Today's Draw: Seven of Cups from the Fairytale Tarot. Do you feel a sense of deja vu? Do you feel a sense of deja vu?
OK. This is getting freaky now. On day four of Baba week, I chose the same card I chose on Day Two. From a different deck. And as if that weren't enough, it's the third "seven" I've chosen in a row. And that can only mean one thing. Either you guys aren't getting the message of the Sevens. Or, as unlikely as it seems, perhaps I'm the one who's not getting it. :)We went over the Seven of Cups two days ago. And not much changes in this version. The fairytale is about a woman with two sisters who are bitter because she's so pretty (but not too bright). Dad goes on a trip and the two sisters ask him to bring back fabric to make dresses. But the pretty one asks for an apple and a silver platter. When dad returns, the pretty, but dull one rolls the apple on the silver platter and magical images appear, beyond one's imagination. So the bitter sisters kill her. And a handsome prince is able to revive her. And he asks her what to do with the sisters, who are guilty of her murder. And she asks him to forgive them. Then he marries her. And, instead of being known for being pretty, but not so bright, she is ever after known for being pretty and kind hearted.
So basically it's the same stuff we've been talking about all week. Choices. Criticism. Struggles over the way we are. And, in this fairytale, a happy ending where the one who took all the heat, was a gracious winner in the end.
The Sevens in tarot indicate struggle and call you to find a way to move forward despite it. But as we discussed yesterday, though we may struggle with outside forces, the impetus for that struggle originates within. It's based on a strongly felt inner truth. One we are not willing to yield to the demands of conformity. We can have peace by just mainstreaming ourselves. Or we can remain steadfast to our unconventional ideals, knowing that they will incite conflict, both within and without.
You know, sometimes we throw up our hands and say to ourselves, "why can't everyone just accept people for who they are?" And everyone can...just so long as everyone is the same. It's our choice to go outside the bounds of conformity that causes all the clamor. We're the sticky wicket. Not them.
This brings to mind a certain person. Very straight-laced. Very proper and presentable. Made all the perfect choices throughout life...perfect childhood, perfect career, perfect partners. Perfect looks. But I can never have a conversation with this person without thinking that they long to bust out of that persona and get down and dirty with the hippie freaks. Just once. Or maybe over and over and over again on some anomalous lost weekend they'll never remember...and never forget. But they would not, could not, ever allow that. Too much has been invested in the image they portray. And I'm not being mean about this person at all. I like them a lot. But always underneath I sense that they wish they'd had the courage to be different...to turn their back on the status quo and face the kinds of judgment and scrutiny that anyone on the fringe faces. We perceive that the people who are the "norm" took the easy route. But look at life through the eyes of someone who's never been able to—or known how to—express themselves fully, and it's a tough row to hoe.
Over the past few days, a number of you have taken a journey with me into those parts of our being that resist conformity and get guff because of it. But I'd rather withstand the raised eyebrows and judgmental whispers of a conformist society than be bound inside a skin that's five sizes too small for the all of me. In a way, the resistance we get from others when we break away from the pack are our badges of honor. This series of Sevens has prompted some of you to express the pain you've felt over the way others see you and your choices. But even the feeling of pain is a choice. Instead of pain, we can feel joy at knowing we're on the right path. Ask yourself if you'd rather be the norm or be special, different. If you vote for the latter, then the whispers and eyebrows merely confirm that you've arrived.
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