Soaking in the Past

From the Tarot of the Hidden Realm, the Six of Cups; from the Heart of Faerie Oracle, the 'Queen of the Day:'

          This elven woman soaks in memories of people and places from her past. Some touch her and are bittersweet, as a few of the people who live in her heart are no longer alive. Some remind her of hard times and challenges she was able to overcome. Others are of her childhood home and early years. The pearl she wears at her forehead is symbolic of these experiences - she has been shaped by each of them into the woman she is today. It was not so much the 'who, what and where' that molded her as the way she related to each of experience. The Queen of the Day offers sound advice for those who soak too long in the past: "Be aware of the beauty around you, no matter where you are or what situation you find yourself in, for there is beauty everywhere if you have the eyes to see it. Stop and think about how this day, this situation, can be seen in a better light. Beauty and grace are there, but you must find them." 

Offering Up a Slice of Pie

From the Tarot of Hidden Realm, the Ace of Cups; from the Heart of Faerie Oracle, the "Queen of the Day:"

The otter is for me the perfect choice for the Ace of Cups - a fur-wrapped embodiment of joy. Though these animals must find food and safety, mate and raise children, they still make it all appear as merry playfulness. "Life is too wonderful and delicious not to appreciate," they tell me. "Love is about finding the beauty and delight in everything and everyone around you." The interesting thing about the Ace of Cups is that the more it is shared, the bigger it becomes. The slices of pie don't become smaller for each person, the pie just gets larger.
The Frouds describe this fairy as the queen of blessings, breathing her grace on all who cross her path. Yesterday a friend and I were discussing the Golden Botticelli's Eight of Cups card. Instead of the traditional version of walking away from the cups, there is a priest blessing the cups. Rather than cursing those who've wreaked havoc or caused harm, he asks that grace be given to them. Lately, I've had a few of those kind of people in my life, and I'm reminded by this queen to bless them. I prefer to use a loving-kindness meditation as I picture them in my mind:

May you be filled with loving-kindness;

May you be well;

May you be peaceful and at ease;

May you be happy.

When I feel resistance to offering this cup, I'll try to remember blessing them will only make my cup grow rather than shrink.