Dark Grimoire Tarot - Two of Chalices

[teomat]

A man and woman sit by a waterfall, caressing each other's faces. They sit in a grassy spot surrounded by red flowers. Clouds are being blown away and a rainbow appears (though the sky seems to contain stars).

Their poses seem to mirror each other. They are equals, and equally share their love. There is a sense of peace, a respite from the storm. Like the clouds, their troubles are disappearing and the rainbow suggests an optimistic outlook. There is a sense of connection, of mutual understanding.

The red flowers however make me think of poppies and their connotations with opium. Is their respite an illusion? A fantasy? A starry sky with a rainbow is not possible, and are the clouds not disappating, but gathering?

 

[Onyx]

This is one of the most peaceful card images in the entire deck. It is of a man and a woman sitting in a meadow by a stream and they seem to be in unified adoration of each other.

These are in my understanding the two main human characters in the deck. The man who seeks to discover and in some way document the existence of the darker world. The woman seeks to engage and become part of that world with its allure and power.

It may be that this card is the beginning of the story in which they both exist in blissful ignorance and embracing the unity and love that is the basis of their relationship.

Yet that may be too sugar coated for this deck. The LWB connects the suit of Chalices with Dreams and the emotional centre. I like to think of this card more as a recollection of the Man as he remembers his romance with the woman. I associate it with the Man because the card shows the woman face forward. It is as if it is from the Man's point of view. The dream of what could have been or that was in the past.

One thing that stands out is the background imagery as it seems to show many of the landscape locations that show up in the deck in other cards. It captures the feel of the setting for the deck.

Onyx.