2 of Cups - Art of Healing
Two people stand facing each other; a woman in a white gown and blue tunic and a man in a white blouse, yellow tunic with black and red flowers. She wears a green wreath on her crown, while he wears one of red roses. They each hold golden cups in front of their chest. The man reaches his right hand toward her, seeming to lightly touch. Above and between them hovers a red winged and feathered lions head. It appears to hold a black wand encircled by 2 snakes - a caduceus. They stand on light sandy ground, while rolling green hills and house are behind them in the distance. The sky is clear light blue.
The 2 of Cups from the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot
I’ve recently come across a new word - an idea ~ Mandorla.
Robert Johnson dedicates a short chapter to the Mandorla, and although I’ve read his book years ago, at the time I mustn’t have taken it in [as often happens when there’s a lack of context to anchor onto]. Revisiting it now feels like a door has unlocked - right time and place, the 2 of Cups being the right key 🗝
Many of us will be familiar with the Mandala from Eastern spiritual traditions (there are Western ‘mandalas’ but the term is Sanskrit); which is essentially ‘circle’ that symbolises wholeness, oneness, completion. A mandorla on the other hand, is the almond shape made by two intersecting circles - a symbol that originates from medieval Christianity. While the mandala shows us the end product - something to aspire to, the mandorla seems to suggest the ‘how’, and offers a process of becoming whole.
In the card, we see two lovely figures - 2 circles - in the process of coming together, open heartedly. Because the Cups in tarot, are symbolic of water, flow, emotion, raw creativity, imagination, relationships, love, it’s in this realm that something’s moving.
What’s happening in the realm of my emotional life, creative life, and connections that feels palpable? Something new burgeoning and moving toward each other?
Psycho-spiritually, transformation and healing can happen when we’re able to synthesise opposites or reconcile differences that occur between parts of us, or between us and the outer world; like, this-that, self-other, us-them, good-bad, right-wrong, light-dark, conscious-unconscious, body-mind, masculine-feminine etc.. So it’s not so much about choosing one way or thing, and not the other, but by seeing what arises as both unite. When the 2 circles begin to share space.
The caduceus is also an ancient symbol from magic and alchemy adopted by modern medicine as one of healing. But the intertwining snakes up a central staff also resembles the ida-pingala energy channels from the Hindu yoga tradition, that circle up a central sushumna channel. The snaking, criss-cross flow represents opposing but complementary forces of the feminine-masculine, yin-yang, moon-sun dancing together. There is no one without the other.
What am I attracting or attracted to that signals harmony?
Is there something in this realm that feels like it’s meeting me? or I’m meeting it? from a place of opposition or difference?
What am I being pointed toward in the name of reconciling or transforming an emotional struggle? [I may resist this because it opposes ‘me’/’I’]
Still though the question of …. ‘How do I unite, and synthesise what feels opposite?’. The mystical lionhead of courage overseeing this union is conspicuously pointing its caduceus right at the clue, for the ‘How?’. Right in the almond shaped space between. See his hand! That small, almost missable, but immensely courageous gesture of reaching out and touching. A motion that achingly conveys ….”yes” or “I desire you” or “love” and dares to cross into other, to initiate something new.
What literal or symbolic gesture can I make? or stance can I take? to create a bridge toward other? Something that requires courage from me.
PRACTICE: Imagine yourself as one or the other figure on the 2 of Cups (or both in turn). Embody their stance and notice how it feels in your body to face the other. To hold the gesture of reaching, or receiving the gesture. Breath deeply. How might you creatively incorporate this gesture in a personal circumstance that would benefit from union?
In duality, we can dance to and fro, resist and wring our hands as we try and navigate which one? which way? So it can feel strange to consider a both-and perspective. The elusive 3rd way that we never can realise unless we’re willing to sit in the almond shaped space between the 2 circles. While the idea of wholeness - the mandala - can seem like a unachievable end - and let’s be honest, enlightenment isn’t going to be the everyday experience for most people. The card symbols offer us a very mundane means to begin via the mandorla.
Each gesture, and movement you make toward unity, practiced with some regularity, creates an overlap. Over time - maybe a long time - what began as a sliver grows so it becomes harder to discern between the two circles, and your whole reunified way of being is just different.
Much love,
Mendy ꩜
If you enjoyed this reflective practice, and would like to do more depth exploration using the tarot, consider booking a tarot counselling session.
Resources (I always encourage borrowing books, purchasing second hand or through independent retailers. If you choose to purchase online, here is a link. Some links are affiliate* - if you purchase via the link I may get a small commision, at no extra cost to you).
*Robert A. Johnson. Owning Your Own Shadow. Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche.