The Size of Your Cup

This week I'll be using the Tarot of the Master, created by Giovanni Vacchetta and published by Lo Scarabeo. Along with it, I'll be drawing from the Paracelsus Oracle, published by Lo Scarabeo with instructions written by Gina di Roberto. The cards drawn for today are the King of Chalices and Fortuna Minor:

          This King of Chalices, with his tilted crown, looks like he's had quite a few cups of cheer. The booklet describes him as a 'vine grower' or cultivator of grapes for wine. From his celebratory mood, it looks like he's had a good year. But I'm guessing he's the kind of person that always sees the glass as half full. Cups are vessels made for holding; we can choose to put anything in them, from sludge to sparkling cider. Fortuna Minor (lesser fortune) suggests success brought about by change. Perhaps what we worked for didn't pan out, but that doesn't mean we don't have other things to be cheerful about. A gallon of sweet tea with 1/4 a teaspoon of salt added to it will likely still be delicious, but only if our mind can let go of that quarter teaspoon and enjoy the rest. Though we may not always be able to control what gets dumped in our cups, we can choose to make our hearts any size we want. 

With such a vast heart,

immense as the wide-open sea,

suffering cannot overpower us,

just as a small handful of salt

cannot make a great river salty.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Just Like the Seasons

From the Tarot of the Master, the Hierophant; from the Geomancy Cards, "Fortuna Minor:"

          I'm not a fan of the Hierophant, but it helps to think of him as a teacher rather than an oppressive, religious leader. The keyword assigned to this card is "faith," another term that makes me uncomfortable. I find it impossible to believe in a deity who responds to the prayers of a athlete asking for a victory and not the prayers of a starving child in an impoverished country. Love shouldn't be based on a lottery, in my opinion. Though there may be a Power that moves through all creation, I personally don't believe it interferes in the natural course of things.
          Fortuna Minor (lesser fortune) is connected to the Sun, just like Fortuna Major (greater fortune). I struggled with  the difference between the two, trying to understand what makes one greater and one lesser. It finally dawned on me that Fortuna Minor is connected to external change which sets up fortunate events, while the Fortuna Major is connected with an internal strength that doesn't depend on outer circumstances for success. Perhaps that is the Hierophant's message in the Fortuna Minor: be patient because change will come, just as summer moves into autumn.

Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh