Two of Cups
This card tells of Isabella’s devoted, tragic love that endures beyond loss and even death, symbolized by the pot of basil she tends to. It emphasizes that love is a powerful force that nourishes and requires mutual giving and taking. The imagery highlights nurturance, mourning, and the persistence of affection despite painful circumstances. In readings it denotes deep emotional bonds, devotion, and the potential for both comfort and sorrow within intimate relationships. It advises tending relationships with care while acknowledging that love can bring both joy and grief.
Keywords
Story
John Keats’ poem tells the tragic tale of a young woman’s impossible relationship with a servant. Her brothers, who wanted their sister to marry someone of high breed, discovered her secret and murdered her lover. They buried him in the forest and told their waiting sister that he had sailed away. His ghost appeared to her and exposed the truth of his murder. Mad with grief, Isabella found the body, cut off his head and buried it in a pot with basil. She tended to it with impassioned fervor and nourished it with endless tears. Upon discovering its contents, the brothers absconded with the evidence, leaving Isabella to mourn the loss of the Pot of Basil and all the love that it symbolized. Isabella pours water into the pot, symbol of nurturance. The robust basil represents the enduring love despite sad circumstances.
Divinatory meaning
Love can hurt, but it is also a powerful force in one’s life. Love requires give and take—the emotions of one feeding the other.
Ghosts and Spirits tarot
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