The Agony and the Ecstasy
Maribeth,
Things are rocky in my current relationship. We’ve had our share of ups and downs. I recently was in contact with an old boyfriend who lives out of state and who said he wanted to “catch up.”
I bought a plane ticket to go see him soon and I’m curious about what the cards say will happen.
Torn Between Two Lovers
Dear TBTL,
So soon you feel torn between two lovers? You must realize you are consciously and willingly putting yourself in that situation. Is that where you want to be? Well, I guess I better answer your question before I start asking my own…
The cards that came up for your reading are the 8 of Pentacles, the 10 of Swords, and the 9 of Wands. These are big numbers in the minor arcana. The higher the number in the tarot suit, the longer the issue has been around, the more stale it can be, and the harder to deal with. You can probably tell that I looked at the cards before I jumped on you about your avoidance of the problem. These cards tell me that rather than trying to solve your difficulties, you are choosing to create a new problem. This ultimately makes things harder for you. I expect you are probably excited about this trip, it’s all very romantic and all, but I’m not clear about how this is going to help you.
The 8 of Pentacles shows a guy hard at work. He is proud of his accomplishments as you can tell by the way he has them displayed on the wall above him. He continues to put effort in and apply himself to the task at hand. Take a look at the castle in the background on the left. If you look carefully you will see that the path to that castle does not run directly from where he sits. There is an obstacle to overcome before he can get to his castle in the sky. If this hard-working man is the man in your current relationship, than that obstacle is you if you are not working with him toward resolving your conflict. If you don’t think it will work, then let him know he doesn’t need to try anymore. He deserves to be able to move on too.
The 10 of Swords is the card of agonizing defeat. There is so much hurt around your relationship that you can’t bear to endure more. Neither one of you wants to kill this relationship, but you don’t want to give up either. Maybe these are things you can talk about with your ex when you go visit him. These cards show me that you are not ready to start a new relationship until you finish the old one. Perhaps going on this trip is the straw that broke the camel’s back. It sure is a definite sign that things with your current relationship are lacking in love. You have every suit of the tarot in this spread except cups – the suit of love and happiness.
The 9 of Wands shows more work and a feeling of being beat up. The green buds on all of these wands symbolize new growth and potential for you. You need a break, kid. By jumping out of the frying pan into the fire, you are not giving yourself a chance to heal and learn from this experience. Go easy on yourself. Enjoy this trip as a vacation and a chance to escape, but don’t take on more than you can handle. One man at a time, with ample time in between relationships, is the healthy way to do it without overextending your body and your mind. If your ex has been through some rough times, let your friendship help you to connect on that level first. I hope you’ll write back next month so we can see how things are going!
