Before I even looked at the mandala created by the cards, I was struck by the fact that I drew 2 Majors this week, 2 Cups and 2 Swords.  I'm sure there is some deeper meaning to this.  On the face of it, this suggests that my issues this week involved making decisions that required both my head and my heart; my intellect and my emotions.  Of course this makes complete sense when you think about it.  Any decisions made regarding the care of my in-laws is going to require compassion and sense.  There is no way to make these decisions strictly from an intellectual plane.  Nor can it be made strictly from the heart.  There are too many factors involved and only relying on one of these areas will result in a less than ideal outcome.

At the same time there is an element of destiny involved here.  The presence of two Major Arcana cards seems to be significant.  This is a life-impacting and life-altering decision.  It requires that I be fair and balanced but also that I have faith and believe things will work out for the best.  On some level it also reminds me that some of this is out of my control.  There are factors involved here over which I have no control.  That might be very hard for me to accept, but in order to find any peace with this, I need to accept this.

Looking at the mandala the cards create I find it interesting that the two swords figures are on the right side of the image - one in the prow of the boat and one pierced by 10 swords.  There is an element of pain and loss, release and moving forward in both these cards.  They are surrounded by the butterfly wings of The Fool.  It is as if the Fool is enfolding these two figures to help them deal with their pain and reminds them to hold onto the faith and hope that will allow them to move on to the next level of their journey.  The Queen of Cups is on the left side of the card, as though she is supporting the bow of the boat; giving it the emotional support and guidance it needs to keep moving forward. 

The 9 of Cups is almost in alignment with the Sword in Justice.  It is as if she holds the key to balance.  Perhaps she is a reminder that holding on to joy, keeping our wishes in sight and holding on to our emotional connections and those we love will help us stay balanced and hopeful during this situation.  The 9 of Cups standing by the sword of Justice reinforces the message that balance between the heart and the head is key to resolving this issue in a way that is beneficial to all concerned.  I think it's also a reminder that we need to keep ourselves grounded and balanced by using our emotional resources - friends and family, as a support mechanism.  Otherwise we may easily find ourselves overwhelmed and overwrought.