06 The Outward Step (The Lovers)

I get desperate
I get restless…
Resistance no more than
Faith hope and charity

I get frightened
By emotion
Small wonder
I quiver… 

And when the passion
Feels like pain
Tears that burn you
Like the rain
I feel that my heart
Is breaking now
My resistance is blown away… 

Flame – Real Life
Flame – 1985 

How many children are really happy about going to school on that first day? A lot of them cry and scream at the thought of separation from their old lifestyle. Others are calm and brave, but of course, bravery suggests that there is something to be afraid of. The person we meet here is you, and the situation you are in is of having to make a large choice between staying with an old situation or moving on to a new one.

Now that we have learned a bit about ourselves it is time for us to move out into the world. At this point in time, it is a choice we want to make and yet it is very difficult to get the courage to take that “outward step”.

This picture shows our Hero trying to make a choice between two ladies. The first is his mother (remember her?) who is standing outside the childhood home calling her son back. The other lady is a young girl (possibly a future wife). She is barely seen on the card and so how does our Hero know what he is getting himself into? He can’t, we never can.

Choosing to stay at this time would prove to be a trap as our Hero would not be moving out into the world.

The Hero’s state of mind is quite aptly shown in the song as a very emotional sort of confusion. He can feel that it is time to move and yet “duty” holds him still. He is frightened of the road ahead. In the end, it is powerful emotion that almost seems to make up his mind for him.

In this situation, our emotions can appear to be out of control as if they are controlled by some unknown outside force; shown here in the form of an angelic imp. 

Quite often as this kind of choice is placed in front of us we choose in our emotions instantly and then proceed to deliberate and generally confuse ourselves for a fair period of time before making the necessary move. 

Divinatory Meanings

Choice, The choice already made, Moving away from an old situation, Emotions decide, Developing independence, Confusion, Stagnation.