Sometimes We Forget The Past...

January 22, 2012: Six of Cups, Utah Mannini Two Tarot

Six represents the evolution of three, and the threes are all the triad of beginnings, like the three legs of a cauldron, so sixes represent what has been built on that foundation. With cups, however, we have a tendency to forget that the vessel is actually containing and shaping the flow of water/emotion/transcendence/intuition, and that when we started, we needed to approach the raw materials of the situation when they were in their natural state, before putting them into the cup(s). So, I think the original description of this card as submitted by its creator, Sandy Elphin, will accurately reflect what this card is telling your Tarot Witch today:

"This is a simple cut-and-paste job of some images I found on a free site. I chose to use something that was pretty cut and dried, the cups all sitting in a formation, like most people probably think about their lives. We have a tendency to look back on the past a little too much and think of it as much better than the present is. The formation is quite regular, the cups all marching in an array behind the leader--all except the one at the base of the figure, which for sixes represents "number one". It's all spilt all over the place, but no one is paying attention. The convoy of cups is marching on, and leaving that stain on the tablecloth for someone else to worry about. The card is trying to show that number one, the past, is often pretty messy, but we forget about that, and number two, thinking too much about the past can even "leak" and make a mess of our present too. The card is a reminder that the important day is the one you are living right now."

There is only one place where I would disagree with Sandy's interpretation...well, maybe not disagree, exactly, but offer an additional perspective. I do agree that with the realm of emotion, dwelling on the past can be counterproductive. It is important to feel what you're actually feeling right now, and not to wallow in things that have "flowed" past you, out of your reach. BUT--I would definitely not leave that stain on the tablecloth, and why isn't someone helping that poor first cup to get up on its stem again and join the parade? Past emotions that involve other people are something for which we are responsible. Making amends, apologizing, setting things right, these are the things that make it possible for us to go on without drowning in a whirlpool of our own making. So, yes, concentrate on today's cup. Be here now, and do what you are feeling and thinking for today. Be present in the moment, drink from today's cup. But--clean up your mess first, 'k? Thanks!