XV Excess

XV as when it was known The Devil was always a troublesome card for me because words carry power and even though I knew - had known since I was a child - in my heart of hearts, in the very cells of my body, that there was no such thing as "a devil," still that word carried with it such tremendous baggage that it was an almost physical effort, when the card would come up in readings, to 'turn it into' something that was acceptable to my sensibilities, sensibilities that did not revile the world, its many pleasures and luxuries as 'evil.'

As we grew up together, the Tarot and I, I began to see the story that lay behind the the Major Arcana cards, the story of a journey through the conscious development of a Spirit Being living within the confines of a physical body. Eventually I saw the subtle inter-relationships between certain pairs of cards and finally began to have an acceptable description of what XV was to me, a person who loves my physicality, loves being in and of the world, and honors the sanctity of Life and its processes from creation right through decay.

XV, I began to realize, was really no more than the flip side of its close companion, XIV, Moderation. XV is about not exercising moderation, it's about taking too much, going to far, exceeding the bounds of balance. That is when XV became Excess.

There's a delicate balance between these two cards, XIV and XV and a deep inter-relatedness because too much Moderation could actually be viewed as a form of Excess. Never going too far, never ever having just a little too much to drink or eat, never partying way too hard, for way too long might make for a rather dull life depending on how it's done. All I'm saying is that a little excess from time to time, in most cases, can add a little spice to life.

So don't judge excess too harshly. read it in context to the cards around it and if there's a cautionary feel, consider yourself informed of the possible consequences to over-indulgence. If, however, the surrounding cards are all light and bright and promising, especially if they are Major Arcana cards,  go for it. Have a ball. Take something a little too far and see what happens.

Life is far too short to cut down on the fun when you don't have to.