The Kindness of Connection

From the Fey Tarot, the Queen of Chalices; from the I Misteri Della Sibilla, the Five of Clubs:

Compassion manifests in us as the offering of kindness rather than withdrawal.
—Sharon Salzberg

The drops emerging upward from the Queen's cup are her version of texts, calls, and letters to see how people are doing. She is a listener, one who can empathize with kindness without self-identifying and drowning in the feelings of others. Compassion isn't trying to fix someone - which is often just a reaction to our being uncomfortable. While we may offer advice if asked for, it's more about bearing witness to someone's pain so they don't feel alone and disconnected. The Five of Clubs suggests good fortune that is created by our own actions. As St. Basil said, "They who sow courtesy reap friendship, and they who plant kindness gather love."

Have Fun With It

From the Tarot of the Masters, the Eight of Coins; from the Key to the Kingdom, the Five of Clubs:

Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun. — Mary Lou Cook

This drawing is based on The Needlewoman, a painting by Diego Velazquez. Ricklef suggests the Eight of Coins urges us to exercise our skills with fulfillment and satisfaction. Those who have talents and make a living from them are often expected to crank out more and more, like the writer of a best-selling novel who then has expectations and deadlines hanging over her head. In our drive to be successful, we take the fun of playing around out of practicing our craft. The Five of Clubs card is paired with a rhyme about bats, the ending of which says: "For something is amiss or out of place, when mice with ears can wear a face." Fear of the unknown can cause us to make choices we likely would not have made if we were thinking clearly. Whatever our talent, experimenting can only help us in the long run as what is popular or wanted by our patrons will change over time.