Tobaira of the Waters (37)
This thread is so informative!
This is long, and I'm sorry about that. If it were shorter, more people would read it through, I believe. I've tried to make it as readible and easy on the eyes as possible with the use of color. I didn't want to edit out what I thought as I sat gazing at Tobaira -- and here is the unabridged version that I have, straight from what I wrote word for word.
PS -- Symbols that I see are included in the last section, about other impressions.
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Tobaira of the Waters
Emotional Atmosphere
Serenity, peacefulness ... It makes me feel like I’m sitting around a fireplace with my “family” -- my close friends, my loved ones. We’re sitting there enjoying each other’s company in companionable silence that intermingles a mad case of the giggles sometimes if one of us does something silly, like pour honey water over someone’s head. There’s a quiet happiness there, a serene joy, a sense of being true to oneself.
Aspect of Life Symbolized
The growth of one’s self -- the growth of one’s heart and soul (ie, personal growth). More emotional than spiritual, it conveys a sense of revolving or circling around a person, like a vortex of peaceful joy that illuminates the person’s heart, and the things or characteristics that the person needs to find within himself in order to be content or to find true happiness.
Mental Characteristics
It’s multi-faceted, with each aspect of the self seemingly integrated with all the people who are sitting around the “fireplace” with the person himself as the part that holds them all together. There are a myriad things there, making it a complex tapestry of the various sides that a person’s soul can incorporate, the various subcategories of the heart. Each part represents the various facets to a person’s character -- all of which come together smoothly and harmoniously.
Spiritual Characteristics
An uplifting of the soul, an unburdening, the heart's contentment -- enlightenment through reflections of the self in the “water” that one holds, telling that even though sometimes the reflection that we see ripples and wavers, distorting the way we are, we have to have faith, and see beyond the surface and into the heart of who we really are. Telling that even if the water shows us back a reflection we do not like, we still have what it takes to change the image. Telling that even if the water runs out, even if we cannot see at all who we are or see where we stand, there is still a reservoir of sparkling fresh cold water running in a river in our hearts, or a lake in our soul, and that we can always reach out and scoop up more if we want. Enlightenment, with an emphasis on the “light” part -- a lighthearted light that shines forth from within and becomes an illumination of our true self.
Most Appealing
The serenity, the calmly joyful acceptance of all that we are and all that we do and have. A feeling of being at peace with ourselves and what we have done in the past, and a feeling of optimism about the future. The card conveys so much beauty by depicting Tobaira, and that beauty is something that I feel reflects from inside as well. The inclusion of the water element makes me feel very ... wonderful, very refreshed, like I could scoop up water both to drink and drench my thirst as well as to see what and how I am – an inner reflection of me.
Anything Uncomfortable or Unappealing?
Not at all.
Other Ideas / Impressions
The water she holds in her hands, the water that is trickling through – as I said, I feel like it’s used as a kind of “divination” tool, but a divination tool that reflects only the way we are inside. It may show a distorted reflection but that’s just because we sometimes distort ourselves, or hide ourselves away. The flowers in her hair remind me of the sweet, endearing scent of spring and summer, when all things seem possible and when beginnings are made. The flowers bespeak of a joy and a wonderfully soft gentleness. The tear-drop shaped moonstone that Tobaira is wearing is like an amulet that guides the way – a precious treasure that illuminates the path and beats along with the rhythm of our heart. Some of the girls around her are giggling lightheartedly, even doing silly things while others have their eyes closed, looking for all the world like they are bathing in sunlight or sun warmth that I can’t see -- they are all aspects of the many facets of a person. There’s deep contemplation there, and a sense of happiness -- of being one with yourself.