Four of Wands & Two of Cups β€” Napo Tarot

Friday, March 16th, 2012

My younger sister was willing to pick a card, although she was not willing to ask a question. She likes this deck. I asked her what the picture made her think of. She said, β€œNot a thing.” I think it’s great that she specifically does like the colors and shapes of the deck but attaches no meaning to the image because it is too abstract. I have trouble liking something that I find too abstract to attach meaning to.

 

Interpretation: β€œCompletion of work. Activity at a standstill, work unresolved. Union of equal forces.”

 

I need to make a story for everything. Sometimes, the story is particularly boring. These people are cheerleaders, shaking their pom-poms of fruit and leaves because they are happy to be done with what they set out to do.

 

I need a clarifying question, as it is obvious to me that neither my sister nor I are accomplishing what we mean to be doing. β€œWhat is the purpose of procrastination?” I ask, and draw the Two of Cups, reversed.

 

Interpretation: β€œLove, affection, relationship, courtship, friendship, marriage, pleasure, joy.”

 

Procrastination happens when we do not love what we are supposed do and therefore we put off the task at hand by doing something we love to do more.

 

β€’Β Β  β€’Β Β  β€’

 

I somewhat do not like this deck, perhaps because the Little White Book totally sucks. The introduction starts out, β€œArgentina is a country brimming with esoteric possibilities. Our aboriginal mythology, rich and profound, always skirts around mystery, destiny and hope.”

[…and finishes…]

“Bringing this deck of cards to the public is the satisfying result of a search for inner symbols. The Tarot cards came out of my imagination, and the drawings by Napo came as a result of the knowledge of the cycles of life. We thus immerse myth in history and find the same meanings, the same question, as in the Tarot of the Middle Ages.”

 

Unfortunately, there is nothing in the book about what the esoteric possibilities of Argentina are, little mention of mythology or explanation of the symbols she used, no talk of what came out of her imagination, no mention about how she and Napo worked together, nothing. Mystery becomes uninteresting when there are zero clues. I’m glad she found her inner symbols. I am sure others of her culture understand the symbols of this deck better than I do. But because she does not help me relate, her symbols do nothing for me. Either that or I’m just grumpy because I’m really sleepy.

4. The Emperor β€” Napo Tarot

Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Created by Betty Lopez; Designed by Napo

 

Interpretation: This Emperor looks at the past with eyes that emanate light. He sees the structure on which the present is built: custom, history, and religion. His thoughts and concept of life are geometric and static. He is a paternal, chivalrous man whose actions have great impact on his people. Tho very respectful of tradition and customs, he is not necessarily open-minded and therefore often seems dominant and prejudiced.

 

I generally dislike the Emperor. He reflects rules and regulations. Although I enjoy a harmonious society, I sometimes have issues with structure and often question authority. Rules and regulations are necessary, but many rules and regulations are not necessarily the best. Nonetheless, there must be some basic social structure to prevent anarchy and chaos.

 

Tell me something about my trip to New York.

 

I am (I think) going to NY City for a weekend in February to take a yoga workshop at Baby Om Yoga to learn to do yoga with my up-coming baby and learn to teach others the same. There are no such classes in the area. The Emperor reminds me that the teachers I am going to learn from have a history of studying Iyengar yoga, whose structure and precision I adore. But workshops always cost a lot of money and I highly dislike driving. This results in cost/ benefit event-anxiety on my part. Over and over I ask myself:

 

Is it worth it? β€”Only time will tell.
Can I survive without it? β€”Of course!
Will I make use of my new knowledge? β€”Yes, at least for myself. But if it is only for myself, I could just learn and practice and innovate from their book; I do not need a teacher training. I do have a 500-hour certification with Ana Forrest and I have taught in the past, but I am terrible at marketing my vast store of abilities.
Could I be doing something better with my time? β€”Perhaps, but at the rate I’m accomplishing things, I probably won’t.

 

The Emperor has a strong desire to see ideas manifested on the physical plane in the form of material gain or accomplishment. He says to meβ€” You know, you won’t have an opportunity to take such a workshop after your baby is born. You cannot learn structure in a void: you need to learn structure from others to provide structure for yourself. You have no experience with babies. Look at the past: learn from others.

 

I have a strong desire to feel as tho I have not wasted my time chasing some intangible golden goose. I say to the Emperorβ€” Keep coming back to remind me you are here. I will keep pushing you away and desiring your return.

 

 

Five of Cups β€” Napo Tarot

Friday, December 9th, 2011

Created by Betty Lopez; Designed by Napo

 

Interpretation: “Frustration prevents one from seeing the cups brimming with happiness. The three amphoras pour out illusions and bring dejection and melancholy. Disillusionment. Disappointment.”

 

An amphora is a wheel-thrown terracotta container used to store liquid. If these amphoras are pouring out illusions, he must have thought his cargo was more precious than he found it to be upon spilling. Or perhaps it was very precious liquid indeed, and he was under the impression he would be able to manage it without spilling.

 

I just drew a five of cups two days ago. Am I disappointed and frustrated, as this card suggests? (possibly) Am I lying by not letting on how disappointed and frustrated I actually am? (possibly)

 

I thought I was going to be able to work through most of this pregnancy, but about a month and a half ago I got fired for pregnancy-induced-moodiness. Plus, my boss was an unappreciative jerk. I thought I was going to be able to be more active than I am, but five days ago I woke up with a pain in my neck so acute I went to see a chiropractor for the first time in my life. So, yeah, I’m frustrated and disappointed, but I don’t think my illusions were that great. Not most of them. The illusion that the chiropractor might actually help was briefly large and wonderful. But nothing truly terrible and irredeemable has happened to me. Despite some long hours spent dwelling in the pits of despair, it’s actually been quite good. I think it is important to spend a moment (but not too many moments) looking at what is lost before picking up and moving on. Things that are truly lost cannot be had again.

 

The act of loosing something is an act of presence. Once something is lost, the thing lost is in the past and the present has moved to another moment. It is important to keep up with the presentβ€” not in terms of the cut of our jeans or the operating system on our computersβ€” but with our minds. If our minds are constantly elsewhere, then nothing will ever happen in the present. Nothing as good as what did happen or what could happen can happen now if the mind is not present.

 

Look at what spilled. Turn around. Look at what remains. Take this. Move on.