Five of Cups

No card in the Tarot is unequivocally negative, but some push harder than others. Here, the delicate balance of the Four of Cups has been upset, resulting in some spillage. It's not the end of the world, but our emotions can't always tell the difference, so we end up pumping ourselves full of bitter disappointment, inconsolable grief, or stubborn easily-injured pride whether it's warranted or not. We shun the assets we still have in favor of grieving the assets we've lost. It's actually the most human thing you can imagine.

In Robert Louis Stephenson's story The Bottle Imp [PDF document] a strange wish-granting bottle proves to be more than a curse on its owners; it becomes a lifelong obsession, a shatter-proof symbol of what is forsaken when we start bargaining away our future happiness (or even that of others) in exchange for instant gratification. Kind of makes me feel a little funny about this Ghost In A Bottle-- because once you owned one, how could you help but open it, no matter what that means for your car keys or your TV remote?