Seven of Cups

One of the ways I see this card is the suggestion of a moment where many options and many possible paths are in front of you, and you have to choose based on what little information you have at the time, not knowing how things will turn out. I see the snake and the dragon as reflecting choices that later turn out to "bite" you. It's as if one is presented with three boxes and told to choose one, without knowing what exactly lies inside... it could either be precious jewels or a venomous snake.

So often, we have to proceed operating on little more than guesswork, and it is only a matter of chance and luck if things work out well. Actually, life is a lot more like this than a lot of us give it credit for being. We like believing we're in control, but we're not, and so often are at the mercy of random and chaotic elements... so I see a connection between this card and the Wheel of Fortune.

I was wondering about that myself when one day, my sister - who's not at all into tarot cards - told me that the figure glowing under the cloth reminded her of Jesus.
Somehow that made sense to me sinse to me that seven of cups is about material desires. Maybe one of the things we want - according to the card- is to believe that we are only made of flesh so that we can focuse on our earthly desires. So that we won't feel guilty about not evolving our souls.

Susan Levitt, in her informative Introduction to Tarot, describes the seven illusions or choices of illusions or choices as "a beautiful face, a veiled mystery, a serpent, a castle, jewels, a victory crown, and a dragon." It seems to me that the cups are arranged with four below and three above, all arising out of a magical cloud --- the cloud of fantasy.The four below (all on a horizontal cloudy base) are worldly possessions upon which the mind/fantasy fixates, the last two being vainglorious success by power : achieved and sought after. The upper three are led by the "veiled mystery" in its reddish aura, before the other two. Possibly yearning desire unaware of what lies beneath appearances. Why the blue head? Bloodless, lifeless? Why does the snake move towards the red-aura'd apparition? Passion after its object, possibly. Much mystery remains. Other interpretations...

I've had this card come up in an Advice position and I've read it as the need for imagination and even for positive visualisation.
The person is visualising his or her goals in order to make them a reality. I think this ties in well with the magical significance of the number 7 too.

Love

Sulis xx

I've always found this card a little ambiguous, but this thread has been really helpful!

Just a couple of casual abservations which I won't ascribe meanings to yet, but maybe someone else will:

** The cups with the jewels, wreath and 'dragon' strike me as smaller than the other cups, particularly the three higher-up ones

contradiction said:

is it just me, or on the cup with the wreath, is there a reflection, of a skull?

Click to expand...

** I noticed this a while ago too and thought it was strange - it's a skull, that seems pretty weighty to me, but I haven't seen it mentioned in any of my (two) books.

** The figure is all black - is that not really weird?

** And what's his left hand doing - conjuring up the cloud, trying to grasp something?

In Paul Fenton-Smith's book, The Tarot Revealed, there's a spread based on this card, used to highlight different aspects of a person - as represented by the cups:

The cup with the head represents the face the person shows the world

The cup with the castle represents their feelings about 'home'

The cup with the jewellery represents their ability to attract material things

The cup with the wreath represents their personal power, how they deal with challenges etc.

The cup with the 'demon' (as he calls it) represents their connection to the unconscious

The cup with the snake represents their sexual and creative energy

The cup with the shrouded figure represents their current spiritual direction

It's strange because the card to me is someone who's lost all control and perspective. They see all these choices before them but none are substantial. All the choices can lead to ruin. The veiled person always represented black magic - the man in the picture a magician - but one of those circus magicians. The Veiled being was the dark powers we can unleash to get what we want - ie black magic or indeed, another bad choice. The magician could turn to the 'darker' side for control or to get one of his fantasies. Parlour tricks. Fantasy and Illusion because those types of magicians work with illusion.

I know...quite odd but that's the way I've always seen it.
The other card I associate with magick etc is the Queen of Wands. She could be a warning that you are mixing yourself up in things you don't understand.

Edited to say: I don't know why but the veiled figure also reminds me of clairvoyants. I have this image of clairvoyants causing a person to rise from under a white cloth or tablecloth. You know from the Victorian Era when seances were very popular for the well off. Usually it was a hoax and when the cloth was taken off there was nothing there. It was done through illusion, the use of mirrors and hooks.

Is it possible that, since the veiled figure has a red aura around it, which makes it stand out from the rest, that it means this is the choice he's made? He's chosen the spiritual over all the other cups? Or that maybe it's the one he's suddenly realised he should pay more attention to? I think I've read somewhere that 7 is the number of completion and/or perfection, so maybe this vision he's having is trying to get him to see that spiritual values are the most important.

Now, all that said, there was one reading I did where that veiled figure jumped out at me as meaning a blind date. Go figure!

More on the 7 of cups

Ok, I'm a novice, but I'm having a go at interpreting this card:

The figure (querent) is literally "in the dark", reaching out and in need of enlightenment of some kind. Given the recurrent "challenges" theme of 7s in tarot, and the numerolgical significance of spirituality attached to the number 7, the querent seeks spiritual guidance. The most central cup containing the shrouded and illuminated figure is the one that jumps out most, which to me signifies spirituality, but somehow traditional or organised religion.

I think there is a message to look beyond the cups (our muddle of thoughts, emotions, distractions, material concerns, and traditionally accepted religious boundaries), and even beyond the clouds (unclarity, deception) to the blue sky ahead (higher consciousness).

Trust your inner guide.

I often read this card when someone has too many balls in the air so to speak. Too many choices and thus none will be successful unless they focus.

Could the covered figure also represent "Pandora's Box"?

Meaning, rays drawn out about a figure can indicate the shininess or newness of something, or how spectacular something is... An extra "look at me" factor. The figure in the card is covered, so you don't know for sure what you're looking at, but the rays could tempt you to want to lift the shroud/veil to see... And that might be a beneficial thing or the complete opposite...

(Did that make sense? I know what I'm trying to say, but wording it is proving challenging. LOL.)