Tarot - Seven of Cups

^z 23rd January 2023 at 5:49pm

Seven of Cups

Strange chalices of vision, but the images are more especially those of the fantastic spirit. Divinatory Meanings: Fairy favours, images of reflection, sentiment, imagination, things seen in the glass of contemplation; some attainment in these degrees, but nothing permanent or substantial is suggested. Reversed: Desire, will, determination, project.

A. E. Waite, Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911)

Emotional situation where many potentials are evident, but where the individual is faced with the challenge of choosing and acting in realistic terms to make those potentials manifest. Otherwise he or she can't bear this constant movement, travel and endless repetition and falls as a victim into frustration, into dreams, illusions and hopes. It needs inner commitment achieving a deep realization of our true feelings to find love again. As a charmer or femme fatale one takes an emotional risk and accepts the limitations of reality, needs patience, faith and perseverance.

7 of Water: Projections

The man and woman in this card are facing each other, yet they are not able to see each other clearly. Each is projecting an image they have constructed in their minds, covering the real face of the person they are looking at.

All of us can get caught up in projecting movies of our own making onto the situations and people surrounding us. It happens when we are not fully aware of our own expectations, desires and judgments; instead of taking responsibility for them and owning them, we try to attribute them to others. A projection can be devilish or divine, disturbing or comforting, but it is a projection nonetheless–a cloud that prevents us from seeing reality as it is. The only way out is to recognize the game. When you find a judgment arising about another, turn it around: Does what you see in others really belong to you? Is your vision clear, or clouded by what you want to see?

The Seven of Cups often appears when a difficult choice must be made, and the image on most versions of the card reflects that. The seven cups are filled with strange and wonderful gifts... but there is always danger hidden within one or two of them to sting anyone who ventures near. Lying amidst the gems and the wreath of victory are a snake and a dragon. Sometimes you have to choose between many options, all of which may be tempting but only one of which is the best choice. At others times not all of those choices are real options at all; they are delusions of the imagination.

This card generally shows choices and plans that have little or no basis in reality. Such things are typical of the developed imagination, and fine if they stay in the imagination. But when you try to implement those ideas in the real world you are leaving yourself open to inevitable disappointment when you realize that your vision simply does not work. The fortress has no foundation and it will fall with the first enemy attack. Some attainment is indeed possible, but like the sword of Damocles, the inevitability of defeat lingers over your head, waiting to drop and shatter all those castles you have built in the clouds.

Temptation is another theme of this card, and with so many choices presented it would be easy to be swayed to that cup containing the snake of jealously and cunning. Since this card is of the Cups suit we get all the sexual and emotional connotations of temptation; the one-night stand, the extramarital affair, and all those other things that seem innocent and pleasurable at the time they are undertaken. But in the vast majority of cases, the pleasure gained temporarily is far outweighed by the consequences that last, in most cases, for an entire lifetime.

In short, the Seven of Cups is a sign to be vigilant in everyday life. Be on guard against temptation, and before taking any offers be aware of all the potential ramifications. Keep a close eye on your dreams so that they do not get too farfetched and fantastic. When faced with many choices, all of which seem equally attractive, turn to your intuition for guidance. If you still don't know which to take, it might be safer to not take any of them at all! Better to leave the gems than plunge one's hand into a cup full of snakes. If your ethics are questioned, do not go against them, but stand true to your beliefs. Keep your feet on the ground, and your head out of the clouds.