Attention Trap
When I was younger, I was obsessed with the story of the Greek prophetess Cassandra, who had the ability to tell the future but was cursed with the fate that no one would ever believe her. As the story goes, she asked Apollo for the gift of sight and he agreed on one condition: that she repay him with her attentions. But after whispering in her ear and giving her the ability to know the future, she recoiled, failing to uphold her end of the bargain.
I haven’t seen this part of the story interpreted much elsewhere, but as I understand it, it’s about more than just being honest in dealings or upholding a contract. It’s really about reciprocity in general. Having the truth is only one half of imparting it. It also requires knowing your audience and speaking to them in a way that makes the medicine go down. This is why the ancient Greeks believed that the power of poets and orators was not simply in the fact that they spoke truth, but that they spoke it with “honeyed words.” Sweet words made people want to listen, allowing the truths they spoke to be carried forward into the future. Cassandra was cursed, not because she wanted to see that future, but because she wasn’t willing to repay that gift in a way that could change it. She wanted the ability to have the world present her with its attentions without returning her own.
Today’s reading warns us against a similar fate.
The Deck: Ostara Tarot
The Cards:
Six of Wands
8 of Swords
3 of Wands, reversed
On the one hand, we have the attentions of the world. Our words are truthful. They’re important and necessary. We have the platforms we need to make them widely heard. But they’re also self-defeating: by overestimating the power of others, they underestimate our own power. We risk imagining ourselves as victims more than we are, committing ourselves to a fate that is at least partially self-imposed. But by trying to draw attention entirely to ourselves even when we already have it, neglecting to attend to others with an equally compassionate hand, we upset the balance of what we owe both ourselves and others. This creates disharmony and competition, as everyone seeks more, more, more attention even as they grow less, less, less willing to give it to others. The cycle is a vicious one and hard to break out of, especially in an age of algorithms programmed to favor negativity and attention-seeking. But rest assured — the eyes are already on you. You can say what you want with gentleness and a sense of reciprocity if you wish not merely to be heard, but also listened to.
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