Ace of Cups = Children?

Is children a reasonable interpretation for the ace of cups?
I drew this card when asking what someone's priorities are (i.e., what's most important for them right now). Then I drew the ten of rods as a clarification card. Ten of rods usually means some kind of burden, and, based on that, I interpreted the ace of cups as meaning the person's kids. Does that seem reasonable to you?

Hi, the Ace of Cups may point to pregnancy, but with the 10 Wands as clarifier I don't think so. It looks more like this person can't take it anymore and feels the urge to give vent to his/her own feelings. Anyway you're talking about priorities, so maybe the card just means this person wants to be more sincere as possible in terms of feelings and emotions and so doesn't want people to carry useless burdens, but to be as open as he/she would do.

Just my 2 cents.

Which deck? Just for fun, here's a thought using the RWS (probably not what you used): if the person was Catholic, I might guess if they wanted a sacrament (Ace) because of a burden, guilt, or shame (10). But that's a long-shot for most people!

Otherwise, maybe to reconnect or find one's "heart's desire" (Ace) because life has become tedious, repetitive, burdensome (10).

I could see the Ace as children if they are very young, because the RWS version hints at pregnancy (the Immaculate Conception) but of course that's specific to the RWS. Whatever you see in your deck, whatever came to your mind first, when reading, is something I'd trust.

Moderator Note

Welcome to Aeclectic, RainatDayBreak!

Is this a complete reading (one card plus clarifier) or were there additional cards in the reading?

Well, the Ace of Cups might be the "gleam in the eye" leading that way; at most, conception. 10 of Wands suggests a difficult labor. If the kids are already existing, I wouldn't see the Ace the same way. Maybe a Page, as I recently had come up in a reading for a client who was concerned about her son.

@Elena - that's definitely the most obvious interpretation for the ace of cups + 10 of rods, but it doesn't seem to fit the situation, which is why I went for an unusual interpretation.

@LeFou - I used the RWS! I only bought it recently, but it's quickly becoming my favorite deck. You're sacrament and guilt interpretation is *very* interesting. The person used to be Catholic but not anymore, but you know how one's religious upbringing lingers even if you've rationally chosen to eschew religion. And the guilt/shame/burden thing does make sense. So based on this interpretation, the most important thing for the person is salvation? Forgiveness? An indulgence? Could be! Although if that is the case, I am sad that the Catholic ethos and its associated shame and guilt are so deeply entrenched in this person's mind that they feel this way. Breaks my heart, really.

When I first saw the Ace of Cups, the first thing that came to mind was the obvious interpretation + confusion because it didn't seem to make sense. Once I drew the clarification card, the first thing that came to mind was children.

I do think my intuition is right because the three of cups showed up elsewhere in the spread as a clarification card, and at first I thought it meant the person chose a certain option because he had a group of friends who all chose that option so they had the emotional support/joy of working together towards a common goal. But last night when I was thinking about the reading, hours later, I suddenly realized that the three of cups represented the person's three children. If you looked at the spread, it would become clear that the entire spread was about family.

@rwcarter - The cards were part of a larger spread.

@Barleywine - Kids are already existing. Highly unlikely to have more due to circumstances + the person's age.

RainatDayBreak said:

Is children a reasonable interpretation for the ace of cups?
I drew this card when asking what someone's priorities are (i.e., what's most important for them right now). Then I drew the ten of rods as a clarification card. Ten of rods usually means some kind of burden, and, based on that, I interpreted the ace of cups as meaning the person's kids. Does that seem reasonable to you?

Click to expand...

Anything is a reasonable interpretation of a card. In the sense that if YOU feel that's what something means, then that is what it means. Meaning follows intuition And whatever our intuitions tell us, is the answer. Intuition doesn't follow the rules of reason and thought. Also the cards do speak to each of us differently. I think we need our set meanings. But the fact that intuition is a part of reading, to me says that there are no answers that could not be right if they are what the querent truly feels inside.

But, I can also see that meaning as well. The Ace of Cups for me talks about feeling that are pure, unclouded by misunderstandings or prejudices or preconceived notions. The people most prone to that kind of pureness of feelings...seems to me are children.

Babs