The Key is what will unlock the Treasure (Card 9), the reward or gift that results from facing the Dragon (Card 7) and overcoming that challenge. It represents the evolution of the Dream (Card 2) - how the hero's motivations have changed during her journey and it offers divine guidance on how to move forward.
The card I drew for this position was the Four of Cups - arguably the first "negative" card of the spread. I'm not sure how to interpret this card in this position. In this deck, the card depicts a mermaid, and the artist tells the story of one who has grown bored with the constant monotony of the sea and its beings, so she swims higher than she's ever gone before and hoists herself out onto land. For a moment, lost in thought and day-dream, she has a glimpse of a realm of sky and sea blended, the water a perfect mirror of the sky so that the horizon seems to disappear - and for the first time she sees her own reflection and is able to perceive her beauty. Then this day-dream is disturbed as she reaches out to touch her reflection in the water, and she realizes the strange denizens of the air are watching her and she is not as alone as she thought. She begins to feel the cold dry air on her skin and longs to slip back into the ocean and return to her watery home.
The number four represents stability and form, but it is often interpreted among the suits as an expression of stagnation and fossilization, becoming trapped in patterns - in the case of Cups, becoming emotionally disengaged and bored, wallowing in self-indulgence and old emotional habits or patterns. Yet there's also a kind of echoing dualism in the number four (2 + 2 and 2 X 2) that creates the potential for dynamic tension that can raise the energies of the suit or card to a new level. It seems like this is what the artist of this deck was exploring when she depicted the story of the mermaid who sought the surface - though there is self-indulgence, there is also an opportunity for real introspection and a glimpse of the self that has never been seen before (which I guess makes sense - if we can take a step back and recognize emotional patterns or habits as they are and perhaps see where they come from).
I'm not entirely sure if this card is showing me a "negative" truth, the realization of which (and so the avoidance or transformation that may result) is the "key" to unlocking the treasure.... or if the card is meant to represent some more obscure but positive "key." Is the key here what I should avoid, or what I should come to appreciate as a blessing in disguise? I'm just not sure.
I drew two supporting cards seeking clarity on this question, and the two that I drew were the High Priestess (II) and the Chariot (VII). Again, two major arcana cards supporting a minor arcana card - and as in previous spreads, both major arcana cards face in towards the center, towards each other and towards the primary card of the spread. Both of these cards express a certain duality in them. The Chariot, for obvious reasons: the mastering of two wild charges who both want to go each their own way, who have been brought into relationship and mastered - this card, I've always understood, represents the mastery of will and self-discipline, and to some extent the conscious mind, over the wildness of the subconscious with its urges and desires (and fears and uncertainties). The goddess of victory tames even the depths of the sea, which calms for her as she rides her chariot across it. The High Priestess is also a card of duality: the card is numbered II (although technically its the third major arcana card the way they're normally organized), and the High Priestess herself stands between the two pillars which, in this deck, are depicted as the forking limbs of a mighty tree. She spread her two arms wide, creating a kind of chalice of her body. She stands upon the threshold to the mysteries, especially the dark mysteries of the subconscious realm. So these two cards, in addition to representing dualities in themselves, also reflect two aspects of a central duality: the balance between subconscious and conscious mind. In each, a goddess aspires to the heights of her power, the epitome and very embodiment of her realm. Even their postures seem to mirror each other - the High Priestess raises her arms and lifts her hands above her, while the Chariot goddess throws her arms down and back, hands outstretched to her sides.
I'm still left wondering what exactly this Key is. If this is meant to be an evolution of the Dream - the Ace of Cups - perhaps it is the maturation of the vision seen reflected in the gift of the chalice, this time brought into manifestation and form. If the Four of Cups represents not only a certain risk of boredom and stagnation but also an opportunity to push beyond that to the next "level" or plane, then it seems the energies of the major arcana cards are supporting that effort with all the power they can muster. I'm just not sure how this will manifest in my life - perhaps taking on more public roles as a podcast and as a volunteer teacher will give me a chance to step back and see myself for the first time, even if I have to push myself "out of my element" every once in a while. What strikes me about the Four of Cups is that, though there are four chalices carried by the air sprites, the ocean itself could be thought of as a fifth chalice. And while the mermaid may ignore the other four, she gives her full attention, as well as her longing, to that far vaster and deeper chalice of the sea - and she can always go back to it whenever she likes, there is nothing forcing her to stay on land but her own will and determination. Considering that I began this journey with the Nine of Cups, utterly submersed in the watery realms, perhaps the "key" that this latest card represents is just the reminded that the vision, the dream, is still alive and it is possible to return to that vision for renewal and a refreshed, revived sense of motivation whenever I need it. And maybe by doing so, I'll step more fully into the roles of High Priestess and Charioteer alike, both sovereign of my own conscious mind and will and devotee to the deeper mysteries of the subconscious realms of the soul
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