FOUR PILLARS SOCIETY TAROT: EIGHT OF CUPS

Notes on: The Eight of Cups

(Seeking a Better Way)

Artist’s Notes:

The suite of Cups deals with our emotional nature including love, both in a relationship between two (and rarely more) people and that of friends and companions. Eights deal with the recognition of boundaries and a focus of the energies to move on and continue. Sometimes we stay a little too long at the party. This can be a literal party or a relationship or a job where things have been great, they’ve been good and we settled and now things have gone stagnant. We have stopped growing which can quickly poison any situation. Water left standing too long becomes unfit to drink.

We know that there is something out there that can renew us, a new adventure in the offering with new challenges Something that can motivate us to be better than we’ve ever been. All we need to do is find it in ourselves to leave what we’re used to in order to pursue it.

When we do make our move, it is best to ignore the counsel of those who would hold us back. They may be stuck in the mire as well and even if their intentions are good, it is counter to our new awareness. A wise man once told me that when I was halfway through a lake of shit, the best advice was to keep on going.

Why does one of the cups glow? Let’s say that whenever we leave a place there is always something that we find difficult to leave behind. Call it a sacrifice of necessity but it is something that we can only bring with us in our memories.

About the Archetype:

The suite of Cups deals with our emotional nature including love, both that as in a relationship between two (and rarely more) people and that of friends and companions. Eights deal with recognising boundaries and focusing on the energies to move on and continue. Sometimes we stay a little too long at the party. This can be a literal party or a relationship or a job where things have been great, they’ve been good and we settled and now things have gone stagnant. We have stopped growing which can quickly poison any situation. Water left standing too long becomes unfit to drink.

Astrological Correspondent:

Saturn in Pisces – The Saturn in Pisces energy tends to be very sensitive to everything that doesn’t work about a situation. This can be amazing as it can inherently understand and communicate the failings (and feelings) of others. This can lead to being overwhelmed by all the incoming emotional data and lead to freezing up. However, there is also a core of courage and resolution that is called upon can help the Saturn in Pisces energy continue onwards. Channelled correctly this energy can bring one far in terms of art and music and other forms of self-expression.

In a Reading:

When the Eight of Cups turns up in a reading, it often shows that there is some disillusion with one’s present circumstances. It is the feeling that there is something better out there somewhere if only we had the courage to get up and leave and pursue it. The card may also refer to a sense of failure when really it is just that our current situation has run its course. The energy of this card is not a tragic one as much as it is a call to action. This action is not necessarily jumping into a new situation, whether it be a living situation or relationship as much as leaving the current one to take stock of what we learned and from there start anew thus it is often a solitary enterprise. This card may also mean a time to accept the aid of others.

When the Eight of Cups comes up reversed or badly aspected, it may mean that even tho we may feel it’s time to leave our current situation, there is still more joy and knowledge that we can gain from it. It can also mean coming to terms with our current situation in a way that we haven’t before. This card may also mean that one is refusing to leave the party when it is time either out of laziness or fear of the unknown

Fate’s Whisper:

There is a tale of a man forsaken by time. Born of the more divine priestess and the bloodiest warrior his blessing were endless. Time would see him at birth and warn them

“For life to grow destruction must wipe the slate clean. You gave birth to our next agent. You have one year before each place you reside crumbles.”

After this, Time would depart without another word. As she had said around the halfway point they would begin to see this destruction. After his birth, travel became his lifestyle. What is home to one who can’t settle? What type of story would you make when you have no set foundation?

While there will be more to this legend, this is where your begins. When your heart is ready to move on what happens to the roots you set? Can you face uncertainty with a steady heart? After all, what is the point of life if we can’t move on to better places?

–NF

FOUR PILLARS SOCIETY TAROT: SEVEN OF CUPS

Notes on: The Seven of Cups (i)

(Illusory Alternatives)

Artist’s Notes:

Every moment is a new opportunity to choose yet sometimes the menu is a rather limited one. There are all kinds of pressure from all different directions to choose what they want you to choose and are they all ever good at the sales pitch. “Do you want riches? We can give them to you. How about the house in the suburb with the wife, the car and friends who you BBQ with? You can have that with or without the stock options. You can be successful or maybe all you want is fear.” So many choices and so many voices leading you to choose their way. There is only one voice that matters and that is your own true nature. It knows the way that is right for you. All you have to do is know which of the voices is yours. Once we start doing that and manage to tune out the hucksters and the salesman who insist we live life on their terms and not ours, we may find that we can move beyond the illusion of happiness and choose joy.

About the Archetype:

Cups deal with our emotional nature including love, both that as in a relationship between two (and rarely more) people and that of friends and companions.

Sevens represent our desires and wants and the paths and challenges we take to achieve them.

So often we feel a deep need to feel successful that we become willing to settle for the trappings of success. As long as we have a large income, a beautiful spouse, and a large home, does it matter that we still feel unfulfilled and unhappy? As long as we have the respect and love of our community does it matter that our marriage is falling apart and that our kids hate us? As long as we pursue spiritual and ontological understanding does it matter that we are homeless and cannot feed ourselves? In all three of the above cases, we pursue the illusion or appearance of success, depending on our description of it rather than working towards complete self-actualization and fulfilment.

In reality, all of these cups are ours to drink from and to bring together into the reality of success rather than the illusion

Astrological Correspondent:

Venus in Scorpio – Venus in Scorpio has magnetic and intense energy. It shows imagination and sensuality but reveals very little. It is a promise undelivered, an attractive tease that will show you every dark desire you have and indulge you in it fully and completely but ultimately will not in itself fulfilled. It is delight and delirium.

In a Reading:

When the Seven of Cups shows up in a reading, it can mean that several choices have appeared but that most are illusory promising a lot but offering little. There is one choice that may look less promising but it is a lot more real and will ultimately be more fulfilling. The card may also point out that what the querent is currently doing in their lives may be fun but may not be as worthwhile as they are pretending it is and that they may be concentrating on pleasure and instant gratification rather than joy. The Seven of Cups may also be referring to a false sense of confidence, a belief that we have won where our success may truly be an illusion because of something that we have overlooked.

When the Seven of Cups turns up reversed or badly aspected in a reading, it may mean that the querent has come to a time in their life where they realize that they have been settling for the quick fix rather than concentrating on what is really important and fulfilling to them. It may also refer to hidden problems or dangers revealing themselves after a time of complacency. It may also refer to a time when all the choices and opportunities that we fooled ourselves into thinking that we had are quickly vanishing and what remains is that which is essential to our being

–GAR

Fate’s Whisper:

The ideas that tainted many immortals were primarily driven by their desire to ascend higher. Whether this is through war or defying death it didn’t change much. Many options presented to them seemed so viable. The path felt so real, even if it was a decade or more of pride nothing stopped them. Time would simply wait for them to crumble after all every skyscraper must eventually crumble.

–NF

FOUR PILLARS SOCIETY TAROT: FIVE OF CUPS

Notes on: The Five of Cups

(Youth is Wasted)

Artist’s Notes:

The actress bemoans her lost youth. In her mind, all that’s left of her is her pale reflection in her makeup mirror. The fact that this shows a handsome woman of a certain age is lost in her fears and anguish of the years that have flown by her. The young ingenue in the picture beside the mirror has been lost to time. She drinks her wine in sorrow and solitude not knowing that with a slight change of attitude (and a bit less alcohol), the best years of her life may still lay ahead.

Cups deal with our emotional nature including love, both that as in a relationship between two (and rarely more) people and that of friends and companions.

About the Archetype:

Cups deal with our emotional nature including love, both that as in a relationship between two (and rarely more) people and that of friends and companions.

Fives stand for conflict, change, and breaking through to higher thought. If the four of cups talked about how we look at something new on the horizon and our expectations, then the five of cups show how we handle things when things don’t live up to those expectations and we end up meeting with disappointment. One may ask in colloquial terms what appointment is it we have made that has been dissed.

Most of the time when we enter into a new situation be it a relationship or a new social group or job, we can quickly size up where the problem areas lay and indeed with a little bit of reflection can see exactly how it will play out and yet even when the outcome is likely to be negative, we follow down the path anyway, perhaps because we realize we need the experience and accompanying lesson to be driven home. The biggest lesson of the five of cups is not that we have suffered setbacks because that is inevitable in life. What is it that we have gained in the process and what are we left with becomes paramount. Because quite often, if we are not wasting time ‘crying over spilt milk’, it is that which is the gift.

Astrological Correspondent:

Mars in Scorpio – The Mars in Scorpio energy loves to test itself. It throws itself into a situation head-on often overlooking the emotional ramifications of it. Quite often people with this energy can see through facades and manipulate others in any situation. Quite often this can result in manipulating and fooling themselves as well.

In a Reading:

When the five of cups turns up in a reading, it is usually referring to a recent loss or disappointment. Depending on other cards in the reading, the person may be ‘crying over spilt milk’, choosing to look at what has been lost rather than what they still have or what they may have gained from the situation.

When the five of cups is reversed or badly aspected, the person is looking at their loss with more equanimity. Perhaps they have friends who are talking them through it or perhaps they have discovered gratitude for that which they have left and that which they gained from the experience. It may also refer to remaining open and vulnerable to new experiences despite that which may have been lost in the past.

–GAR

Fate’s Whisper:

History is littered with spoiled monarchs and ungrateful tyrants. The loss of power has caused some of the greatest temper tantrums. In the eyes of Time, every ruler and subject are no different. Both oppress when things don’t go their way. This has never really changed. Is it part of the balance that is up to the ones who read this. When you hear the word “no” how do you deal with that bitterness? Would you take responsibility or are you complaining about things that are better left alone?

Energy’s Will cares little for either response as both have a consequence. Even if you do what is “right” you still have to deal with the backlash. However, those who fight it tooth and nail to avoid it, well let’s say Time likes to ensure they fall. Entitlement turns to poverty in the blip of a passing decade, a once pure body is now tarnished in the eyes of the holder. Maybe then you will realize you are at fault for your actions.

–NF

FOUR PILLARS SOCIETY TAROT: THREE OF CUPS

Notes on: The Three of Cups

(Trine)

Artist’s Notes:

Each of them had come here separately and each had their own purpose in mind. Yet they decided to share what they had and found themselves forming a bond of friendship. There was now a shared joy and shared missions between these beings that were not felt in solitude.

Threes deal with accomplishment, fulfilment, and transmission of energy. In this case, the love that has been expressed overflows into a feeling of abundance. Two together can accomplish a lot. They can balance each other out and yet too often can find themselves stalemated. Bringing a third companion in can avoid that problem and accomplish so much more. When we are in the company of those we enjoy who share our purpose, there is little that we cannot do.

As in most friendships, there are shared commonalities and issues, yet also the basis for many a conversation. The astrological correspondence for this card (Mercury in Cancer) highlights empathy and compassion and while it remembers past wounds, can see past them enabling understanding.

About the Archetype:

Cups deal with our emotional nature including love, both that as in a relationship between two (and rarely more) people and that of friends and companions. Threes deal with accomplishment, fulfilment, and transmission of energy.

In this case, the love that has been expressed overflows into a feeling of abundance. So often we think of our lives in terms of scarcity, what is missing and what we may never have. In reality, in this world there is abundance, having that which is needed. Being in the company of those we love, and having a good time, we realize this abundance

Astrological Correspondence:

Mercury in Cancer – Mercury and Cancer both elicit very personal sides of our emotions. We seem in tune with not only what is on the emotional surface of those around us but the undercurrents as well. Mercury in Cancer carries the emotional memory of everything that happens in a relationship but since it is in tune with it, there is not so much the bitterness of the past, but empathy as well. It is one thing to be in the first blooms of a friendship and be blind to the faults of those around us. How much deeper is the feeling of love and abundance with those we have known at their best and their worst and still share that love and good feeling? That is true abundance.

In a Reading:

In a reading, the Three of Cups may mean a time of enjoying companionship with friends and a time when we feel ourselves in tune with others. This card means quite often that we are allowing ourselves to feel loved and at peace and able to appreciate what comes our way.

Reversed or badly aspected the Three of Cups can mean that this feeling of camaraderie has disappeared or been blocked. There may be some disappointment or feeling of betrayal by a friend or that trust has been broken

–GAR

Chance’s Tail:

With the Dragon’s wisdom (the fish of time in Dragon form), the owl’s ability to journey between worlds and the pilgrim’s ability to pass among the masses, they could now help each other accomplish each other’s quest and thus lighten the load that each bore.