9 of cups, anything BUT a wish....

Sharla

Like many shortcut terms for certain cards, calling this the "wish" card is really a misnomer. A better word for it would be "satisfaction." That's not quite the same thing as getting what we wish. I can wish to win a championship, but be satisfied if I take part in a great game and, even if we don't win, my team pats me on the back afterwards. What can satisfy us can often be very different from what we thought we wanted/needed. And we can even be surprised at how content we are with what we end up with, as compared to what we dreamed of having.
Satisfaction yes i like that :)
(A brief, philosophical note here: We should keep in mind the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for, you might get it." There are many who wish for fame, for example, and are miserable when they have it—no privacy, stalkers, etc. What we think we want isn't always what will satisfy us. So, this card may be better than an actual wish card. It gives us what satisfies us, rather than what we wish for...which might not turn out to satisfy us at all.)
Could this also mean then to be satisfied with what you've got, as like you say "be careful what you wish for, you might get it" so even though your not complete with the ten cups and you only have nine, you should be happy with these as even if you get the tenth cup, will this even make you happy.
That the meaning of this card is "satisfaction" explains why some view the guy in the card as smug. Because he's satisfied. What we have to remember, however—and this gets back to your connecting the 9 with the Hermit—is that he's satisfied alone. This isn't a card about "smugness" per se, which usually means mocking others with what you have. It's about personal and private contentment. Like a man, back at home by himself, after the lady he's infatuated with has told him that she loves him, too. That leaves you feeling pretty smug, doesn't it? You'll sit there grinning to yourself all night long.
Being satisfied alone yes totally get it now, so not about being satisfied with life and friends etc, its about being satisfied in your own company with your own thoughts doing your own thing.
Speaking of which, we should also keep in mind that the suit is cups. A person might want actual things (a car, a winning lottery ticket) in order to feel satisfied, and maybe they'll get such. But they shouldn't expect to with this card. It's not a Pents card, the satisfaction related to the material world. Likely, satisfaction will be emotional. So, someone acknowledging us and all we do for them. Or, yes, someone we have feelings for telling us that they love us back.

Does that help clarify the card?

Yes totally, thanks Thirteen youve been a big help as usual :thumbsup:
 

Sharla

I really like your philosophical explanation here!

Without over simplifying, does the 9 of cups refers to the satisfaction of our ''needs'' while the 10 of cups refers to the realization of our wishes?

I think Thirteen explained it really well enough for me to get my head around in order for it to stick, so the way i see it now is to be satisfied with what you have, be satisfied to be alone in your own company doing your own thing and ONLY then will you feel satisfied, and not wanting more will probably bring more, but then when this happens as your already satisfied then this new thing ...relationship, job, new card etc whatever it is will just be a bonus in your life.
 

Sharla

The RWS image is an image of greed, smugness, being self-satisfied, and not sharing. Just LOOK at it.



Yup. This is nothing new.

Oh, and "wish card" is a far cry from "wish-fulfilment card". I've noticed that billionaires in general are people who aren't happy with what they have, but WISH for more and more. I see that as selfish.

Thanks nisaba for you input too, i totally understand this now as Thirteen said more or less the same as you.

Funny though because all these times ive been thinking my wishes are going to come true and months years down the line nothings happened, well its because the cards been screaming out to me to be happy with what i have and be happy on my own.

I am quite happy being on my own though and doing my own thing and can be quite a hermit at times. So maybe this card has just been showing myself.
 

Thirteen

I am quite happy being on my own though and doing my own thing and can be quite a hermit at times. So maybe this card has just been showing myself.
There is certainly an element in all the cup cards of gazing into a cup and seeing our reflection. Sometimes, this is done narcissistically—self-absorption (as in the Page/Cups who does so innocently enough), sometimes it's to scry—the Queen/Cups psychic powers—and sometimes it's just us taking a good look at ourselves and realizing things.

The Hermit's solitude allows him to find the light within by which he can see everything else better. Likewise, I think, the solitude of the other 9's might be each suit's way of finding that something which makes everything else come into focus. 9/Swords "sharpens" our view of all our thoughts and words, 9/Wands gives us an understanding of our passions and how invested we are in them. 9/Pents—that solitary garden and world we create for ourselves, helps us to know what we really value materially—i.e. what nice things we must have in our lives, and what we can do without.

And, thus, as you pretty much say, 9/Cups would be you finally understanding what you need to be emotionally satisfied—whether or not you get what you think you want. Which means that if you do get more, it'll be a bonus; something you will treasure all the more than if it had just been handed to you.