Fey Tarot : 5 of Chalices

Fulgour

When I look at the 5 of Chalices, I see a metamorphic liberation.
We are told this is a desert Fey, and the magical city behind him
even looks like it could be an amazing fantastic sandcastle world.

There he now abides, within the husk of a blue ceramic chalice,
but nothing suggests that it was broken ~ it still stands upright,
and there isn't any sorrow or fear shown on the face of the Fey.

Like an eggshell when a chick has hatched and now surveys the
world for the first time from the safety of its nest, the Fey muses,
snuggled comfortably, soon to venture forth upon a new journey.

He knows that the splintered chalice has become a part of his past,
and that its purpose has been fulfilled and it's no longer of any use,
but he cherishes the memory, realising all that it provided for him.

And in a moment (but not yet), he'll take wing and swirl skyward,
with a quick glance back to his origins, and then go hungrily after
all that the city promises to hold, the world he was born to explore.

He is my companion Fey, and the 5 of Chalices my Fey Tarot card.

~Fulgour
 

Fulgour

Scorpio with Moon in Pisces

I've been wondering what it would be like to have a
set of the Chalices from each of the Fey Tarot cards?

Each one is a work of beauty in itself, so imaginatively
pictured by the artist ~ what an interesting collection!

On the 5 of Chalices, though we can't see them now,
there would have been 7 decorative circles ringing
all around it. Now we see two fragments, and if you
look closely, don't they resemble the Pisces symbol?

The traditional Chaldean decanate for the 5 of Cups
is Mars in Scorpio, which happens to be my sign...
and my natal Moon was just waxing full, in Pisces.

I especially like the scrolly one seen on the 6 of Chalices.
Does anyone have a favourite, one they like in particualr?
 

lunalafey

I see the Pisces symbol....interesting since I don't really see the Fey following our astrological traditions.
Your comments have made me wonder about the composition of each of the cups and what part that adds to the cards meaning.

I like the Chalice in the 8 and I like the globe-bowl that the King holds.
 

Laelyan

You have no idea how spooky this is .... I have just been in a difficult situation with a friend of mine that ended as bad as it can end - the girl was screaming over the phone at me. But I didn't say a word during it. I was calm - simply saying "Yeah - Uh-huh - Yep" in the appropriate pauses. And afterwards, I felt as if a large weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

The description that is given about this card is the joy that we find in loss. And I can relate to how this Fey feels. The whole world is shaken, the space that we used to exist and feel comfortable in has shattered. And even the buildings that seem to be made of sand ... it is a fantastic world, granted, but I see it as a world that can be blown away at the slightest hiccup. The Fey .... he knows this. He has this knowledge. And yet he is happy.

I ask myself - why is he happy? And I think the only way that can be answered is in the knowledge of our place. Lessons are learnt, our emotions can be destructive, but in the end there is no one place that can contain who we are. Our lives are like that sand - we can build with it, and we do so, but the way that we survive is allowing the grains of sand to be blown in the direction that is right for us.
 

noby

Laelyan said:
The description that is given about this card is the joy that we find in loss. And I can relate to how this Fey feels. The whole world is shaken, the space that we used to exist and feel comfortable in has shattered. And even the buildings that seem to be made of sand ... it is a fantastic world, granted, but I see it as a world that can be blown away at the slightest hiccup. The Fey .... he knows this. He has this knowledge. And yet he is happy.

I ask myself - why is he happy? And I think the only way that can be answered is in the knowledge of our place. Lessons are learnt, our emotions can be destructive, but in the end there is no one place that can contain who we are. Our lives are like that sand - we can build with it, and we do so, but the way that we survive is allowing the grains of sand to be blown in the direction that is right for us.

Wonderfully put. Without experiences of loss, we would never grow, never deepen our experiential wisdom.

I also see in the Fey's smile a mischievous grin like that of the Trickster archetype. The Trickster shakes things up just for the sake of reminding us of the underlying chaos in nature, and that the beliefs and perceptions we hold are approximations, not reality. As you point out, the world we construct for ourselves is a sandcastle world, which can be blown away by a turn of the Wheel of Fortune. When we experience loss, we can wail and grieve that things have not turned out like we hoped, or we can smile at the reminder that life, and its chaos, are the sources of growth and wisdom. Stagnation is death.

We always have a choice when confronted with painful circumstances - instead of seeing them only as pain and loss, we can see them as a source of wisdom. I think that is what this Fey sees: there is a story in that chalice, of the way of nature as well as of specific mistakes. The chaotic nature of the world can be seen as malicious or mischievous; this Fey shows the latter view. Which is in accordance with something I've been thinking about lately: that something that is vital to happiness in life is a sense of playfulness, of not taking oneself so seriously.
 

Fulgour

Noby, this card also reminds me of your essay about the
3 of Swords from the Colman Smith Tarot, where you've
insightfully explored the evolutionary nature of passion.

Could the (to our eyes) young desert Fey perhaps be
the rekindled spirit of hope, renewed after long trials,
but now happily prepared to face the prospect of love,
to leave the past behind, and risk it all one more time?
 

snowy25

This fey is indeed a sweet creature.

I've wondred if on te end of the path leading op and out of the castle there will be the sea.
So it can be washed away every time he makes a new castle.

My fantasy realy goes wild on this deck.
This is one of the reasons I love it so much.
 

rcb30872

The look on the Fey's face, makes me think that she broke the cup! They're having a bit of a giggle about it, perhaps they are not intending to tell who's cup it belongs to that they broke it. Ceramics is easily broken, I should know, I have broken plenty in my time. Maybe it was an accident, but at least they are able to see the funny side of it. Maybe they thought that it was ugly, and couldn't wait to see the back of it, or was sick of the sight of it.

Perhaps in some way it could be about rebellion. Expected to fit a certain "mold" so to speak, and breaking out of that mold.