Post by STORMDANCER on Dec 20, 2011 22:18:28 GMT
Card 1: Nine of Cups
Nines represent personal integrity and completion, or the final stage of development. This final stage may bring certain problems with it, and past experiences and methods of coping become important here and are an intrinsic part of the meaning attached to the nines. Thus, the Nine of Cups shows a tendency to daydream and enjoy the pleasures of life. You are likely to spend more time thinking about big ideas and grand schemes for an ideal lifestyle than doing the work you need to do right now to execute those ideas. While it is good to ‘think big’, you also need to balance this with action to ensure that you can fulfil your dreams.
More generally, the Nine of Cups reflects happiness in all areas such as health, finances, work, luck, love or relationships. After the difficult choices of the Seven and the stagnation of the Eight, the Cups suit starts to balance out with the Nine. One of the most positive and uplifting cards of the entire deck, the Nine of Cups shows satisfaction on all levels – emotional, physical, and sensual. It is no wonder that many Tarot readers refer to this card as the Wish Card as its appearance is often taken as a sign that, whatever your heart’s desire, it shall be granted in the coming days or weeks. Know that you have paved our own way on the path to success.
As a Cups card, the Nine usually refers to an emotionally fulfilling situation, such as the strengthening of a romantic bond, the solidification of a friendship or the consummation of a sexual relationship. It shows that joy and happiness are within your grasp. In fact, you probably already have them. It is a sign to enjoy the abundance of life and to feel each of your emotions as if you had never felt any of them before. See the perfection all around you.
The Nine of Cups is also about counting your blessings, living in the moment, and enjoying the good things that life has to offer. Start or end every day by creating a mental list of the three things you are most grateful for. You will find that over time, you indeed have a lot to be happy about and it may increase your feeling of deep contentment and fulfilment.
The Nine of Cups represents stability and advancement. This card signals delight and pleasure, contentment with what you have accomplished so far and forms a steady foundation for the future. Your worries are all in the past and you can look forward to a bright future.
The man in the Nine of Cups also appears to have a certain smug look on his face. This suggests that you can relish in the fact that you are about to finally achieve what you set out to achieve. Do not be too shy or modest about it either! Indulge yourself in knowing that you have worked hard to get here and you have achieved the results you had hoped for.
The Nine of Cups can also indicate splurging and indulging in life’s luxuries. This includes enjoying good food and wine, appreciating the arts, making love, relaxing in a beautiful resort, or experiencing beauty. Of course, balance is needed to ensure that you do not become lazy or greedy but generally the upright version of this card suggests that this is more a time of enjoyment than of suffering the negative consequences of such enjoyment.
Card 2: Seven of Cups
The Seven of Cups indicates that the images in your mind must be dealt with not only in your dreams but in the world of reality. Be careful of wishful thinking or illusions in the choices you currently face. The character in the Seven of Cups is a dreamer who is able to see beauty and excitement as well as fearful trials and difficulties in the future. If you are constantly caught up in your own dreams, fantasies, and/or fears, we will never be able to move forward and make those dreams a reality or overcome those fears.
Therefore, the Seven of Cups indicates that although dreaming is beautiful and provides inspiration for action, you must at some point abandon your ‘castles in the sky’ and begin to build those castles in your real life. A choice must be made even though the apparent multiplicity of options seems to paralyse you with either fear or excessive anticipation. If you are unable to make a decision because of too many options, it is time to carefully evaluate the pros and cons of each option and make a thoughtful choice. You also need to be very clear about what it is you are working towards so that you can make the best choice. Make your decision with caution as all is not what it seems to be. Great opportunities may turn out to be major problems later on, while less enticing options may turn out to be golden opportunities.
With the Seven of Cups, there is a risk of illusion. You need to separate what is real from what is illusion. Protect yourself against unclear or wishful thinking and habitual day dreaming. Avoid intoxication and escapism.
Oftentimes, this card shows choices and plans that have little or no basis in reality. Such things are typical of the developed imagination, and fine if they stay in the imagination. However when you try to implement those ideas in the real world you are leaving yourself open to inevitable disappointment when you realise that your vision simply does not work.
The Seven of Cups is also a wish card. Each of the cups is filled with wishes such as wealth, beauty, success, and a nice home (the castle or tower). However, not every cup is filled with a positive result. Some cups holding a snake or a demon and thus the Seven of Cups can be a mixed blessing. Be careful what you wish as you may just get it, and at a price.
Temptation is associated with the Seven of Cups. With so many choices presented to you, it is easy to be swayed to that cup containing the snake of jealously and cunning. Since this card is from the suit of Cups, the temptation is likely to be sexual or emotional in nature – the one-night stand, the extramarital affair, and all those other things that seem innocent and pleasurable at the time they are undertaken. But in the vast majority of cases, the pleasure gained temporarily is far outweighed by the consequences that last, in most cases, for an entire lifetime.
Card 3: Nine of Swords
The Nine of Swords is the card of fear and nightmares, and has an apparently negative ‘feel’ to it. However, the troubles alluded to in the Nine of Swords are primarily of a psychological nature and do not necessarily indicate suffering in your external reality. That is, it is what is inside your mind that is creating the fear and anxiety, not your actual circumstances. Your experience of the world is greatly influenced by our expectations, desires, and fears, and therefore you are largely the creator of your own world, and your attitudes determine how you experience that world.
The Nine of Swords can also reflect fear of the future, or what may possibly happen in the future. If you allow yourself to be bound by fear of the future, you are at risk of eventually creating a negative reality for yourself by virtue of your expectations. Your nightmare becomes your self-fulfilling prophecy, which is clearly not a desirable outcome.
Generally, this card is an indication that you are worrying excessively about a situation. You are literally being kept up at night because you are so anxious about a particular issue. It is possible you are working yourself up unnecessarily and, if you were to look at the situation more objectively, you may come to realise that it is not as bad as you are making it out to be. In fact, all that worry and despair is what is making it worse, so rather than fretting about it, do something to change it.
Although most people experience fear, frustration and uncertainty at some point in their lives, you should not allow those negative emotions to immobilise you or keep you from pursuing your goals with enthusiasm and hope. Expect at least some level of uncertainty in the future, and draw upon your inner strength to remain as flexible and adaptable to that uncertainty as possible.
The Nine of Swords can also indicate that you are being incredibly hard on yourself, putting yourself down or engaging in negative self-talk. For every mistake you make, you blame yourself and become worked up and angry at yourself for messing up again. So, when the Nine of Swords appears in a reading, ask yourself why you are being so hard on yourself, how are you putting yourself down or what is the source of your depression? What can you do to make yourself feel better? You may need to make a more conscious effort to quit the negative self-talk and replace it with positive reinforcement for a job well done.
If you put this reading into the perspective of psychic abilities to me it makes perfect sense. let me know how it reads to you. I hope it helps.
Peace and Love
Storm xx
