The Weekend Tarot Reading — Sunday, September 29, 2013

By Sarah Taylor

This week’s reading has a back-to-front quality to it, with the card on the left — the Nine of Cups — as a possible goal, and the two following cards — the Three of Disks and the Six of Swords (3 + 6 = 9) — the means by which it is reached.

Then again, unless we hold a vision of what is possible, then we are unable to take the steps to reach it. And here we are being shown that the Nine of Cups is indeed possible.

Contrary to what may or may not be taking place in your life; contrary to what you may believe: the Nine of Cups’s appearance is indication enough.

Nothing shows up on the radar that is a tarot reading if it is not in the realm of livable experience.

To many, the Nine of Cups is the ‘wish card’. I find this approach to its interpretation similar to the meaning of the Seven of Cups — although in the Seven what is possible is more of an emotional gamble: the aim is to choose carefully rather than go for the most immediate, shiny object, lest you get tripped up by outward appearances. In the Nine, the negativity has been whittled away so that, instead of choosing between “happiness” and “not-happiness,” you are choosing your mode of happiness — hence its being called the wish card.

This, too, comes with a caution, however: that, in having all of this available to you, you do not wish it away by turning it into a ‘trophy experience’ — all show, no substance — or by not living it fully in the moment. Living the Nine of Cups is best done up-close-and-personal, not at a distance. Yes, in doing that you might not have so much of a chance to step back and relish what you are living through as an observer who can record every detail for posterity. But it will be an integral part of your life; looking back, you’ll know you have lived from your heart.

How to get there is laid out in the centre and right-hand cards — both of which offset the emotional nature of the Nine of Cups with qualities that are highly practical.

The first card we meet, at centre, is the Three of Disks. Last week, we had the Ace of Disks in the same position. Here, it has evolved: the figure standing on the rocky outcrop, at the heart of which was buried the ‘hidden treasure’ of the Ace, is now holding both the outcrop and the Ace on his back. There is a sense of having taken full responsibility for the manifestation of the Ace, however that has chosen to reveal itself.

Now, the potential of the Ace has become physical reality — and so the work begins. Bringing the Ace into form is one thing; working away at that form to shape and craft it is another thing entirely. When we are living the Three of Disks, we are in a state of ‘beginner’s mind’: we are curious, we are open, we take on the role of apprentice for our creation, we enlist the help and support of those more experienced than we are who can show us the way (the two disks standing behind the figure, who have shed the perceived encumbrances of their burden of responsibility; responsibility, to them, has become light).

Finally, we are met with the Six of Swords, or “Science.” The word “science” comes from the Latin “scire,” which means “to know.” What is interesting is the association that comes up for me when I look at the accompanying image on the card. Here, two separate strands of colour make their way through a maze, to meet and weave themselves into a feathered flower beyond and above it.

“To know” in this instance takes me to its biblical meaning: to have sexual intercourse with. Intercourse is designed to create a third from the union of two, and this picture is no exception. What’s perhaps different is that this idea of union is broader, especially because we are in the realm of swords. Here, it is the union of minds, of ideas, of knowledge, of secrets (and by “secrets” I mean those things that were, until now, hidden from consciousness).

The result is the birth of new life. The Six of Swords often refers to a physical movement from one place to another, but it can just as accurately describe the movement from one state to another, through a sense of enlightenment — a clearing, a more acute way of seeing. The Six of Swords is the start of insight.

The Nine of Cups is the wish; responsibility, work, application and the synthesis of ideas are the route to the fulfillment of the wish. But first, there is the wish. What does “happiness” mean to you? Can you hold a clear vision of it? Can you dedicate yourself to it in ways that are eminently practical? Finally, can you bring the missing ingredient — wands, the fourth suit — to charge up your vision with the juices that stir at your core? You are that creative charge; you bring the erotic to the table. You are the Magician. What will you create?

Astrology/Elemental correspondences: Nine of Cups (Jupiter in Pisces), Three of Disks (Mars in Capricorn), Six of Swords (Mercury in Aquarius)

If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread. This article explains how to use the spread.