By Sarah Taylor
Three cards that correspond to Jupiter in different signs: Earth, Water, and Air respectively. That’s a whole, whole lot of expansion, as well as protection — a breaking open wide but with assistance.
The first card that I drew was the Nine of Cups: Happiness. This is the pivot-point in the reading, which the two outer cards feed into.
The Nine is a beautiful, delicate-yet-strong, surreal card — much like the feeling of happiness itself when it becomes a fully fledged, soaring aspect of the Soul and its experience through the body and the heart — because Cups are associated most strongly with the heart and our feeling nature.
Some of the phrases on the card: “Overflowing Love,” “Deep Joy,” “Rapture,” “Blessing.” A tiny phrase at the top of the card is difficult to discern, but seems to read, “Hallo My Friend” — though I can’t be sure. If so, it is a recognition — the acknowledgement of someone or something that is familiar, and which reflects the spirit of the card.
I cannot help but feel what the card is trying to convey, simply by looking at it: its colours are warm and light. Redemptive. A baby-blue spiral turns in on itself towards the centre. It is a homecoming into light, surrounded by hearts, and a collage incorporating nine cups — all enclosing the mysterious experience that seems to draw the lower part of the card up towards it.
The two outer cards are ones that are not unfamiliar to the Weekend Tarot Reading. In fact, they appeared in the reading of April 13, with the Two of Disks in the same position at left, and the Eight of Swords at centre.
There has been a shift since then. The lack of clarity of the Eight of Swords — the mental machinations that cause indecision in the figure sitting beneath the two women — has moved to one side. It has become peripheral to the Nine of Cups. Yes, there is the oppression or internal pressure caused by a feeling of not knowing which path to take, where figures — outer expressions — have become larger than life itself. However, something altogether different and harmonious is making its presence known.
The Eight of Swords speaks of a state of mind, rather than reality. It is the prison of inaction that we create with our thoughts, which then hold us in place. It is where we believe that we are trapped. Like the figure in the Rider-Waite Smith version of this card, there is little, if nothing, physically holding the seated man back. It is he who is choosing to stay seated; he is not bound.
What binds him is a mental ‘bind’. A double-bind. A titillating (literally!), faceless, voluptuous, overtly sexual double-bind — similar, yet contrasted. One woman with her arms tucked behind her, strangely demure in spite of her lack of dress. The other on show, her arms held over her head as if to show her breasts in the best possible light. Are they really two women? Or are they two aspects of the same phenomenon? After all, there is only one Sun, and yet here there appear to be two.
The Two of Disks — Change — is in the same place as it was three weeks ago. The only constant is change, and the card’s presence here again underlines the idea that change is a prevailing energy.
“Transformation” appears several times on the Two of Disks. The moving from one form to the other, and yet in a way that is inclusive. Yin and Yang — which also appears on the card. Looking back at the Eight of Swords, it feels that indeed the path is not one of “either/or” but of “both/and.”
“Both/And” as the dance of Yin and Yang, the interplay of co-existing contrasts in a balanced play of perpetual motion. To resist the dance simply delays what lives to dance; to choose ‘one’ over ‘other’ suppresses, represses or denies what is unequivocally present. What appears at the centre is, in this instance, what is created through the integration of both — its colours ecstatic, a release into the joy of inner synthesis.
“Hallo my friend.”
Astrology/Elemental correspondences: Two of Disks (Jupiter in Capricorn), Nine of Cups (Jupiter in Pisces), Eight of Swords (Jupiter in Gemini)
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.
“the interplay of co-existing contrasts in a balanced play of perpetual motion.”
http://ofa.bo/tck
There are times when it is prurient to look in the mirror and just feel the goodness! Here is the White House Correspondents Dinner. From a distance, it seems to me to embody what IS really good about America-and what CAN be achieved!
No-one ever said it was going to be easy…n’est pas?
paul
DivaCarla: appreciated your comments and for the interpretation of 8, and “..happiness is being in the flow”!
FYI- 9s indicate the completion of events and that there is a focus of harmony and balance.
“The Eight of Swords speaks of a state of mind, rather than reality. It is the prison of inaction that we create with our thoughts, which then hold us in place. It is where we believe that we are trapped.”
I am feeling in this reading there are many ways to look at this card, VIII of Swords. And as you say Sarah, the card in and of it’self may be an expression of a powerful double energy phenomenon, Yin/Yang.
One is of inaction, the other is of choice. Although, looking at it another way, the choice may not necessarily be of action, (movement). Yet, instead may be a call to patience.
Patience within ourselves and the greater picture happening would be patience in the system that we, humanity built.
I have personally been noticing I am extreamly sensitive to this opposite play in energy. When I am not feeling free, (be it control, guilt complex, passive aggression comments) I am being called to be aware of this, and I am learning to appreciate instead of despise this. And I believe this emotional and mental re-focus will in time help transform myself from within and outwardly affect the system.
Freedom begins within, just as Freedom within the system (structure outside of us) begins within the system. Therefore recognizing there is just the right amount of oppression is calling-out to us to create the equal up-rising potential of empowerment.
If we appreciate the challenges of the system as a call to Freedom and Empowerment; where change begins we transform growth.
Sarah, as you taught us so well. What suit is missing from this reading? In it’s absence, makes it’s presence known. -Wands; Fire, the creativity, 9 of Cups, the cheeky surprise. As my sweet, Brit boyfriend used to express, and in endearment I can still hear him say, “Hallo, what do we have here then..?!”
It’s the guy, (builder & healer) Knight of Pentacles who capped your reading of last, I see him leading us into to this creativity, the 9 which holds the potential of Happiness.. Here again are your beautiful descriptive words!
“The Knight is the masculine custodian of the material world. He embodies man-made systems that are in synch with nature, attuned to them, being responsive to and protective of them. He is insight — the most constructive aspect of the Swords suit — partnered with earth.”
What a splendid draw of the oracle for Beltane, and Venus in Aries, as Len shared with us last week. These cards feel like more integration of what we’ve all been through, and a decision of how we are going to use the energy, no matter how difficult it may have been in the moment.
Three Jupiters says to me, pay attention to where Jupiter is leading you, and realize that whatever just happened, it’s all about MORE. I suppose, no, I’ve experienced! that staying stuck around Jupiter feels like implosion rather than expansion.
The 8 of swords has been with us all year. I think this reading makes it clear that being stuck is an illusion. You selected this deck for today, and I think we need it. The arabic numeral 8 is a subtle reminder that even the apparent stasis of the eights is a slice of infinity. Scary as it feels to get out of our own way, and embrace change, the truth is that happiness is being in the flow, enough flow to fill nine cups!
All right! on with this week!
This is a nice spread and brilliant interpretation. It could not be more on topic. I like the conclusion. Reassuring!
Brilliant as always, Sarah! <3