Sketchbook - Two of Cups

I was kind of excited to go for my fourth post in four days, until I actually cut the deck and drew. You have got to be kidding me -- first the Two and Ace of Wands, now the Ace and Two of Cups. Again I almost cheated and went ahead to a sexier card, and again I decided to just play 'em as I was dealt 'em.

So. I sat and thought for like ten minutes and couldn't come up with anything. I really like this card in readings, but I couldn't think of anything very interesting that remained true to the card's meaning of fellowship, love, reconciliation, and unity.

I figured the bells cover all of that -- some will instantly see them as wedding bells, but bells toll in celebration of pretty much any major event. They even toll the simple passage of time. Tex and I live close enough to a churchtower that we hear its bells toll every hour (five minutes fast) and I am always surprised by how reassuring the sound is. You'd think you get used to it after a while, but apparently no.

And of course, turned up like that, the bells can also be seen as a pair of cups. I kept them as white as possible so they'd look like they were announcing good news.

Also, bells are hard to draw -- they have a totally inflexible curved surface. Try it sometime, you'll see.

Previously On Arcanalogue: The Two Of Cups

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Two of Cups

1. Love
2. Mirror or reflection
3. Harmony

-- David Allen Hulse, The Western Mysteries

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"A Rare Meeting Of Worlds..."

Arthur Edward Waite wrote that the Two of Cups was emblematic of "the desire which is not in Nature, but by which Nature is sanctified." That's a perfect description of this interaction between a tiger cub and a young bottlenose dolphin, which took place last week at a California theme park. Akaasha and Mavrick were allowed to regard each other through the aquarium glass, a rare meeting of worlds that would be all but impossible in any natural setting. Even without anthropomorphizing their reactions too terribly much, their mutual fascination and amazement is completely obvious. They may never meet again (though after the press attention this received, I suspect they will) but for a brief moment no one -- animals included -- knew what would happen next.

For humans, this unexpected intersection of worlds is often where love originates. We orbit each other, exploring the new bond, testing the strength of the connection, daring ourselves and each other to be the first to pull away. While not every "love" experience results in a romantic relationship or a profound friendship, we depend on these elegant disruptions to guide us toward those who fulfill some great half-understood need in our lives; if the feeling turns out to be mutual, then there's so much that can be shared and learned, regardless of the duration of the connection.

I've tried to keep my posts about the Two of Cups pretty platonic, because relationships between family and friends rely just as heavily on these phases of communion and deep understanding, but if the topic of your Tarot reading is romance, you couldn't ask for a better sign. Cultivate an air of openness and availability, and see what happens.

Previously on Arcanalogue...

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Two of Cups

"Wherever Amanda is -- that's home," says Brian Cox about his wife of nine months. The Coxes aren't like most newlyweds, however. Each of them identifies as asexual, and neither have any interest in a sexual relationship with each other or anyone else. As Brian tells their story, I can't help but be fascinated by the simplicity and honesty of the couple's inexplicable bond -- a love that fulfills a mutual need, but exists for no other purpose but itself.

Psychologist Dorothy Tennov coined the term limerence to describe "an involuntary cognitive and emotional state in which a person feels an intense romantic desire for another person." While there are deeper types of romantic attraction to phase into, the initial rush we feel is its own undeniable force; aren't you glad someone came up with a properly beautiful name for it?

I think the Coxes and Dr. Tennov would all approve of the Two of Cups as an appropriate symbol for the form love takes when it first emerges. It's usually one of those cards that you can't help but understand at first sight. It's a true meeting of the hearts -- an instinctive experience which may or may not lend itself to romance, but definitely creates an opportunity for two beings to shut out the entire world and fully apprehend each other, to become aware of each other on a profoundly emotional level.

Like all things emotional, this of course can be a one-sided endeavor, in which case joy can become tinged with despair and obsession. It's still an experience worth having, however -- it comes with the territory of being human. Focus on your purest intentions, and know that every speck of love that you feel hints at your capacity to love larger when the chemistry is mutually apparent. [Via]

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