Mar 03 | 2023 — II of Vessels
I started preparing this card last night and fell asleep thinking about it. I woke before 4 am and could not fall back asleep, so I began thinking about the suit of Vessels. The concept of truly breaking something down to its rawest, finest elements and recreating something from the ground up is not a tiny task. It is painful, laborious, and rife with mistakes, almost like you’re rebuilding via trial and error. Welcome to life, amiright?
The II of Vessels is the second step in the story of the Vessels but is truly the beginning of the alchemical process of transformation (transmutation). The symbology in the card is intense and represents the desire and recognition of the need for change, a need to balance the spiritual with the logical mind. As this is based in alchemy, this is no small change, but a true microspection and disassembly. The pools this Knight stands in (known as the Double Fountain) are the beginning of the “filtration” process, with the dark water representing the subconscious and the purified, golden water representing the emotion that is unleashed through this process.
This card is a willingness and desire to balance the spiritual, emotional, and rational mind, to create a change of heart, and to be reborn as something new and pure.
Message of the Day: The suit of Vessels is not intended to be “light” by any means. It is heavy and dark, and is truly made of the union of the other four Tarot suits. I feel trying to balance spirit and mind through a single suit is near impossible; the introspection is just not sufficiently encompassing. I mean, the suits of Cups and Swords are often so intertwined that just reflecting on a single suit does a sort of disservice to the reader. So I love the depth that is brought by the Vessels. It also feels like the Vessels may sit neatly in between The Tower and The Star.
As for the II of Vessels — thinking on this made me think about our own identities, the roles we play in life, and how sometimes those identities have to be melted down in order to become something new. A few specifics came to mind:
Physical Transformations: I’m can’t help but think of the trans community here. This is possibly the most representational aspect of the transformation/transmutation process I can think of. It’s not just about physical re-assignment, but an emotional, psychological, social, and familial re-emergence. This transformation is not something that happens quickly, often taking years, maybe even decades to come about.
I also think about major lifestyle changes that occur because of health concerns or where it may be medically necessary. These are life-altering and often require a “rebuild” that is physically, emotionally, and spiritually heavy.
Familial Transformations: I feel like there are three primary familiar transformations:
- Getting married
- Having a child
- Death of a family member
How could any of these NOT be transformative? I think in this instance, resistance to change ends up being detrimental to your mental health and (realistically) probably the health of those around you as well. Breaking down your past self to reconstruct into something capable of managing new relationships, lifestyles, habits, and responsibilities is also something that evolves and develops over time. That failure to evolve and transform and can lead to separation and divorce, asshole/unruly children or children who don’t thrive (failure to launch), or a breakdown in general life when a family member or spouse dies.
Spiritual Transformations: I’m not too keen to delve into this because I feel (especially lately) that this rides right along with conservative Christian Nationalism. Spiritual transformation makes me think of “born again” Christians who feel the need to hand you tracts as you walk down the street or stand and protest gay funerals. But I can’t let one bad apple spoil the barrel.
Spiritual transformation is common when kids get out on their own (away from their parents), in mid-life, and in late life. I think it’s a natural progression where we face our own mortality at various points in our lives and have this sense that we need to get our shit together. I think the most impactful transformation is the late-life construct because it comes at a point where we usually have more time on our hands, we’re reflecting more on life and its meaning, and we just have a better understanding of our own mortality and its nearing conclusion.
With all of that being said, some of these transformations can occur simultaneously. This will sound potentially predatory, but missionaries (<cough>Mormons<cough>) often find more traction with families that have recently experienced a death in the family, as they are spiritually softened, looking for direction, and possibly hoping that they may see that individual again. I know they do this because I was one of them, and it was actually taught by some of the other missionaries as a tactic for conversion. (Again, see why I don’t care for organized religion? So gross.)
But whatever our identities, the goal is to strive to be a balanced person, to find harmony between our spiritual, emotional, and rational sides. I’m honestly not certain if it’s possible to ever truly find an actual balance between logic and spirit (as sometimes they wildly don’t go together). But the II of Vessels is the wake-up call and inspiration to start the process of finding harmony in your identities.
Deck shown above:
