Tyldwick - Four of Cups

BodhiSeed

On a mantel sit four German beer steins with a medieval tapestry behind them. These steins originally had lids to keep out insects. But what is being kept out here? A clue can be found in the tapestry - it is a part of a group of tapestries called "The Hunt of the Unicorn." In this particular tapestry, the unicorn is using its magic to purify the water that had been poisoned by snake venom. The unicorn represents the ideals many of us have when we start something new. Unfortunately, real life rarely lives up to those ideals. I remember when I first started working with women alcoholics and addicts. I wanted to save them, to help turn their lives around. The reality was that most of them just wanted money or help getting out of the bind they currently found themselves in. So for a while, I was like these steins - shut down and closed because I felt I wasn't making a difference. Instead of focusing on the few who really wanted help, I wanted to give up. In the Four of Cups, there is a closing off and isolation. There is a danger of becoming self-absorbed and full of self-pity, but there is an equal chance for self-reflection and reassessment. If we choose the latter, we can still use the lids to keep out the "insects" but lift them up for others to keep the love flowing.

malpertuis.co.uk/2013
 

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upawell

Instead of focusing on the few who really wanted help, I wanted to give up. In the Four of Cups, there is a closing off and isolation. There is a danger of becoming self-absorbed and full of self-pity, but there is an equal chance for self-reflection and reassessment. If we choose the latter, we can still use the lids to keep out the "insects" but lift them up for others to keep the love flowing.

malpertuis.co.uk/2013

I love this! It feels perfectly aligned with the message of Four of Cups.