10 of Cups -- So negative?

sweet_intuition

Am I the only one who wonder's why the 10 of cups has a very negative feeling to it in the thot deck, whereas in RWS and other decks it's one of the most positive cards in the suit of cups???

Why did crowley give it such a negative description?
 

Aeon418

Maybe because "other decks" are only telling half of the 10 of Cups story. ;)

The 10 of Cups is the fulfilment of the potential of water in the suit of Cups. The element has reached the limit of what it can do. It has achieved perfection. But what happens if you try to add to perfection? One's cup runneth over and stains the carpet.

In many ways the 10 of Cups is the mirror image of the 10 of Swords. That card tells you that, as bad as things are, they aren't going to get any worse. The 10 of Cups is basically saying the reverse. It's saying that this is as good as it gets, so enjoy it while it lasts. You're at the top of the mountain right now, but unfortunately the only way to go from here is down.

Crowley's keyword "Satiety" brings to mind that feeling you have after a big meal. You couldn't possibly eat another bite. But if you try to you're only going to end up feeling sick.
 

Parzival

10 of Cups

"Too much of a good thing" instead of bliss and harmony. More to the Kabbalistic side of interpretation, rather than the suit/number side --Cups 10. This is why we have an Aeclectic Tarot approach. Put the Waite-Smith design beside the Thoth design and contemplate the variations and the whole Vision.
 

Aeon418

Frank Hall said:
"Too much of a good thing" instead of bliss and harmony. More to the Kabbalistic side of interpretation, rather than the suit/number side --Cups 10.
The astrological attribution plays a big role in the unique aspect of this card. Mars in Pisces implies disruption, disturbance, and the dispersal of energy.
Mars is the gross, violent and disruptive force which inevitably attacks every supposed perfection. ~ 10 of Cups - Book of Thoth
 

Lillie

Cos it's a 10.

10's are never particularly good.
They are the end of the cycle.

On the tree of life 10's are down in Malkuth, which is the worst place to be.
Down at the bottom, as far away from the perfection of Kether as possible.
Totally corrupted by reality.

Saiety.
Sick of it.
It's what comes ater the happy ever after.
It's the nasty reality of living with your one true love, your soul mate.
They leave the top off the toothpaste tube. They argue with you.
Sick of it.
Saiety.
 

Parzival

10 of Cups

Lillie said:
....

On the tree of life 10's are down in Malkuth, which is the worst place to be.
Down at the bottom, as far away from the perfection of Kether as possible.
Totally corrupted by reality.....
That is just what the Kabbalitic emphasis is about, with the astrological, too. Down at what's base. At the bottom of the barrel.
 

Lillie

Yup.

And as Waite was GD trained, it makes you wonder why his card is as it is.
Because he too would have made the automatic assumption of 10 = Malkuth.

However, it is clear that he hid a lot of what he really belieed (or at least what he was taught) and went for more traditional fortune telling type meanings.
So his interp for the 10 must be part of this famous 'blind' that Waite erected between the meanings he knew and the meanings he gave.

The fact is that Waite would have been taught to interpret it like Crowley does, rather than how his own book tells us too.

This don't mean that the usual RWS definition is wrong.
Define the cards anyway that works.
Only that the Crowley definition is more true to the GD than Waites.

Funny old world.
 

Barbaras Ahajusts

A thought...Same card different outlook...

Optimistic= If you look at most tarot decks, that 10 of Cups is a big ole family that is oh so dang happy!

Pessimistic= Now the Thoth card steps back and says,
"Oh get real! With this many people hanging around, someone is bound to get pissed off about something!"

;) Barb
 

Teheuti

Lillie said:
And as Waite was GD trained, it makes you wonder why his card is as it is.
Because he too would have made the automatic assumption of 10 = Malkuth.
While the Waite-Smith 10 of Cups can certainly be a good card still, as the illusionary rainbow in the sky suggests, it also carries an over-the-top perfectionism that is disturbingly unreal. This card can indicate expectations that can never be achieved in actuality. I sometimes call it the "white-picket fence card" - 2-1/2 children and a 2-1/2 car garage - the mythical "family values" scenario that fits only the tiniest fraction of families in the nation (and even then, never for long). It's like the ending of fairytales saying, "They lived happily ever-after," when we all know that the prince and princess probably got really tired of each other, had affairs, one of the kids died young, and they probably eventually got a divorce.

One time it came up for a couple who was temporarily moving in with her parents. The parents were welcoming, the help was appreciated, but even those best of intentions do not last long under the wear-and-tear of everyday life.

I check if there is an over-idealized dream aspect to the situation that could be painting a rosy picture and setting expectations of happiness and perfection that might be followed by disappointment or satiety (hey, the suit of Cups certainly have their share of boredom, loss, betrayal and longing for something different).

Mary
 

rainwolf

If you think about it, the RWS 10 of cups looks like a stage and the happiness only a play. The hills are a backdrop, and the people acting are on a surface separate from the picture behind them.