the 4 of cups and contact/communication

so in the last month the 4 of cups has been coming up in readings when i ask about contact from someone. and i think to myself - drats - i won't be hearing from that person any time soon, but i do. almost every time within the hour of drawing it. lol, i am starting to think it is the communications card of the deck -- not the 8 of wands.

could anyone say more about this? what is it about the 4 of cups and instant communication?

empress's dress said:

so in the last month the 4 of cups has been coming up in readings when i ask about contact from someone. and i think to myself - drats - i won't be hearing from that person any time soon, but i do. almost every time within the hour of drawing it. lol, i am starting to think it is the communications card of the deck -- not the 8 of wands.

could anyone say more about this? what is it about the 4 of cups and instant communication?

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The 4 of Cups does not simply mean isolating yourself and cutting yourself off from everyone. It can also mean contemplating things as they are in the present state and thinking about how they can be improved, weighing everything and deciding which are important to you and your goals, and cutting through all the bull so that in the end, you would only keep the people who truly mattered.

The fact that that person contacted you so quickly after you drew the 4 of Cups may be the universe's roundabout way of telling you that the said person considers you an important part of his/her life, and would still like to keep your company even after all that soul-searching. I hope this bodes well for everyone.

EmpyreanKnight said:

The 4 of Cups does not simply mean isolating yourself and cutting yourself off from everyone. It can also mean contemplating things as they are in the present state and thinking about how they can be improved, weighing everything and deciding which are important to you and your goals, and cutting through all the bull so that in the end, you would only keep the people who truly mattered.

The fact that that person contacted you so quickly after you drew the 4 of Cups may be the universe's roundabout way of telling you that the said person considers you an important part of his/her life, and would still like to keep your company even after all that soul-searching. I hope this bodes well for everyone.

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i should be clear that this happened with several people. i made it sound like one. and each time i was like gee, look at that.

yes, about roundabout message. i am beginning to think of it as more direct though. in rws that cup is being held out can be seen as a figment of the person's imagination, a gift from the gods, an offering from anyone. and the person who at least in the rws snapshot doesn't seem to know the gift is there, doesn't want it, is visualising it, or is contemplating it what it means and not rejecting it at all. the contemplation of what matters and is important to the person is in the 4 of cups images. yes it can be a kind of savoring. i never thought of that before. thank you very much empyrean knight!

Feelings "bottled up" or expressed

Cups are feelings, and feelings, like water, need to flow. Water that stands still--if not very deep--can evaporate or go stagnant. The 4/Cups can often indicate a situation where the feelings (waters) aren't flowing, and that can trouble the person feeling this. They may have a restless, impatient, urgent desire to get things flowing again. Like "NOW!" Before everything goes bad or evaporates.

So, while I wouldn't have originally thought it, it makes a lot of sense that this card can indicate someone communicating with you quickly. To me, the person in the 4/Cups isn't "lazy" but rather antsy. There they are, feeling locked into place with those three, still cups. Arms crossed, which can indicate restraint (keeping feelings in). And there is that 4th floating cup. To get at it, they've have to uncross their arms, right? Open up, reach out and take it.

Hence, people contacting you. It's really hard to resist that tantalizing impulse, there in your peripheral vision, nagging you at the back of your mind: "Express yourself! Don't hold it in...go for it!".... especially if the alternative is to keep your feelings "bottled" up in those three unchanging cups.

Thirteen said:

Cups are feelings, and feelings, like water, need to flow. Water that stands still--if not very deep--can evaporate or go stagnant. The 4/Cups can often indicate a situation where the feelings (waters) aren't flowing, and that can trouble the person feeling this. They may have a restless, impatient, urgent desire to get things flowing again. Like "NOW!" Before everything goes bad or evaporates.

So, while I wouldn't have originally thought it, it makes a lot of sense that this card can indicate someone communicating with you quickly. To me, the person in the 4/Cups isn't "lazy" but rather antsy. There they are, feeling locked into place with those three, still cups. Arms crossed, which can indicate restraint (keeping feelings in). And there is that 4th floating cup. To get at it, they've have to uncross their arms, right? Open up, reach out and take it.

Hence, people contacting you. It's really hard to resist that tantalizing impulse, there in your peripheral vision, nagging you at the back of your mind: "Express yourself! Don't hold it in...go for it!".... especially if the alternative is to keep your feelings "bottled" up in those three unchanging cups.

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omg yes thirteen, antsy is definitely a way to describe the person in that picture. it totally fits. and the stillness of 4 is temporary anyway. water is gonna move (evaporation is a kind of movement, is it not?).

how long can someone sit in that position or stew in staid waters and just stare at three cups (besides depressives and yogis (and do yogis actually sit there all time when no one is looking))?...we have tarot and the kuleshov effect right here. he is gonna grab the cup/communicate. it is the chance to breakout. and he's gonna take it. seize the moment.

here's to breakout communication and the 4 of cups! a totally new look for me at an old friend.

empress's dress said:

so in the last month the 4 of cups has been coming up in readings when i ask about contact from someone. and i think to myself - drats - i won't be hearing from that person any time soon, but i do. almost every time within the hour of drawing it. lol, i am starting to think it is the communications card of the deck -- not the 8 of wands.

could anyone say more about this? what is it about the 4 of cups and instant communication?

Click to expand...

Just wondering was it the only card? A one card spread? I wouldn't have thought either that he would communicate

Yogis would be Hermit or HPS...

empress's dress said:

omg yes thirteen, antsy is definitely a way to describe the person in that picture. it totally fits. and the stillness of 4 is temporary anyway. water is gonna move (evaporation is a kind of movement, is it not?).

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Not according to the cards The cards are magic/art/poetry not science. Water that evaporates means "emotions" vanish. Water stagnating means emotions turn poisonous.

(...do yogis actually sit there all time when no one is looking))?

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Likely not as bodily functions usually require some movement. That said, there are stories of holy folk around the world who stayed in very small spaces for decades on end. St. Simeon lived on a platform high above the city for 30 years (his needs attended to by those who brought up food, water, etc). And there were monks/nuns known as "anchors/anchoresses" during the middle ages who literally had their cells walled up and never left again. They, again, had small windows and were attended to by fellow monks/nuns bringing food, water, etc.

These holy people, by remaining stationary, became a living connection to the divine. As all they did was meditate and pray, they were viewed as having a special link to the spiritual. And so supplicants would visit them asking for advice, or for them to pray for them, heal them, etc. (That's where you get that old joke about the guy climbing the mountain to ask the bearded Yogi living on the peak: "What's the meaning of life?"). But none of these sorts are 4/Cups. The Cup suit is about spirituality, but more in the mold of the seeker on a quest (holy grail, right?). This as compared to the philosophical, argumentative Swords, the Crusading, preaching Wands and the solidly, brick-and-mortar, By-the-Book Pentacles. Meaning, a Cup card, spiritually, usually indicates the person is on pilgrimage. Sailing to see new holy lands and places; the desire to feel emotionally inspired.

As for those yogis or St. Simeons or Anchoresses, they're Hermits and High Priestesses. In the case of the Hermit, knowledge is found by staying in one spot, allowing the seeker to really focus, and not be distracted by other people or changing scenery; this allows them to re-examining all that is known, and find the truth. To really get it right. In the case of the HPS, who is connected to the Moon and water, information flows to her and through her. Which is why she doesn't need to move like other water cards.

Thirteen said:

Not according to the cards The cards are magic/art/poetry not science. Water that evaporates means "emotions" vanish. Water stagnating means emotions turn poisonous.

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of course water is a symbol. did i say otherwise? i guess i was not clear in what i said.

also some sayings immediately come to mind: still waters run deep, [still] waters run dry (usually you don't add still to this saying, but it belongs in the same family).

Likely not as bodily functions usually require some movement. That said, there are stories of holy folk around the world who stayed in very small spaces for decades on end. St. Simeon lived on a platform high above the city for 30 years (his needs attended to by those who brought up food, water, etc). And there were monks/nuns known as "anchors/anchoresses" during the middle ages who literally had their cells walled up and never left again. They, again, had small windows and were attended to by fellow monks/nuns bringing food, water, etc.

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of course and there are stories whose apochryphal lessons are more important that the truth (pasolini made a great film about st simeon by the way) and there are seriously some true to life outlying exceptions about yogis and mystics who don't move at all. and at the other extreme there are people who are figuratively in this position, such as being put in solitary confinement (from the-go-to-your-room kids not following what there parents say to prisoners punished for infractions, etc. etc.)

These holy people, by remaining stationary, became a living connection to the divine. As all they did was meditate and pray, they were viewed as having a special link to the spiritual. And so supplicants would visit them asking for advice, or for them to pray for them, heal them, etc. (That's where you get that old joke about the guy climbing the mountain to ask the bearded Yogi living on the peak: "What's the meaning of life?"). But none of these sorts are 4/Cups. The Cup suit is about spirituality, but more in the mold of the seeker on a quest (holy grail, right?). This as compared to the philosophical, argumentative Swords, the Crusading, preaching Wands and the solidly, brick-and-mortar, By-the-Book Pentacles. Meaning, a Cup card, spiritually, usually indicates the person is on pilgrimage. Sailing to see new holy lands and places; the desire to feel emotionally inspired.

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but the 4 of cups does nod to the mystic that doesn't move but of course it is not its only signification or primary signification. the choices one has and makes in life are so varied and reading the card opens you to making the choice as to what it is signifying for a particular situation. also if i am not mistaken many knights were also monks. and some might have decided to drop off the crusade in some sort of 4 of cups manner. but as you say below. the hermit is more salient image of a mystic.

As for those yogis or St. Simeons or Anchoresses, they're Hermits and High Priestesses. In the case of the Hermit, knowledge is found by staying in one spot, allowing the seeker to really focus, and not be distracted by other people or changing scenery; this allows them to re-examining all that is known, and find the truth. To really get it right. In the case of the HPS, who is connected to the Moon and water, information flows to her and through her. Which is why she doesn't need to move like other water cards.

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totally agree. stillness is the move.