In the Cards this Week: Compromise
I like to think of the human figures on Tarot cards as characters in the story of the reading. What are they doing? How do they relate to each other?
Today’s cards aren’t speaking to each other. Or so it seems.
Just look at them. Their heads are turned completely away from each other.
But look at their bodies. They’re actually facing each other, but pretending they’re not.
Sometimes it can be hard to get past our own egos and figure out how to move forward. These two are in that situation: The Youth of Labryses has high ideals that he doesn’t want to compromise, but he’s going to have to if he wants to find a solution to the problem. Those high ideals are really getting on the Maid of Dagger’s nerves, because they’re boxing her in when what she does best is think outside the box.
Inner conflict is a normal part of life. We’re multi-faceted beings, and it’s inevitable that sometimes, those facets will get in each other’s way. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to hold yourself and others to a high standard. It’s just that we’re imperfect human beings living in an imperfect world, and insisting on perfection (or near-perfection) is a recipe for failure.
So this week, let those high ideals point you in the right direction, but allow some room for practicality and creativity. We don’t have to be perfect in order to do well and do good.
Youth of Labryses: Our high ideals can help us make the world a better place. But they can also keep us from being able to solve problems, and they may push people we care about away if they don't meet those ideals well enough. It's time to examine how you enact your ideals in the real world. Are you clinging stubbornly to them when you know you need to compromise in order to move forward? If you're more attached to your ideals than to practical results, you're going to fail to solve the problems you're faced with. Compromising in order to achieve a goal requires maturity and humility, not stubborn idealism.
Maid of Daggers: Your ability to think out of the box is an asset in problem solving. It's time to bring it to the fore. Are you faced with a seemingly impossible situation? There is a solution, but it probably doesn't look anything like anyone expects. Forget the box. Allow your creativity and imagination to brew up an answer that will work for all involved.
The Minoan Tarot is an 86-card deck I created, with art I painted by hand. The court cards are gender balanced, and the deck comes with a full-color 176-page companion book. The Minoan Tarot website offers photos of many of the cards as well as more details about the deck. It took me three years to create the artwork for the deck; I hope it offers you a lifetime of enjoyment!
I chose to uphold my ideals, because the only solution on offer was to accept something I could not work with at all. When compromise turns into being compromised, a line is crossed.