3 hearts/cups It looks so desolate

[Tansey]

Hi all
 I recently had a reading with this deck. I got the 3 hearts ( cups) as advise.  I noticed the huge difference in the way the card is presented in this deck. Usually the 3 cups shows 3 women (etc) joyfully dancing about.   In this card it shows a woman and man sort of stranded . Another person is in site but the bridge to them is gone.   The card evoked strong feelings of  just being cut off  .  It looks  to me like   the woman has but one supporter, a lone flute player. I see the him playing the flute as sort of calling for help. Unfortunately the bridge to get to them  is gone.   It looks like someone hears him ( the person in the distance) but there is no way other than swimming to get to them.  Where is the joy of friendship etc? 

 How would this function as advise?

[shadowdancer]

Hi Tansey

you are right in what you say about the imagery being very different to that we usually see with the RWS.  I do see two aspects here to be honest:

1) the issue of true friendship is one often underestimated.  I see the seated figure as being in a lonely (perhaps drug induced) place and as such they are ignored or looked down on by other members of society.  Yet I see the flute player as being there for them / with them and not judging their actions.  A true friend will do this, and it made me question as to whether I would have been judgemental and walked away in the same way the background figure has done.

2)  Being unware of, or being ignorant of the plight of others as we seem to coat ourselves in our own personal worlds, often based on judgements created through upbringing or conditioning.

So going back to your question as to how this might be an advise card I think it depends on which character you associate with.  When I have more than one character, I often dowse and ask "who's eyes should I see this card from?" and then base my interpretation on what they are doing or their role in the scene etc.

So, as an example if it was to say I had to look at the card through the background character's eyes, it might be asking me to be more compassionate and have my eyes open to what others are enduring,  not to prejudge etc.  YOu can distance yourself physically, but on a soul level we are all the same person in some respects.

If I were to read the card as the flutist, the advise might be to let someone be themselves but be there for them.  Just by being there we can often help them feel safe and secure, without the need for verbal words of advise.

Just a couple of ideas... I think when the card comes up in a reading I may get more but these thoughts are just a couple of quickies off the top of my head.  I think my upbringing has come to the fore, where I feel I know I am judgemental of those who abuse drugs etc.  Others with different cultural values may see the card differently, and in that case - their interpretations may be very very different.

I do hope others share their thoughts.  I think with cards like this, different viewpoints will be a terrific asset.

Davina

[Tansey]

I can see what you are saying about the card after it is brought to my attention. My first reaction is it is one of being cut off from others.  I guess I can't see the female close enough to decide whether she is on drugs or not. I guess If there was a needle on the ground and other paraphernalia, I might think that. 
 I see where the interpretation is coming from- stand by your friends. The lone flute player is doing just that.  It seems with this deck I react more to the picture and what I see . It does not matter it is the 3 hearts/cups.   It could be any card.  It is the scene that resonates with me.  I see two people cut off from others.  Out on their own.
 I think the advise was I would receive support from true friends. 

[sacredashes]

The story behind this card was when a friend of mine, an artist was betrayed by her beloved. She was so heartbroken, she stopped painting.

The cans around the figure sitting alone indicates the spilt ink. Resources wasted.

The words and paint slashed in random behind her shows the aftermath of her rampage but her rage has worn itself out. She is drained emotionally, mentally and physically. Her cowl hides her face for it is not uncommon that we hide our pain from the eyes of the public which is why oftentimes, we read about suicide or people killing their entire family when there were no signs of anything out of the norm prior to the aftermath. We read the news and wonder where did "that" come from, when "that" has been hiding under the mask all along.

Uncomfortable topic yes, but pretending it isn't true merely covers up a harsh reality.

When my artist friend was alone and desperately lonely, she asked me and a mutual friend out... just to keep her company; to drown her sorrow in drinks and songs.

I have a fear of being outside after dark; stemmed from an assault that happened many years ago. So I told my musician friend to go have fun, keep her company; sing with her; toast to a future without her beloved by her side or curse him with a thousand fleas and no hands to scratch with... anything she wishes to do if it helps her ease the pain. I could not overcome my fear to be with a friend in need but the musician... he went though a breakup such as this once before. So I stand in the distance, not with them in body but in spirit.

The musician, he had his heart ripped out  once before and thrown back at him. It was at the darkest hour of his life when his pain threatened to swallow him whole, I was there to listen. Into the wee hours of the morning, I was there when the tears flowed. The wound does not heal overnight and the scar would remain though forever hidden. Sometimes, it helps just to listen. It helps to have someone sit beside us with our mascara-smudged eyes and unkempt clothes; yet hold no judgement in their eyes.

This time, I couldn't do the same for her but he could, so he paid it forward. He knew what it felt like. Noone can so easily forget such an ordeal but it is because of his own experience that he knew how to be a friend. It takes a lot of trust for us to let our guard down, to show another we are shamed, guilty, sad, grieving... when it is so much easier to don the mask and smile through the lie.

It is an honor when we are given that chance and its important not to betray that trust.

Jesus once defined friends as physicians of the soul; they are not there just to laugh with us when we are on a high... rather it is when we are most in need; we will discover how many people in our lives we can count on as true friends.

 
Ash