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]