Ace of Cups - Self Identity and Spiritual Oneness
Synchronicity was in the air for this week’s readings. Although each reading spoke to the individual circumstances of each client, there was one common thread between them that also resonates with my spiritual journey.
Synchronicity always makes me ponder the spiritual concept of oneness. Oneness is the idea that we are not separate from one another, but rather we are parts of a whole. Everyone is made of divine energy, and as such, we are cosmically connected. I accept this idea because I feel it and see evidence of it in the world, in my own interactions and those of others.
The tarot cards are premised on the concept of oneness: a deck of 78 archetypal energies speaks to the whole of human experience. The fool’s journey outlines various stages in our life path as people – we are all the fool, learning similar but different lessons in growth and change.
The challenge in the concept of oneness is that to truly appreciate it and feel grounded in our connection with the collective, we have to develop a secure sense of autonomous self identity. It’s paradoxical, really – to understand oneself as part of a whole, one must have a strong sense of the ways in which they are distinct from it.
The common thread between this week’s individual readings was this idea of developing a sense of self that is distinct from partners, family expectations and work roles. Conflation of your own needs with those of someone else leads to internal conflict and emotional unrest. From that space, we cannot hope to have the clarity or stability to feel a real sense of connection to others. Instead we feel disconnected and deeply alone in the world.
The Ace of Cups in the Slutist Tarot depicts a beautiful illustration of a feminine person showing affection towards their own reflection. The meaning of this card is a beginning in love, which is traditionally interpreted as a new love interest or the birth of a baby. The Slutist interpretation boils down the meaning of this card to its bare bones. In the wise words of Ru Paul, “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?” Self-love creates a stable foundation for all other expressions of love and emotional fulfilment.
When we honour ourselves by doing what we love and practicing honest self-care, we are present to contribute our gifts to the world. I like to think of the individual experience of personhood as a microcosm of collective human experience. For me, the concept of God or divine energy is the collaborative creative energy of every living thing in the world. It is when we tap into our personal creativity and passion that we truly become grounded in the reality of oneness.
