Editor’s Note: 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 tells you how to use the spread. You can visit Sarah’s website here. –efc
By Sarah Taylor
Given the intensity of the Thoth version of the 7 of Cups, I felt it might be an idea to follow up today with an encounter with the Rider-Waite Smith version of the 7 of Cups. The Thoth tends to be associated with its creator, Aleister Crowley, and there can be a propensity, if we’re not careful, to get mired in the very sludge that the card is pointing out to us.
The Rider-Waite Smith version of the 7 of Cups, illustrated by Pamela Colman-Smith in collaboration with the direction and vision of A. E. Waite, offers us an alternative — both visually and ideologically — that is not only more gentle in tone and approach, but which also provides us with something that we might not be able to see when we feel trapped, at odds with ourselves, and in conflict.
It offers us the power of choice, and the power of defining ourselves through that choice.
Here, seven cups sit on a cloud — and the cloud here reminds me of the clouds enveloping each of the hands in the Aces. It is representative of the divine in its many forms.
In each cup there is an object: a man’s head; a snake; a building that seems carved from the rock it sits on; jewels; a laurel wreath; a dragon; and a shrouded figure. I’ve found that when I first look at the card I’m taken in by the sheer number of things in the cups. The magpie in me — somewhat undiscerning, rather taken by the variety, enamoured by the glitter of the jewels — wants to have them all … or wants to pick something straight away without much thought. I identify with the figure that is cast in shadow at the front of the card. It seems to represent us — the viewer; or the person for whom we are doing the reading. This is our choice, and one we are empowered to make alone.
And then, I look at the cups more closely. And in this case, not all cups are equal. Some can perhaps be eliminated more readily; others remain a bit of a mystery. Why is there a skull on the cup that holds the laurel wreath, which is usually a symbol of victory? Is it perhaps an indication of what happens if we pursue winning at any cost? Are the jewels simply a gift, willingly given? Who is that figure who is shrouded, and yet glowing brightly? Does it indicate the need, sometimes, to hold to our faith, even if we cannot see what it is that is welcoming us? Is anything as straightforward as it first seems?
The 7 of Cups offers us choice, but with a caveat: choose carefully, because choice is an act of self-definition. It is the choices that we make that will either lead us to obstacles that stymie us and block our path, or that lead us more directly toward ourselves.
Having said that, I go back to the one thing that they all have in common: the cloud. All are of the divine. Nothing is left out. There may be many paths, but without exception we all get there in the end.
Hi, my late entry, but here goes.
I read the 7 of cups as the choice card, the ‘what do you want card?’ with the possibilities as ‘beauty’ the head, ‘property’ the castle, (altho’ slightly ‘in the air’), the baubles/jewels as ‘wealth’, the wreath with the death’s head as ‘fame’, (selling the soul is a risk here), the little dragon with that look as ‘sex’, and the snake as ‘wisdom’; the last or the first being the undiscovered self, which fits in with the primary ‘command’ of Life, which is ‘Know Thyself’. These are the classic goals of fairy tales.
I would read a reversed 7 as not knowing what you want or having no goals in life, and needing to find a ‘safe’ place to be in so’s can then look for said goals.
Thank you, Half. Your points and questions directly help to clarify some of my current brain muddle. Much appreciated.
Beautifully put, Half.
I think it important at this point to emphasise the perils of reifying light/dark and power etc – this is always a clear risk with any form of divination.
The more crude the method (say a pendulum), the more reductionist the platform for extracting the desired knowledge (which is, after all, sought as a means to increased power). In the case of a pendulum rotation “yes” or “no” to a question.
Arguably, astrology offers the greatest scope as a divination tool to reflect the complexities of our ‘reality’. Nevertheless, even here there is risk and I have seen it at first hand. If one looks at a picture of Neptune in an astronomy text and then add a thematic tag of fog/confusion, it becomes relatively easy to assign that rich, colourful planet as a mere receptacle. So, I’m feeling confused or disorientated and on a certain modus operandi I begin to look feverishly for a Neptune transit to explain it. I find one.. Bingo!!! My confusion is now down to Neptune..
Projection takes many forms and not just onto other people.
One of the things that helps mitigate is a mythology (in its best sense). Because then ‘my story’ has an opportunity to develop a multi-layered correlation/intersection to/with a wider, universal story that all are merely a sliver of – if you like, the mythology acts reflexively – I don’t project, I introject… (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introjection)
Light, Dark, Shadow, Power, Awareness etc these are NOT entities. On this question of power and coming back to the pendulum: One seeks knowledge/information where it was not available by other means (or was it, but I’m just habituating laziness? There’s a thought!). This enhanced knowledge may prove to give me an advantage.
The advantage gained may bequeath to me something we name ‘power’. We have to be careful here though. Power is a capacity, a potential, an energy. Nevertheless, many folk experience and interpret power from the vantage point of their own sense of powerlessness – which often will serve to render a person passive and, over time, fearful of malign (or dark) forces.
Just because a person has power, the powerlessness of others is not a fait accompli, unless we are victims.
There ARE of course victims in the world, but we have to guard against the victim mentality. The less the level of sophistication and symbolic breadth and depth that a divination system offers, the more likelihood there is that in using it habitually we will learn to reify our weaknesses, project them, and therefore make it unlikely we will address them with our our own focused intention e.g. will – is that thelema again? Is that why we see so many extremes birthed as corrective?
Because humans struggle so in finding healing in the moderation of the middle way?
We need our heretics and our prophets.. Are they not, in fact, one and the same……?
Jere, I think what Rob44 means is that the shadow is disowned parts of ourselves that, when integrated, make for a more balanced and multifaceted person. Denying the shadow, or diving into it without integration, ie letting it drive our behaviours, can both cause imbalances, some mild, others more entrenched pathologies. We all have shadow material and not all of it can be labelled as negative – hence Marianne Williamson. But you don’t integrate by actively searching it out in an intellectual sense. You do it, in psychodynamic therapy for instance, through the emotions. Good therapy provides a safe space in which to feel, and to own those feelings. That is one of the routes to integration.
,,I don’t know who was laughing harder, the kiddo or me!!!
Thank you, I needed that
Jere
Liminali, I can’t disagree with what she says. I want to, from a production standpoint, but I can’t.
I’ve never been one to have issues regarding Ego, except that mine was Way too big. And over the years, various cats have chipped that away,.. myself being the biggest contributer, (an ego statement). Then, I realized my ego was really a veil thrown over my insecurities.
Yes, it does freak me out to think that I have power. (It’s like Gandahlf and the Ring.. I would use it for good, but annihilate everything around me.)
Thank you for sharing,
jere
Laugh your ass off? This little peep sure knows how!
http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2011/03/random-youtubery.html
..smile man, big wide, toothy or not.. smile, and laugh your ass off!
Love ya,
Jere
The seven of Cups is about illusions; and emotional self deceptions. The “if onlys”, the attachments to power, and the lies we tell ourselves about why we don’t deserve love. Shadows are created by blocked Light.
I view the seven of Cups as a cautionary reminder to be aware of one’s relational choices. Dwelling on the shadows is focusing on what is blocking your Light. Our biggest fear is actually turning around and facing our own Light.
Marianne Williamson explains this in “Our Deepest Fear”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DSQs5VgaKM
Let yours shine!
Jere, At this point, a bit drunk on meaning . . . AND needing some humor 🙂
Alpssmile, so what do you make of that? Will you elaborate? (that’s a fine read..)
Jere
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/in_one's_cups
Rob44, will you expand upon your premise? I can guess at your meaning, and think I have a fairly clear idea but,.. if you can throw some more words down regarding your statement, it would be appreciated.
Honest openness,
Jere
The shadow isn’t meant to be lived in wholly, nor kept in a pen: its meant to be integrated into the greater self. Those who advocate either approach are missing the whole point of working with shadow, really.
Thanks Jere, I’ve read a bit of Crowley, and yes, he is very logical, and he is incredibly intelligent, which makes him all the more compelling. But I still don’t like him. 🙂
..Indrani, I recommend you read Crowley, a good deal of his works. I don’t think you’re judging him with open non-bias. He’s Not evil, he’s Not dark,.. he’s just a well read jerk. The dude is logical, if not mediatory.
Jere
That’s a powerful story, Charles. I appreciate that you chose to share – it seems to go along with our time-of-life/astrology just now, that is: the seeing, the delusion, the helplessness other than to share what we think we see and pray for the well-being of those we love (including ourselves). Thank you.
That makes things a lot clearer, Indrani, and I appreciate your forthrightness and your ability to stick with this and explain where you’re coming from. I see what you mean, now, about power from a professional standpoint. Your opinions on Crowley and how that affects the Thoth – well, we might have to disagree on that. But what is the purpose of different points of view if it isn’t to show up another part of the experience?
Generally, my tarot columns are the most uncontroversial aspects of Planet Waves – not that I view it as controversial. But my point is that I have always viewed them as, let’s say, a comfy chair rather than a tectonic plate. I see myself as pootling on here (and I’m being a bit flip, but I hope you know what I mean), doing my thing, chatting with those who want to chat, enjoying myself immensely, and then pootling off until next time. I did have an intention to change direction and spark debate — much like the debates on the earlier articles on the 10 of Swords and The Lovers. And I had an inkling that there was something in the offing. But you were right: I didn’t expect this particular outcome. Having said that, it has been hugely instructive, both personally and professionally, and very enlightening. And I think my ego has just managed to survive the bruising! 🙂
So, really, thank you too. Much appreciated. And to you all.
Charles – thank you for sharing that personal experience. I don’t get the 7 of Cups often, but when I do, it usually speaks of some form of delusion, or, to couch it in closer terms to the card’s description, magical thinking.
Sarah, I recall seeing that little castle tower in other cards, I’ll have to keep an eye open.
I personally think this card is about as close as RWS comes to the traditional Golden Dawn minor arcana, with the cups floating in a geometric arrangement, with symbolic water exuding from them. Except in this case, the cups are exuding powerful illusions of wealth, knowledge, and honor, as well as snakes and demons. These illusions represent desires so powerful, and in this scene, so plentiful, they can entice us into making bad decisions. Thus it still carries the sense of Debauch or “Illusory success.”
I had this card come up for me once, with a cruel message. I was trying to figure out what was going on with a very close woman friend. She was falling apart, nobody could figure it out, the more we tried to help, the more she pushed away. I did a reading about it and once card was the 7C inverted, this and other cards made a pretty clear case: she had succumbed to severe drug addiction. This wasn’t obvious at the time, but it soon became clear to everyone when she became homeless and insane. I feel like I had advance warning and I tried to help, but when illusions are that powerful, reality cannot compete, it can’t even be seen.
Correction: I believe I used the word “dissimilated”. I meant “disseminated”. Apologies.
Sarah, as the interpreter of something as personal as tarot, and for all intents and purposes (because many of us have no clue about it), as a teacher of tarot, you do have enormous power, because we, to some extent, are your “captive audience” – it is you, not us who has the experience, and it’s your interpretation and opinion that is being dissimilated. Your power is a fact. It’s not something to be embarrassed about. I’m not suggesting that you have enormous power in your personal life (how many of us do?), but as an author whose work is in the public realm, you do have power – like every journalist, every public commentator. But your power is a little bit more special and a bit more powerful, because you’re dealing with the labyrinthine depths of the human psyche, and in a forum where we are intellectually and emotionally open to what you offer. That makes you enormously powerful. And that means self-awareness is essential, but that’s a good thing – that will allow you to explore and embrace your own “shadow-self”. I had to face that when I first started trial work. Self-awareness and self-knowledge is what strengthens our inner-core which I would argue is the whole point of arts such as astrology and tarot as used on Planet Waves.
We explore our darkness on PW, but with the express purpose of healing. People like Crowley however misused the powers of darkness – he was particularly insidious, in that he knew how to play and prey on people’s fear. He knew exactly what he was doing, which means, a practitioner of tarot or astrology needs to be even more cautious when handling anything at all that may be related to Crowley, and most importantly, they need to be aware of their own darkness, and the lure darkness has for them.
I do love your openness, and I absolutely love your courage and inclusiveness. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world to put that card up on its own yesterday – it has been in fact, extremely instructive. It is important to be reminded that people like Crowley exist, and that that dark force is what we’re up against. In a way, I’m glad you did it – I think the outcome was quite different to what you were expecting, but that’s the way it rolls with these things – expect the unexpected.
Personally, I enjoy a trip into my darkness from time to time, but only because I’ve come to understand my own depths, and I know the way out, and frankly, my “darkness” is absolutely nothing that I feel needs to be hidden, it’s not destructive, and it’s nothing to be afraid or ashamed of. That’s the thing with darkness – it needs to be acknowledged, and it needs to be kept in check, in order for us to have a healthy relationship with the Self. Otherwise, unchecked, it becomes destructive and can cause enormous harm.
What a very interesting set of circumstances we have here – it’s been a trek for all of us, and this is how easy it is to acknowledge the shadow-self (the repository of everything we want to hide for fear of rejection): very soon after I posted that first note to you, saying I was creeped out, saying I would appreciate a contrast, I’m suddenly not creeped out anymore. But that’s only because you were open enough to acknowledge what I’d written. Had you dismissed it, I might have gone off and felt rejected, and a perfectly healthy and valid reaction and opinion would have been relegated to the shadow-self with the message that says, “Don’t bother giving your opinion, nobody wants to hear it”, and this rich exchange would have fallen by the wayside, and we would both have missed an opportunity for growth.
So I thank you, and I thank Eric & co at Planet Waves because this is exactly what the world needs more of – a place to discuss things that are important to us, to expand in our knowledge and understanding, and to assist each other to embrace, heal and strengthen ourselves.
Cheers,
Indrani
..allright, I’ll talk to a couple of my friends who might be up for it, we’ll go out in the woods with some fungi’s and see what we can’t work through. A week might be adequate, but we’ll see. (I’ve some friends who are really wanting to trip with me, they want lsd, but I won’t touch the lab. sheisse.) Psylocybin it is…
Indrani – thank you for being so open. There is a lot to digest here. However, one observation that I would like to make: I do not have enormous power. Something only has power to the extent that we give it power. I have a sense of responsibility, which is why I acknowledge and agree that there was a calling to redress a balance. But power? I disagree.
..It looks like a big ol’ mushroom, Eric. I need to get out to the woods for a clearing..
..I’ve got to back track a bit, when I said Crowley was a dick I meant it, just not that I thought he was ‘wrong’ or ‘bad’ in Any capacity. I understand him. His words can take some research, but they’re right on (as Sarah pointed out in the interpretation of ‘do what thou will’. ..shall be the whole of the law. Love is the law. Love under Will.’ It’s logical, it makes sense. Aside from the knee-jerk derision I feel towards some of his statements, the dude got us to think for ourselves.. hey, if one is feeble minded enough to follow a cult, I’m glad it was his and NOT the Roman Catholic. Or the Russian Molokan, or the L.D.S., or the pentecostals, or the Jehovah’s Witness, or the non-denominational born again B.S.. I won’t villianize Crowley, I appreciate his work.
..And yes, there is ‘power’ in just existing on this plane. Shall I be afraid to ‘wield my existence’? Hell No.
I’m here to Live. Then, I will die.
..but until then,.. I have to put up with me.
Peace, Love, Happiness
Jere
remembering the conversation yesterday about the number 7 – isn’t it interesting that the cup that is most important – the 7th, perhaps – is the Mystery of Self in this deck? Yet the cup with the serpent rises above that in a lofter cloud/cup.
I look forward to learning more from discussion on this card, as with all. Thanks!
There is the mystery of self, at the top center of the card. Have a look.
This is a vision. (If you’ll notice, the castle in the pentacles is more chess-like with two parapets flanking the doorway. The cups have more of a mutated phallus look.)
7 cups, ignoring the first 3. Each relevant to the tree of life, pictorially embracing that philosophy. It’s lacking the Crown, Wisdom, and Understanding. It entices with what is ‘within’ knowlege, and not with what is beyond. And knowlege, as cool as it may be, is just a stepping stone, infinite in stature, and potentially confusing as all hell, it is the abyss.
..Do these things even matter? Jewels, castles, lovers, victories? It seems so empty. A fine illusion.
Jere
Thanks Sarah. This is so different to the Crowley tarot – at the other extreme in fact. But this card is far more useful – we do choose what direction we’ll take, and this card leaves us free to do that. The Crowley card made that choice for us – as if it reflected the shadow-self of the creator of that tarot. Like Crowley, it seemed to incite a great deal of anger, fear and conflict (something he thrived on) in PW readers and as Eric pointed out the symbols representing Venus in Scorpio seemed to be at odds with the drawing – Venus in Scorpio can also be remarkably transformative and transcendental. I don’t like the Crowley tarot. The “dark side” certainly exists, but it is very much representative of the shadow, and not the actual being casting the shadow.
For Crowley, the shadows is where he preferred to live, although “exist” would be a more appropriate term – fuelled by fear and hatred, and determined to take everyone there with him. You couldn’t say that Crowley was a whole being, anymore than someone who completely denies their shadow is a whole being. Personally, I don’t think the shadow itself is something to be feared – it’s something to be embraced. I see it as the repository of things we feel we need to hide – usually for the purposes of “survival” or acceptance by our communities. To live in the shadows as someone like Crowley did, suggests someone who is terrified of rejection – as if he’s already given up the ghost (no pun intended). To use the tarot of such a man is in itself a negative choice – I can’t see how it can be possible to celebrate something which is representative of such fear and (self)loathing. Looking back at my own posts yesterday, the overriding feeling I seemed to have was pity.
I’m glad you gave us the Rider-Waite Smith version as a contrast – as I said, it makes a lot more sense, and it’s about the reader, not about Crowley (that was the point of Crowley – everything was about Crowley – to the exclusion of everything else).
Astrology and tarot are powerful, powerful magic, and I think should probably be wielded with a little more caution, and certainly more consciously as to the tools that are used – what are they? Are they laced with their own agenda? That was Crowley’s trip yesterday, not ours. Planet Waves is an excellent site because of the wide ranging and very balanced views we are given, and the responsible use of astrology. I’m still creeped out by both the card and the responses to the card. I’m glad that Eric did give that balancing viewpoint. I deal almost exclusively with the shadow-self in my job as a criminal defence lawyer, and I would like to see these things used in a more balanced way with the appropriate context give. From where I stand, there is absolutely nothing pretty, or fun, or remotely amusing about ‘debauch’ – not for the people who engage in it, not for the people who suffer as a result of that engagement (families – on both sides, the community as a whole, and us lawyers whose job it is to make sure that the wheels of democracy are properly greased and operational).
As a very vocal admirer of your writing, I hope you won’t take offence at what I’ve just posted, but you have enormous power, and when one has enormous power, awareness and balance are everything.
Cheers,
Indrani
Charles and Jere – I have to point out to you if you’re reading this: the tower in that left hand panel of the 10 of Pentacles makes an appearance in the cup at bottom left. I must see if I can find it in any of the other cards.