When you don't get what you want....

I just did a tarot reading for a woman who told me that during her twenties she had been obsessed with this man,  and had prayed many times to God to let him marry her.   She had lost her faith when it didn't happen.  

Now,  ten years later,  she bumps into an old mutual friend who told her that he is in jail for some white collar crime and had defrauded his in-laws so his kids and wife have no safety net at all. 

She wanted to know if I thought God had known this. 

And I said,  sometimes when you don't get what you want,  you have to ask yourself,  was the universe holding you back or protecting you?  Either way,  it's an interesting question.

(I'm a believer in God,  but not in organized religion,  which I find very male centric and makes rules to help the powerful.) 

5 of cups

There is sorrow here, and loss. The figure is weeping over 3 spilt cups. Just behind him/her are 2 cups, still standing. When we face loss or regrets, it’s sometimes hard to remember that we still have things. 2 of cups is the card of equal love, a beautiful card. But the person can’t see that, they can only see what has gone wrong.

I love the milk version, because the phrase ‘don’t cry over spilt milk’ always used to come to mind when I saw this card. Of course, it’s human to cry over disappointments, but don’t wallow. Feel the feelings and then move on; don’t keep focusing on them to the extent that you cannot see anything else.

I also like the little girl on the chair.  When we have these feelings, we feel small and childlike and sometimes we can’t make the best decisions or see things clearly from that perspective. When this card shows up it’s a warning to give up on your disappointments and turn and focus on what you do have. It’s time to grow up…