Daily Draw- Two of Cups (Isabella & the Pot of Basil)

Ghosts & Spirits Tarot- Two of Cups

This image is based on the poem by John Keats (1795-1821) called Isabella, or The Pot of Basil, A Story of Boccaccio, which you can read in the entirety here, if you are so inclined.

Love sees no class lines, and Isabella fell in love with a servant, who loved her in return.  As often the case, the lovers were blind to everything except their love, while people around them were less than enthused with the situation.  Isabella's brothers murdered the poor servant, whose only crime was to love their sister.  In her grief, she retrieved his head and planted in a pot of basil so that she could always keep a piece of her lover near to her.

She cares for the the plant, watering it with both tears and well water, which so often in tarot symbolizes emotions and the unconscious.  She could not keep her beloved in his living form, but she kept his memory alive and her basil, symbolizing their connection, thrived all of her life.

This is a sad story, but it also illustrates the enduring nature of true love, something that spans both time and space, without beginning, without end.  It also illustrates a basic fact that distinguishes actual love from mere affection or damaging obsession- love feeds itself in a perpetual  cycle, and it is impossible to be truly in love with someone who does not return the emotion, because the synergy of love is needed to complete the cycle.

This card is from Ghosts & Spirits Tarot by Lisa Hunt, published by U.S. Games System, Inc.