My Inner Focus card for today is the 7 of Chalices. The image on this card shows a naked man and a naked woman. The man is seated in a chair before a wooden table. He has his back to us; he is holding to his mouth a bowl that contains the final bits of gravy or broth, which he is drinking. Before him on the wooden table is a spoon. The woman is laying on her stomach on the table facing the man, resting on her elbows with her breasts cushioning her. She is smiling and has one finger in her mouth, as if she was perhaps tasting his meal. The key phrases for this card are: recovery of energy, patience, anticipation, search for comfort.
My Outer Focus card is the King of Swords. The Decameron King of Swords shows a broadly smiling King of middle age wearing a crown and nothing else, with a dark beard and dark hair, and dark body hair on his chest and well-rounded belly, having sex with a naked woman on a rumpled bed. He appears to be standing or kneeling on the floor at the far side of the bed and his upper body is mostly upright. The woman is laying cross-wise on the bed, with her knees wide and her head hanging off the near side of the bed, so the viewer is seeing her face upside-down. Her knees are spread wide, and one of her hands rests on the King's belly. The King has one hand on one of her knees for support; the other hand is grasping his royal Sword, point grounded on the floor in front of the mattress. His royal robe is tossed over the pillows, off to the side. The key phrases for this card are: don't refuse twilight-of-life intimacy, and spiritual values do not decline over the years, they increase.
The Decameron 7 of Chalices has a calmer and more optimistic feel to it than the traditional meaning of this card, which is more about wishful thinking, overindulgence, and choices, some with dangers. There is a sense of camaraderie in this image. The man has filled his stomach, and the woman has enough time to interact in a relaxed way. It is as if these two were old friends, enjoying some time together, without any expectations or demands, and that fulfills our spirit. Friendships don't always exist without expectations, and this card is reminding me that I am lucky enough to have relationships like that shown on this card.
Our King of Swords is confident and happy. He is pleasuring a woman who appears younger than he is, although he does not appear to have any gray hair at all. He is leaning over her with his hand pressing her knee open, but it does not appear that he is holding her in place. He is using his Sword for support and stability, telling me that perhaps he is performing well because he believes he can; after all, the suit of Swords is about the workings of the mind. Perhaps their intercourse was robust enough that she has ended up half hanging off the bed. No wonder he has a smile on his face!
There is pleasure to be had from both cards. Sharing a meal with a friend can enliven us. Taking a respite or a vacation, whether mental or physical, can be rejuvenating, as long as we don't allow inertia to prevent us from re-engaging once we've had a bit of rest and refueling. Actively grasping the pleasures that life offers us, even if culture dictates that we are too "mature" for those pleasures, can be enlivening as well. Inactivity can age us, and this card pair is reminding me that if I remain active and engaged in a robust manner, and apply times of rest judiciously, I will remain vital and vigorous and able to enjoy the pleasures of life beyond the traditional expectations of my age.
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