Tarot - Ten of Cups

^z 23rd January 2023 at 5:57pm

Ten of Cups

Appearance of Cups in a rainbow; it is contemplated in wonder and ecstacy by a man and woman below, evidently husband and wife. His right arm is about her; his left is raised upward; she raises her right arm. The two children dancing near them have not observed the prodigy but are happy after their own manner. There is a home-scene beyond. Divinatory Meanings: Contentment, repose of the entire heart; the perfection of that state; also perfection of human love and friendship; if with several picture-cards, a person who is taking charge of the Querent's interests; also the town, village or country inhabited by the Querent. Reversed: Repose of the false heart, indignation, violence.

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

This is the end of a phase in one's emotional life. The dual potential of poison and healing are coming together to enjoy the fruits, the life. Emotions suppressed for a long time can no longer be denied, with a second sight self-knowledge will bring honesty and humility, peace and satiety. The cup is overflowing, this deep love is the union with the divine. Loving another person opens the heart to love life itself, life has meaning and purpose and a larger, brighter world appears before one's vision - the connection with our own soul. Here comes ecstasy of the reunion of the lovers, conscious union of two loving but separate partners. It is an immortal status, not only personal and sensual dimension but a spiritual one as well.

10 of Water: Harmony

The experience of resting in the heart in meditation is not something that can be grasped or forced. It comes naturally, as we grow more and more in tune with the rhythms of our own inner silences. The figure on this card reflects the sweetness and delicacy of this experience. The dolphins that emerge from the heart and make an arc towards the third eye reflect the playfulness and intelligence that comes when we are able to connect with the heart and move into the world from there.

Let yourself be softer and more receptive now, because an inexpressible joy is waiting for you just around the corner. Nobody else can point it out to you, and when you find it you won't be able to find the words to express it to others. But it's there, deep within your heart, ripe and ready to be discovered.

The cynics among us might scoff at the idyllic lifestyle painted for them on the Ten of Cups, especially the rainbow of Cups draped across the sky. But this is how almost everyone pictures true love, in a sense - nothing but joy and happiness for the rest of their days. This wish is a simple one, and indeed, the existence shown on the Ten of Cups, with the rolling hills and the small house on the horizon, is a simple exitence as well. And in the midst of this simplicity, the hearts of the man and woman are filled with the love of the spirit - the simplest and greatest joy of all.

The Ten of Cups refers to cycles completed, journeys finished and lives well lived in the company of others. Serenity and peace are in the air, and for a moment you can simply forget about all of the material troubles of the world around you. Nothing material matters here, just the eternal happiness that has been earned through trials and obstacles. This success is not a fleeting or temporary one, but a lasting peace and harmony that can truly be enjoyed. There are no regrets over the past, no concerns for the future, so you can live in the moment and seize the day.

The only caution of the Ten of Cups is to not squander these precious times that have been given to you. Don't take your happiness for granted because, as we saw on the Four of Cups, it will only slip away. Don't let this time stagnate like on the Eight of Cups, but keep it in a constant state of growth and rejuvenation. Don't go looking for problems, just sit back and enjoy what you have. The Ten serves as a kind of final test in the lessons learned through the other Cups cards. If you have skipped a lesson, you will have to learn it and try again. If you have paid attention, there is nothing to fear and nothing that can take that rainbow out of the sky.

Speaking of which, the rainbow is a very spiritual symbol in many religions. In Christian faiths it is a sign of God's protection over mankind, and it shows that the relationship pictured here on this card is dinively blessed, just as the union on the Lovers card was. Many old cultures, particularly the Norse, saw the rainbow as a bridge that joined the Earth with the realm of the gods. In the Ten of Cups, the rainbow of golden Cups serves a similar purpose. It reminds us that the greatest power in the world is that of love, and through love we can get a glimpse of Heaven.