Created, Recreated

This week I'll be using the New Liminal Tarot, created by Penelope Cline and self-published through Make Playing Cards. I'll also be using the State By State Playing Cards created by Wendy Cipolla Boccuzzi and published by U.S. Games. Today's draws are the Lovers and Oregon (Jack of Clubs):

 The partners in great relationships don’t expect “perfect,” and never have. They know that great relationships are created, and then recreated, every day. —Randi Gunther

Finding a healthy relationship with a partner involves looking for someone that complements rather than completes us. Based on loyalty rather than a transaction, it is rooted in love and respect. Such partners give each other the freedom to grow within the commitment, each having interests and ideas of their own. They see challenges and conflicts as ways to develop a more resilient partnership.  Yet no matter where we find ourselves, they always feel like home. Oregon (Jack of Clubs) is known for its production of Christmas trees, a fragrant, lovely addition for holiday decor. Yet a cut tree, even if kept in water, will soon begin to dry out and lose its needles. It is a reminder that a changing love is a living love.

Just a Sham

From the Tarot of the Masters, the Three of Swords; from the Key to the Kingdom, the Jack of Clubs:

Let them believe that they're loved and wanted and then show them that it's all a sham.

― Agatha Christie

Ricklef's sketch is based on Gustave Courbet's Girl with Seagulls. Used as the Three of Swords, it reminds me of the baiting used to hunt game and birds. The animals see it as an offering of food and end up paying for their trust with their lives. How do we know if people are trustworthy and won't betray our love or friendship? We watch rather than just listen. Do they omit or exaggerate important details? Do they follow up on promises in a timely manner? Do they keep confidences? As Terry Goodkind wrote, "Only those you trust can betray you." The Jack of Clubs is paired with a poem based on Shakespeare's play that ends with: "On Midsummer's eve take you dreams to bed, let you wake a fool with a donkey's head." Sometimes our desires and longings override our common sense. In this case, "sleep on it" might not be a bad idea.

Avoiding Quakes

From the Fey Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from the I Misteri della Sibilla, Servant (Jack of Clubs):

Most RWS style decks show the Seven of Swords as someone carrying off things that belong to others. This Fey, however, has only one large sword and seems to be blending into the masonry. Together with the Sibilla's Servant card (and the fact that the holidays are upon us), my thoughts go in a different direction than usual. This combination might suggest I could be of better service by keeping some of my opinions to myself, especially when airing them only serve my ego. If someone comments about a great book they finished and it's one I've also read, I don't have to rain on their joy by telling them I would have preferred more character development and less flowery descriptions. As Voltaire wrote: "Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes."

The Best Revenge

From the Tarot of the Masters, the Three of Swords; from the Key to the Kingdom, the Jack of Clubs:

The three dead birds in this Three of Swords reminds me of folks who see lovers not as a person but simply as conquests. For unattached people looking for love, charm can be hard to ignore when they are desperate and being paid some attention. Even if they've heard stories about the charmer, they may believe they can be 'the one.' When that turns into a notch on someone's belt or handbag, it can be easy to want revenge. Yet the Jack of Clubs is given a verse that might make us pause:

Jackass in the box,

Turn the key and up he pops;

On Midsummer's Eve

Take your dreams to bed,

Lest you wake a fool

With a donkey's head.

In the words of George Herbert, "Living well is the best revenge."