Love, Not Obligation

From the Sacred India Tarot, the Five of Arrows (Swords); from the Land Sky Oracle, Asteya:

Relationships based on obligation lack dignity. 

―Wayne Dyer

King Santanu ruled his kingdom with wisdom and virtue, but he longed for a wife (his son's mother was the river goddess Ganga). He found a maiden he longed to marry, but her father denied permission unless her son would be the next heir to the throne. Because his son Devavrata was the rightful heir, he declined. But kindhearted Devarata saw his father's grief and vowed to remain celibate and not take the throne, allowing the marriage. Sometimes disagreements can take on a manipulative and shrewd quality in an effort to get what one wants.  Asteya (literally non-stealing) is an ethical restraint that says we should not take what is not freely given. Santanu did not break this vow because his son willingly gave up the throne. The father of the maiden, on the other hand, was a wily thief.

Cornerstones

From the Sacred India Tarot, the Ten of Lotuses (Cups); from the Land Sky Oracle, Asteya:

Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.

–Marianne Williamson

Ardhanarishvara, a half-male and half-female deity (Shiva and Parvati), illustrates this Ten of Cups. This androgynous figure symbolizes interconnection of what appears to be opposites - wholeness is a sum of diverse parts. There's wisdom in the phrase "through good times and bad" used at weddings. Joy and happiness are not dependent on everything being wonderful, but on our ability to embrace all of life as it is.  Asteya is a social ethic that can be translated 'non-stealing,' yet it includes more than just taking what is not ours to take. Asteya implies the ability to be content with what we have which in turn allows us to practice generosity - two cornerstones for happiness.