Every time I hear the singing of cicadas, I am transported back to lying in bed on a December morning listening to the cicadas call and the knowledge that the school summer holidays stretched before me. Later on, in my 20’s it was frequently the soundtrack to road trips on my motor bike. It is a sound that never ceases to make me smile and as soon as I hear it, I can feel any anxiety I have melt away. This comforting nostalgia is the essence of the 6 of Cups.
As with all nostalgia, this is multi-faceted. on one hand, looking at your past and seeing through the fantasy, or for the first time seeing that flash of iridecent carapace where you thought was only dirt can bring about great healing and feeling that sweet warmth of a former happy time can be a gentle release from difficulty, however on the other hand, living in the past is not healthy and these cicadas could be calling you back to the present moment and telling you that you need to be creating new memories to look back on.
Cicadas spend between 2 and 17 years underground, the longest larval stage of any insect and similar to our childhood, there they are safe and warm in their earthen nursery while they mature, and like us this is a rather awkward stage physically.
The 6 of cups is the card of youth and childhood and speaks of that time at it's best, but also is honest about it’s difficulties and asks you what you may not have put aside that you need to, or what should you rediscover. It speaks of the joy of childlike playfulness and living in the moment, but also of the cruelty and pettiness of childish people and the effects both of these can have on your adult life.
it tells you that while it's lovely to be sentimental, it may be time for you to shed the carapace of the nymph but that adulthood isn't drab. Open your wings, lift your voice and wear all the bright colours at once, because you can!