Deirdre of the Sorrows - Two of Coins

shadowdancer

Here we see a gentleman dressed in what some may consider to be similar to a court jester’s outfit. His red shoes look very oversized, his suit showing many coloured diamonds on both the trouser and upper body parts. He is standing in front of a small copse of trees, balancing a narrow yoke across his shoulders. In one of the scales (to our left as we look at the card) we see a golden orb or bubble containing a set of books. Some coins are falling from this particular scale. In the other scale (which hangs slightly lower than the previous one) we see another golden orb or bubble containing a house. The house itself appears to be at a waters edge, with the reflection of the house clearly visible. Below and outside this orb we see a tiny red heart.
Above his head is the symbol for infinity, but more interestingly in my opinion, we also see arrows engraved on a tree behind him, on arrow pointing to the left, the other arrow pointing to the right. He has his left arm stretched out and appears to be trying to bring down the scale containing the books. In fact it is the books he is focussed on, with his facial expression showing he is either not happy or is in deep concentration.

Deirdre has indicated this as showing he has taken on too much responsibility and is struggling to cope. Certainly we can empathise as he tries to balance his home life with perhaps an issue of study, or a returning to education. When I saw this I thought how some university students must feel when they consider their future as such – do they stay at home or near home where there is security, or do they follow their ambitions and attend university, where there is a real risk of incurring debt or financial constraints? I believe if this scenario does ring a bell, our young man is showing favour towards the latter, but is fully aware of what may be at stake. For now he feels as though the balance is tipped in favour of taking the security home can offer.

I also like how this card is linked with learning how to say NO. Certainly if this appears with the Queen of Swords it is an approach that should not be shirked away from. Otherwise you may find you are trying to balance not only your own life, but also the demands of others. No wonder you are not looking happy with your lot, and yet there is potential for such happiness if only you could put your own needs first for a change. Just look at the heart on the right hand side. It is not linked to anything, but is there to show there is potential. Is home where his heart is? If so, should he perhaps change his focus towards this instead?

The falling coins can tell so many stories in their own right. It can show that money is being frittered away, or allowed to fall through out of negligence or poor investment. With the balancing act he is trying to maintain, there is nothing he can do about it – he is forced to watch on rather helpless. If he is to retrieve the coins that have been dropped he needs to drop the balancing act. This may not go down too well with some, but he may need to give up trying to balance an issue here before the loss becomes damaging.

So, what can we make of the arrows. He is certainly met with choices. He can go either way, but it is not apparent in the card which way is preferable. Other cards may indicate what is at stake and show the possible outcomes for each direction. I also see this that he is sort of in limbo. The left arrow could be pointing to an issue of the past that has relevance to his current position. Could the right arrow be there to show there is no going back, tempting though it may be? Either way he has a choice. His path is his to take, but certainly he needs to start focussing and prioritising before he becomes too frustrated or resentful of the demands he has on his shoulders. They may be of his own making, or they may be caused by others. Either way he can do something about it.