December 19, 2020: 1/Ace of Chalices and 6 of Chalices

Well, I guess this will be a Watery day, eh?  In the Decameron Tarot, the suit of Chalices represents the element of Water (and all of its correspondences, including feelings, emotions, dreams and visions), and the soul (the immortal and non-physical part of a living being).  

The Aces of the Tarot Minor Arcana offer possibilities within the parameters of the suit.  No promises are offered, just a hint of the potentials that are currently being presented or that might appear in the near future.  We still have to take the steps needed to access those potentials, but they will be there anyway, whether we grab them or ignore them.  The image on the Decameron 1/Ace of Chalices (my Inner Focus card for today) shows a naked man struggling mightily to carry a huge silver Chalice.  In that Chalice is a naked woman, with her hands behind her head as if relaxing, and her eyes closed.  Despite the fact that in his efforts, the man appears to be rocking and rolling that Chalice (so much that one of her leges swings wildly), she is still somnolent.  The key phrase associated with this card is: masculine force is not enough to control desire.  This image portrays this sentiment perfectly; even the man is getting no pleasure from his efforts to lift and control this Chalice, for we can see that his uncircumcised penis is not only soft, but nudged out of the way by the stem of the Chalice.  It might even hurt to move the Chalice, but the man continues even though he is not getting his desired results.

My Outer Focus card is another of the suit of Chalices, the 6 of Chalices.  The image on this one shows a person with his/her back to us, sitting in a flowery meadow beneath some thickly leafed trees, reading from a book.  The key words and phrases for this card are: melancholy, the need for serenity, and sad memories.  This card is a bit different from the traditional meaning for the 6 of Cups (good will, innocence, indulging in play), although the melancholy presented does not preclude those traditional meanings.  This card tells us that those meanings and memories might create a bit of wistfulness, and it would be best if we spend some time alone so we can deal with those feelings.  After all, emotions can be a wild ride, particularly when they are being stirred up by others.  Yeah, a bit of mixed metaphors there, but you get the picture.

Perhaps we all can identify with these two cards during this holiday season, especially this year, with the influences and constraints of the Covid-19 pandemic.  We are being forced to adjust our lives, and to prepare to celebrate the holiday season and at the same time isolate ourselves in order to keep our family and loved ones safe.  This certainly could add to a sense of being forced to act in a certain way, or a sense that we must force ourselves to pick up the Chalice and do the work even though others don't seem to notice our efforts.  We can heal our souls by getting out into Nature and spending some time alone with the workings of the natural world.  This could allow us to deal with sad feelings, and to remind ourselves that while we might feel isolated right now, the beauty and serenity of the natural world and all the entities that live within it are always available to us.