I was inspired to ask this question after looking out my window and seeing the ice sheet covering the nearby water.  It’s a reminder that we are still in winter and its frigid grasp is not yet ready to let go of the land.  It made me wonder what seeds might be germinating in my own life just waiting for the thaw to sprout forth.

The 2 of Pentacles is the perfect successor to yesterday’s Ace.  This card shows a fae creature resting on the grass next to a flower.  She is connected to the heartbeat of the earth and listening to its slow and throbbing pulse.  She is in no rush and her full attention is focused on this one flower.  This card reminds me that there is life throbbing beneath the outer shell in which I’ve encased myself.  It also speaks to me about working with the energies of the season not against them.  Now is the time for germination, planting and encouraging the little seeds to begin sprouting.  It’s time for planning, for dreaming and for preparing the ground for the new seedlings.

The Queen of Cups is the manifestation of who I can become if I am able to trust my more intuitive, receptive side (as shown in yesterday’s 2 of Swords).  For much of my life I’ve avoided this serene, mystical lady’s offering.  Her chalice might as well have been filled with poison.  I was a child of Athena, a creature of logic, intellect and the Sun.  I was the father’s daughter and the receptive, intuitive, dreamy gifts of the Queen of Cups were anathema to me.  I was a warrior, not a dreamer!

Of course now I realize that they are not mutually exclusive and that working with the energies of the Queen of Cups and not losing yourself in the process requires more courage and strength than facing a charging knight on horseback.  She is at home in the dark places in our psyche.  She can guide us into those depths we so often avoid and fear.  As Barbara Moore writes in the companion book, a drink from her chalice forces you to scry your soul and is not for cowards.  Her chalice can bring healing but true healing is not for the faint of heart.  Soul healing requires us to look at those dark places in our soul and embrace them.  I see the Queen of Cups healing as a process of soul retrieval and it can be risky for the untrained or unprepared.

Combined these cards remind me that this process takes time and must be nurtured and carefully tended to be successful.  It’s a gift that must be earned and worked towards (at least for me) and in the process my soul may be scoured.  I love a good challenge but the reality is that the harder I intentionally try to achieve this goal, the quicker it slips from my grasp.  It’s not something I can gain by active and assertive methods.  I have to be still and listen, allow myself to open to the message from the Queen of Cups and finally be willing to drink the draught when it and if it is finally offered.