Embracing the Wisdom of Yesteryears: A Mindful Journey with the Six of Cups

Welcome again, seekers, to our Mindfulness Monday contemplation. To commence this week, we have drawn the Six of Cups from our metaphorical well of wisdom.

Famed as a symbol of nostalgia, the Six of Cups invites us to take a meaningful stroll down memory lane. The card features six golden chalices brimming with vibrant flowers, honoring the innocent joy and genuine connections of our youth. Yet Stoic philosophy nudges us to discern a deeper truth beneath the enamel of our reminiscences.

”True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have…” - Seneca

In a classical sense, the Six of Cups spurs us to recall the past, not for its own sake, but to draw upon the wisdom it affords. Stoicism seeks not to reject emotions but rather to harness them wisely. So too, this card instructs us to use our recollections as stepping stones to presence, as mirrors to observe our current self.

This week, let’s seek lessons from our youthful selves - the endless curiosity, the resilience, the fearlessness in trying and failing and trying again. Let us recall and imbibe this spirit because we are still those people, shaped by the ebb and flow of time but equipped now with the wisdom of experience.

”No man steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” - Heraclitus

To heed the wisdom of the Six of Cups is not to regress into childhood, or brood over what’s lost to time, but rather to accept every memento of the past, be it bitter or sweet, as a catalyst for our growth. Let us strive to love, work, and exist in the present, powered by the wisdom gleaned from our past.

Your journaling exercise for this week is Reflective Memoir. I urge you to write a letter to your younger self. What lessons would you share? What reassurances or commendations would you offer? Ultimately, allow this task to bring forth a dialogue between who you were, who you are now, and whom you aspire to be.