folks never actually do anything concrete to turn their desires into reality. The second group has so many irons in the fire that nothing is done well, and instead of fulfillment, they just feel exhausted. The third cluster acts and focuses on their dream, finds joy in it, and still has time for other things. At various stages in my life, I think I've tried them all. Martyr represents someone who foregoes their own desires for the welfare and well-being of others. Yet this card warns us to check our motives to see if our "selflessness" is just a way to achieve recognition and sympathy. As Wilhelm Stekel wrote, "The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that is wants to live humbly for one."