Baroque Bohemian Cats - Three of Cups

3 Lovelies stand together with golden goblets in their paws. Of course their gowns are gorgeous.

What really strikes me about this card is that only the tabby on the left in the white dress is actually looking at the other ladies. The two facing the reader seem to be looking just over my left shoulder. The two that seem to be ignoring her look somewhat alike, while the third differs vastly in color (though not in type). This offers a lot of potential for varying interpretations, I think, depending on the context of a reading. Perhaps the foreground tabby wants to be friends more strongly than the other two. Perhaps they're the "in crowd" and she is trying to break in. Perhaps the fact that her gown is white means she's a neophyte in some way, or innocent of whatever they're into. Perhaps the other two are more wordly. The fact that the two similar cats are on higher ground seems to emphasize that for me. And that the sky is dark and cloudy.

I can imagine a conversation ...

"Hey, can I join you? Will you be my friends?"

*said in a posh voice* "Hmm, well, I don't know ... perhaps you're just not our type.

There are certainly possibilities in this card that I'm not used to in a three of cups, which is part of what I love about this deck!

More thoughts from my daily reading today ...

I find this kind of a funny card because the two ladies in the back aren't looking at any of the others. And one of them has a man (in statue form) behind her in a way that it looks like he's coming out of her goblet. I find myself wondering what they're talking about. Are they gossiping about relationships? Are they merely enjoying the lovely day? Are they taking a break from their work? Are they at a party, hoping to be seen? I'm also struck by the fact that both cats facing the viewer are white and gold (one has a gray patch too) and the one facing away is a brown tabby, and she's much lower in the picture than the other two. I just finished reading a novel in which racial prejudice played a major part, and I find myself wondering if the brown tabby is reaching to be friends with women who are studiously ignoring her. The brown tabby wears a white gown with red cloak. I'm thinking her motives are pure, and she wants honest friendship. The red cloak implies to me that she's got a passion for life, and perhaps is creative. The cat on the right wears green with flowers and butterflies on it. A natural woman who enjoys the outdoors. The other woman wears purple. Regal, rich, perhaps magical. What do these ladies have in common? Will they be best friends? Is this just a distracted moment, or are they destined to go their separate ways? Perhaps it is the man who gets between them?

I feel as if I'm the brown tabby. Wanting to reach out for friendship, but not quite connecting. Feeling as if I'm slightly out of my element, out of the places that I feel most comfortable in, places in which I very easily befriend others. What is it about my new-ish home that doesn't feel quite right? What gets in my way? Who are these people, and do I really want to be with them? Perhaps if I turn around behind me there is someone there who is looking directly at me instead of ignoring me. Seeing me. Wanting to be my friend but I don't see them because of my distractions.

I just had a further thought. That these ladies are all parts of myself. The brown tabby the passion, the art, the innocence of starting over. The green-gowned woman is my love of nature, of animals, of growing things. And the purple-gowned woman is the successful me. Proud, strong, harnessing her power in productive ways in the world. The fact that these three ladies don't seem to be connecting fully with each other speaks to how scattered I feel these days. Like I'm not fully integrated. Like my life is a series of puzzle pieces that haven't quite fit together.

I feel as if I'm seeing the shadow side of this card. It will be interesting to see how I feel about it in future readings.