Action, Grief, and the Bridge Beyond

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We have a uniquely thorny reading this week, dear readers, but it’s not one to despair over. In fact, there’s a mysterious liveliness animating our cards that I’m excited to explore. As is best practice in a one-on-one reading, I’m going to start with the sad elephant in the room: The Five of Cups. Yes, we’re going to be grieving this week, but the experience is more gentle than we may expect.

I was just talking with someone about another sad, grief-centered card this past week - the Three of Swords. It features a juicy red heart punctured by, you guessed it, three swords. Behind this grizzly scene, plump clouds pour forth rain. It’s an immediate and obvious card: You don’t need to be a tarot scholar to interpret it. This is raw pain, upset, sadness. The blow has just been dealt and you’re feeling everything.

In contrast, the Five of Cups is much more gradual, as if the rain has subsided and left an active river coursing through our lives. We, however, are on the riverbank, wrapped in a long black cloak, mourning. We can see what’s been lost - the three cups tipped onto their sides, their contents slowly seeping into the ground - yet behind us something remains. Two cups are upright still. Our feet are on solid ground and a bridge arches over the river in the background, marking a clear path to a citadel. We can take this route when we’re ready, but for the moment we still have work to do.

Let’s go back to the beginning. At the start of the week we’re far from the experience of the Five of Cups. Things are humming along nicely. The Eight of Wands is a card of swift action. This is a nice encouragement to stop thinking so much and get in the flow of things. Work can come together quickly under this card. It’s a nice opportunity to accept and enjoy natural focus, trusting we’ve prepared for whatever’s coming our way.

And where I’m getting a softer experience of the Five of Cups, for some of us at least, is that the productivity and good fortune of the Eight of Wands is blending perfectly into the next card. Just look at the river winding behind both images! They fit together like pieces of a puzzle. It’s astounding. (And astoundingly satisfying as a tarot reader!) Emotion, like the river, may be silently traveling with us as we tend to daily life via the Eight of Wands. Something, however, makes our grief or pain unmistakable acute. A memory of past suffering brought up in our current moment? An anniversary that takes us by surprise? Success challenging or stirring up past assumptions of what’s possible? Whatever it may be, we’re dropped suddenly into the consuming Five of Cups.

This is one of the circumstances when a tarot reading can be a helpful forecasting tool. What would you do to prepare yourself if you knew that this middle of the week held the potential for stormy emotional weather? Take stock now at what could be agitating old wounds and do what you can to be in a position to care for yourself with love and compassion.

I say “old wounds” here because the Five of Cups isn’t the same as the Three of Swords with its emo intensity. You’ll notice that this card, fortunately for us, features an actual human being. No matter how jarring our experience of emotional distress, this card reminds us that we are here, full grown people in the world. We’re wearing situationally appropriate clothing. We can see what’s in front of us. We can do this.

I’m also having a rather epic tarot moment over here as I type this. Look at the backgrounds in both of these cards. Do you see that building way off in the distance in the Eight of Wands, so tiny it’s just an unassuming grey square? Travel over to the Five of Cups and we see a similar structure, but closer. What we see in this card that wasn’t present in the Eight of Wands, however, is a bridge. Could our experience of grief be giving us the path towards security we’ve been looking for? One that’s been missing as we rush through life with the Eight of Wands? This is not to say that the Eight of Wands was a distraction or unnecessary to our process; the transition from the two, however, may feel jarring in the moment with its unexpected contrast.

This is all very exciting, but the Five of Cups is still a challenging card. In fact, all fives deal with themes of challenge and are true embodiments of the saying “the only way out is through.” We can’t see (or even deal with) the bridge or the citadel until we’ve taken a long look at the cups we’ve lost, honored their time with us and what they’ve meant for us. Give yourself time this week, feel all the feelings. You’ll know when you’re ready to turn around, pick up what’s left, and walk across the bridge.

Our final card is a bit tricky. The Page of Swords is looking to the past, hair aflutter in the wind, and determined to make sense of it all. I actually think this is not the best idea. After the busy energy of the Eight of Wands and the intense feeling of the Five of Cups, a little rest would be wise. Notice how you might be tempted to overanalyze, explain, and justify the past and, in doing so, reopen the wounds you’ve been working hard to heal.

Like all cards, however, there are healthy ways to engage with this Page and give them a job that will bolster your life instead of detract from it. Rather than analyzing your hurt or journey, turn your curiosity outwards. Let your mind enjoy a healthy distraction: research something fascinating, translate your big feelings into small pieces of art (nothing too epic!), and notice what other interests are calling you into the next phase.

It’s possible that the Page of Swords could be representing another person in your life. Be alert for hot takes, unsolicited advice, or those unable to appreciate or understand the nuances of your situation. Directing a little love and a lot of strong boundaries towards and round this energy will help keep you focused on the growth of your current experience.