A Personal Journey Through the Tarot: 6 of Cups

Nostalgia

Memory is a funny thing. Every time you remember something from the past your brain rewrites the memory. So, like the telephone game, a memory that is recalled often gets changed and embellished every time you return to it. Very quickly the memory changes from a somewhat factual accounting of events to a totally fictional wannabe memory. So remembering “the good old days” is just as much an illusion as dreaming of the future. 

Both the 6 and 7 of Cups talk about dreaming. The 7 takes you to the future, the 6 holds you in the past. Both acts have their place as well as their pitfalls. One of the philosophies of Buddhism suggests that non-present moment thinking can cause great suffering. This is the case if comparisons are constantly being made. Thinking; “this isn’t the way it should be…” or “life was better when…” is how dreaming becomes a detriment. Remembering with fondness loved ones who have passed is how nostalgia can be healing. 

Today I draw the 6 of Cups and reflect upon my past. No matter how I remember it I remind myself that it got me here today. It is only in the present moment I can make changes to better my life so instead of being a victim of my past I choose to learn from it and move forward.