This is a card of…

Repression

Denial

Materialism

Superficiality

Self-imposed limitation

“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular.”

-Carl Jung

It’s not the prettiest image, at least not in RWS. Maybe that’s why our Adam and Eve have their backs turned. They don’t want to see what they’ve chained themselves to or that they’ve chained themselves at all.

This card governs attitudes and behaviors we do not want to examine in ourselves, and the lengths we will go to in order to avoid that examination. Biases, addictions, the ways we fall short of the standards we want to believe we hold ourselves to; all these are governed by Key 15. And as usual, adjacent cards can help us get at its meaning.

Above is the Heirophant- there to teach us how things work in our culture or tribe, what is ‘good behavior’ and what is ‘simply not done.’ These mores and norms are necessities for any sort of civic and cultural harmony, but they have a flip side. We might turn them into a rigid dogma so that we can pat ourselves on the back while looking down our nose at others, excusing ourselves from thinking or exercising empathy. We have chained ourselves to this less attractive high priest. In the previous card, Temperance, we were freed from the those sorts of self-made prisons. Now it’s time to face and understand them.

It might bolster our courage to recognize that everyone around us can already see what we’ve been hiding so skillfully from ourselves. That beast grew big and dangerous because we weren’t watching it. It’s angry about being ignored. Once faced it is possible to tame it and have its power serve us.

Here’s a small example: a person who  can’t stand selfishness in other people. She says to herself that she knows she has flaws but selfishness is NOT one of them. She says, I am a caretaker, that’s my problem, I’m always giving too much. If everybody else was like me we’d all be taking care of each other. Guess what? She’s deluding herself. Everybody is self-interested. Everybody wants things. We are supposed to learn to manage that drive in a healthy, morally responsible way; not by going to some martyr-esque opposite extreme of ‘giving’ or ‘being a caretaker.’ While this person has turned her back on her normal human selfishness it has grown angry and resentful, it has become a monster of selfishness that she cannot bear to admit is there. And you can bet it will effect her behavior. Those that really know her don’t see her as the selfless martyr she thinks they do, though they know better than to tell her. If she could face this ‘demon’ of selfishness she might find he wants to help manage her life better- showing consideration and generosity when it’s appropriate and affordable, but taking care of her own well-being and priorities first. She might find it has turned from a hairy fearsome beast to a trusted and powerful ally.

I’ve mentioned attractiveness a few times in this entry. Superficial or purely materialistic attitudes are also governed by Key 15. This card might be prodding a person toward more respect and reverence for their inner life, and the inner lives of others.

Look how easily our Adam and Eve could slip off those oversize collars. Think how much easier they’ll stand up without them.

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Advice:

Think about your own behavior dispassionately.

Forgive yours and others shortcomings.

Look at what you’ve been refusing to look at.

Warning:

Examine your excuses.

Don’t get high on self-righteousness.