The Six of Cups is a card of nostalgia and reflection. We see Psyche in deep contemplation, reflecting on her life and the past, in solitude.
Our North American culture seems to have a narrative of nostalgia, were everything old is new again, and we are often busy longing for the 'good ole days'. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with nostalgia, unless we focus on what we think of as being the best of times, but conveniently have a tendency to forget or deny the negative aspects of days gone by. Often during the past we didn't truly appreciate our circumstance or situation, and we we're still wishing for some other day, instead of living in the present. We might say to ourselves, I was happy then or I'll be happy when...
It's human nature to avoid the negative or darker events in life, but this isn't reality, and it's often these difficult experiences that most shape who we are, and more often than not are real life lessons.
However we choose to respond, to whatever circumstance we find ourselves, it's up to us to either become bitter, cloaked in denial, or choose to grow as an empathetic, compassionate human being, that accepts life on life terms, instead of trying to escape reality in some way.
Once I came to accept the darkness, I learned how to save myself from myself and I began to really appreciate the light. My load became much lighter once I embraced the darkness, and then I was much happier.
