The Seven of Cups - Reflecting on Your Options in the Tarot
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The Seven of Cups is a card about recognising and reflecting on the many paths open to you.
To give you a bit of context whilst you reflect on your own relationship to the card, here are a few key things to know about the Seven of Cups:
In the Rider Waite Smith Tarot, the Seven of Cups is illustrated like this: a figure stands, back to the viewer, observing a collection of seven chalices, each filled with a different symbol. In one, a snake is coiled, in another a trove jewels glitters, another shows a dragon perched, ready to strike. And in the centre, a ghostly figure with an obscure face opens its arms wide to the protagonist. Each of the cups surrounding that central chalice represents potential - the good and the bad possibilities. But the central cup tells the real truth: we can never really know how things are going to turn out.
Each of the seven cups in this card offers rich imagery worth reflecting on. I invite you to consider the card for yourself and select the cup that speaks most deeply to you - to your experiences, desires, to the choices you want to make in life, and dig in to your relationship with what that choice represents to you. If you find yourself attracted to the victory wreath, for example, maybe this is a moment to examine what winning means to you. What you prioritise winning over, and how that’s working for your in your life.
It’s not an accident that this card about the mystery and desire surrounding potential is a 7. In numerology, 7 is considered the most spiritual number. And if you ask me, there’s nothing more spiritual than being able to appreciate the many paths ahead of you, while also trusting that no matter what you choose, your true path will always be a little bit of a mystery.
In your tarot journal, you’re asked to reflect on what this card means to you, now, in this moment, and what actions and thoughts it inspires in you. As you journal, pay attention to what you’re personally picking up in the card, but also consider what the key symbols and themes in the card might be telling you. What paths are laid out before you now? How do you feel about your choices? Are you ready to embrace the fact that things may work out in surprising, unexpected ways?
This mini-tarot lesson was brought to you by me, Chelsey Pippin Mizzi, founder of Pip Cards Tarot. I hope you gained a little context to help you continue reflecting on the card in your own way, and I’ll see you tomorrow for another mini-lesson.