Mar 31 | 2023 — V of Vessels
Friday brings us to the next chapter in the suit of Vessels. As we’ve been on this alchemical journey of spiritual rebirth, we’ve seen the beginning of a purification process, the acknowledgment of the need for change, the mining of our deepest parts to find both treasures and rot, and the emotional recognition and purge or traumas and darkness that prevents us from seeking the forward path.
As with all fives in Tarot, we’ve come to a transition point in our journey: the work has begun and there is no turning back now. The V of Vessels depicts a brutal scene of dismemberment, with the executioner brandishing the golden head as if accepting a trophy. The limbs have been severed and the head held as it observes the butcher’s work; a nasty display if there ever was one.
As the IV of Vessels reflected the process of an emotional purge, the V of Vessels represents the almost surgical separation of ourselves from our habits and routines, a true dissection of ego. The sword in the image is representative of the conscious effort that must be made, being aware that the brutal act must happen while having the courage to face the challenge.
Message of the Day: When I think on the journey of the Vessels, aiming to achieve the alchemical reconstruction of an enlightened being, I have to admit that I feel the IV of Vessels (emotional purge) is the real stickler, the major mountain to climb. I feel like moving past the traumas of life and truly finding release is a monumental effort that can take months, if not years (if not a lifetime) to overcome. Fighting your way through that minefield makes leaving behind habits and biases seem like a walk in the park to me. Of course, that is my personal feeling, and I fully recognize that I struggle with most things emotional.
To me, habits, routines, beliefs, and biases require recognition and awareness in order to change. Anything that falls in the court of The Devil (vices, addictions, manipulations) requires acknowledgment of the habit before restitution can be made. Routines, once identified as unhealthy, can be altered and supported with alternative structures. Beliefs, once identified as toxic, can be invalidated and replaced; and although the knowledge of the once-held belief doesn’t necessarily go away, the weight and front-of-mindedness will fade with time. Biases, once observed, require a conscious effort to correct until the bias no longer exists. All of these require conscious mental effort and dedication. The emotional purge, comparatively, seems much more taxing and debilitating; severing these “limbs” takes focus, dedication, and perseverance, but there is an inevitable, foreseeable victory.
I also think the golden head is an interesting concept. It’s not just a grossly desiccated chunk of body, but a head shown golden, observing the dismembered corpse. This full dissection is, to put it plainly, the death of Ego. As the head watches, he is set outside of himself to see the effects of these limbs on his life. How did they serve him? How did they keep him back? How did they hurt others and prevent those he loved from getting closer? He watches as from a 3rd party perspective, having been removed from the situation, and allows the purification process to proceed.
I have long believed that one of the best parts of Tarot is its ability to help us step out of ourselves and observe situations from an outsider’s perspective. It helps to keep us centered, calm, and focused and allows us to easily see solutions and possible ways forward that we may not have seen had we been caught up in the emotional sensationalism of the situation. When I allow myself to be in this mindset, I find I am able to easily talk with my son about behavioral struggles without becoming angry, anxious, and upset. When I’m NOT in that headspace and I allow my emotions to fuck with me… well, it involves raised voices, frustration, and nothing really gets resolved.
I think that we, as a digitally connected world, are desperately in need of the V of Vessels. We have established so many behaviors, routines, and structures that “make us feel better” that we haven’t realized just how unhealthy they are for us as creatures of community. We hide away in silos: like-minded social groups that leave no room for dissenting opinions. We hide our heads in social feeds, micro-dosing dopamine every chance we get: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok… anything to keep us temporarily amused and distracted. We feed our heads with curated content that is put together by unknown algorithms, influencing our thoughts, seeding our expectations, leading us down pre-determined paths of thought development, and segregating our personal interactions. We have this constant need for more, more, more; the newest phone, the latest gadget, the hottest supplements. It’s a vicious cycle of materialism and ego-driven desire.
I think that in order for us to become better as humans — collectively — we are going to have to recognize the harm that comes from non-stop digital interaction and replace it with human connections, true social interactions, and exposure to varied and different experiences and opinions in a non-hostile environment. This will force us to communicate face-to-face instead of hiding anonymously behind an avatar. It will force us to sever those limbs that weigh us down and prevent us from finding our way to better living.
So ultimately, the V of Vessels is asking us: what habits, routines, structures, and biases do we need to sever to make us better people? What do we routinely do that keeps us from attaining our higher self? How are our “limbs” hurting us and those around us? What needs to happen for you to step out of yourself and observe your methods analytically?
Buckle up, because next week we’re going to try to glue it all back together.
Deck shown above:
