{"id":35154,"date":"2011-03-03T14:38:23","date_gmt":"2011-03-03T19:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/?p=35154"},"modified":"2011-03-03T14:43:05","modified_gmt":"2011-03-03T19:43:05","slug":"the-7-of-cups-the-other-side-of-the-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/reading-tarot\/the-7-of-cups-the-other-side-of-the-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"The 7 of Cups – The other side of the experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s Note: If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free\u00a0tarot spread generator<\/a> using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread.\u00a0This article<\/a> tells you how to use the spread. You can\u00a0visit Sarah’s website here<\/a>. –efc<\/em><\/p>\n

By\u00a0Sarah Taylor<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"7<\/a>
The 7 of Cups from the Rider-Waite Smith Tarot deck by A. E. Waite, and illustrated by Pamela Colman-Smith. Click on the image for a larger version.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

It offers us the power of choice, and the power of defining ourselves through that choice.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n

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?<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor’s Note: If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free\u00a0tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread.\u00a0This article tells you how to use the spread. You can\u00a0visit Sarah’s website here. –efc By\u00a0Sarah Taylor Given the intensity of the … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":470,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":""},"categories":[183],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35154"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35154\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}