MAAT Study Group-8 of Cups

juliecucciawatts

Week of the new moon in Gemini

“The new moon phase symbolizes always being at the beginning and end, seeing life as an ever opening bud. The intuition rather than logic rules here, the projection of self on other's motivations. Very powerful for beginnings and endings.”

8 of Cups



Planetary ruler Mercury

The image for the 8 of Cups is a cloaked human figure carrying a walking stick accompanied by a raven. Together they are embarking on a journey. There are a few symbols this card can invoke. One is the symbol of a spiritual retreat to the deep forest to commune with nature. The well organized cups give a sense that something is being left behind with this retreat. The sunlight pouring into the forest also speaks of the time of the year when the days have become long and the weather is hospitable for a journey of some distance. This card can also indicate the retreat of the darkness itself. This new moon is the last dark moon before the Summer Solstice signaling the time of the year when light is at it's peak. Both the sun and the moon are now waxing. In the far north the sun will not set and the moon too will also shine. It is during these very busy and increasingly warming days that we begin to think about and look forward to the cooling and restful days of darkening winter. The eight of cups also represents the short-lived romance. The eight of cups also seems to suggest an understanding of the cycle or journey of the sun with a cup for each one of the eight cross-quarter days we see that the sun like the moon has a cycle of waxing and waning light.

Traditional tarot meaning: leaving a relationship, with emotional cups in order it is time to move on.

In a Reading: This card represents a situation where emotional issues resolved or emotional lessons were learned and the work being done, it is time to move on. A short-lived relationship



Other Gemini Moon cards... understanding the symbol of the twins, the relationship that is forever linked, twin souls, people or things that mirror each other.

First quarter moon in Gemini/ 3 of Wands(Feb. 19-Mar.20)The use of scale models to display your ideas. The image for 3 of Wands is 18th century students and scholars taking notes on a model of the heliocentric solar system. This card suggests the use of tools and materials to grasp a progressive knowledge of the universe. Passing knowledge from one generation to the next by use of the written word, mathematics, art, music and oral instruction. The card symbolizes greater awareness through education and innovation. This card also reflects the student who learns from his teacher and the teacher who learns from his student. Expanding on what you know through experimentation leads to a profound discovery. Being at the edge of discovery requires use of the microcosm to understand the macrocosm. Inspiration and understanding comes from the use of scale models, math formulas, blueprints, preliminary sketches, and the rough draft, a few notes jotted on paper.

Traditional tarot meaning: turning away from the past with hope for the future

In a reading: This card represents the understanding of complex systems by the use of scale models. Technology used in the process of teaching.

Full Moon in Gemini: Queen of Swords-The widow (Nov. 23-Dec.20)Stories of the dark queen of myth and legend, the widow, the whore, and the mystery only she can reveal.
Imagine for a moment how the ancient people must have felt each year as the days became shorter. As the great sun stood still in the sky and in northern latitudes disappeared completely. Think about how dark it must have been when the world only had fire to light up the night. What was the world like before we had the knowledge of a heliocentric solar system and an understanding that the world was in fact round and not flat. How important would the light of this full moon have been? How comforting? What lessons of trust did it teach? The lessons of filling up and emptying out, the lessons of cycles. Imagine the comfort of the hearth of the ancient mothers and grandmothers who kept these fires. These powerful women who bled but did not die, whose bellies swelled like the moon herself and from these woman human beings sprang... both male and female.

In a Reading The card would represent a woman who has endured significant losses and has recovered enough to reach out to others. All traditional meanings apply.

Traditional meanings: a widow or she has suffered the loss of a child. She has somehow recovered enough from her pain to begin to reach out again. This card is also sometimes referred to as the bitch, she is creative, smart, sharp-tongued and sometimes said to be a writer. A brown haired woman and the zodiac sign Aquarius.

Last quarter Moon in Gemini/2 of Coins(Aug.23-Sept.21)The image for the 2 of Coins is mystical view of what the sun's path looks like when viewed from the same spot at the same time of day for one year’s time. This image, called an analemma can be captured with the help of time-lapse photography. Interestingly enough the crossing over point that forms the top loop shape of the figure eight occurs around August 30th every year.
The 2 of Coins represents the blending of the two worlds, the world of the physical and the world of the spiritual. This card represents the ability to understand the physical and spiritual worlds and the ability to live in both worlds simultaneously. Once you become one with the two worlds you can never go back and live as if there is just one world. The two worlds coexist much like the to lobes of the analemma. Our contact with the spiritual realm is only as clear as our ability to understand how the other world communicates with us. Our cultural fears of ‘evil’ and the pressure of a prevailing cultural bias that a world just as real as the physical world does not exist only limit us.

Traditional tarot meaning: the juggler
In a Reading: You feel as though you have done this before or maybe you just dreamed it. This card represents the ability to live in two worlds at once… the spiritual and the physical.



Full Moon Cycle of Gemini(Nov. 23-Dec.20)major arcana -Strength- " ...is needed as we enter the darkest month of the year" As the Sun light continues to wane and in the far north disappear completely the ancients must have wondered what it would take to get the sun to return.
The sun disappears into the body of the Great Mother earth. The promise of the sun's return is the Winter Solstice, during which strength is needed to make it through the moments of deepest darkness. Shu and Tufnut, twin lions (first born of Re) from ancient Egyptian Mythos, are two siblings that are quite interesting. Shu is most often depicted in human form, while his sister Tufnut assumes the lion's shape. Originally both were lion deities reappearing later in the Middle Kingdom as the twin lions of yesterday and today. Shu was the 'Atlas of Egypt', his role being to support the sky. His lioness sister was goddess of the sun and the dew and legend has it that she received the newborn sun each morning. Her brother takes the Sun from her mouth and places it in the sky.

The story of Shu and Tufnet-MAAT Tarot book page 50-53


Balancing Cards:
new moon in Gemini/8 of Cups- The image for the 8 of Cups is a cloaked human figure carrying a walking stick accompanied by a raven. Together they are embarking on a journey. There are a few symbols this card can invoke. One is the symbol of a spiritual retreat to the deep forest to commune with nature. The well organized cups give a sense that something is being left behind with this retreat. .vs. new moon in Sagittarius/8 of Swords-A woman who is held back by her culture, hooded by the American flag she unable to see the majesty of the greater universe, the swords that surround her are unmanned and are of no real danger to her.

new moon in Gemini/8 of Cups-The image for the 8 of Cups is a cloaked human figure carrying a walking stick accompanied by a raven. Together they are embarking on a journey. There are a few symbols this card can invoke. One is the symbol of a spiritual retreat to the deep forest to commune with nature. The well organized cups give a sense that something is being left behind with this retreat. The 8 of cups seems to be the one who is leaving vs. Full moon in Gemini/ Queen of Swords The widow (Nov. 23-Dec.20) who seems to be the one who has been left behind.Stories of the dark queen of myth and legend, the widow, the whore, and the mystery only she can reveal. The card would represent a woman who has endured significant losses and has recovered enough to reach out to others. She also has the reputation of being a bitch perhaps this is the reason for the retreat in the 8 of Cups?


Have a great week,
Julie
 

Attachments

  • 8ofcups.jpg
    8ofcups.jpg
    179.9 KB · Views: 565

annik

This card makes me think of an place I was going sometimes. I never stay long there. I always found it was a magical place and staying there too long would have spoiled the magic for me.

The person and the bird don't look behind them. There are some card where we see the person looking behind at the cups that person lefted behind. This person seems to go at a good rapid pace (because of the cape).

I like the addition of the greenery and flowers. It look less harsh and desolate than the other eight of cups.