The Roots of Friendship

From the Wheel of Change Tarot, the Three of Cups; from the Oracle of the Dreamtime, the Southern Cross:

          While the lotus buds arise from different areas of the lake, they are all rooted in the mud below. It reminds me of C.S. Lewis' quote: "The typical expression of opening friendship would be something like, 'What? You too? I thought I was the only one'." Sometimes we find each other in common challenges, other times in common interests or passions. There may be glaring differences in some areas, but usually there is at least one deeply shared principle. Yet the roots of relationships can be cut, such as when trust has been broken. But the Southern Cross card brings up another possibility. The first three humans believed God would provide food if they refrained from eating animals. When the available food sources ran out and they began dying of hunger, two of them killed an animal in order to survive. The third man refused to partake, parted ways with them and eventually died, becoming part of the constellation. Many friendships break apart because one friend tries to force their beliefs on another or denigrates the other person's beliefs. Our ideas are shaped by the causes and conditions that we've grown in.  Perhaps that acknowledgment could lead to more tolerance.