THE TEN OF CUPS

TODAY'S CARD IS The Ten of Cups. This version is from The Voyager Tarot*:



For comparison, here's The Ten of Cups in the Rider/Waite/Smith deck:



THE TEN OF CUPS: I love the autumnal colors on The Voyager Tarot Ten of Cups above and have been enjoying the lovely fall weather we've been having here in New York City, so that's why I chose it for today's post. Also, decades ago, when first exposed to the RWS version I had a vague sense of intensity that the more traditional meanings of the card do not indicate, nor does the RWS design really imply. Then I bought The Thoth Tarot and in that deck this card is called "Satiety." Ah Hah, I thought, this comes close to what I have been feeling about the Ten of Cups. Then many years later I got the Voyager Tarot and saw the Ten of Cups is called "Passion." I'll let it suffice that both Satiety and Passion reflect a bit of the intensity and even tendency to overwhelm I often feel is implied in this card. Traditional designs/meanings indicate a sort of light romantic happiness and togetherness, and these are certainly also readings for this card.

DIFFERENT OR LESS COMMON, EVEN QUIRKY MEANINGS FOR THE TEN OF CUPS (i.e. the below is not intended to be an exhaustive exploration of this card; a quick google will produce a wider variety of takes should you not be familiar with this card):

You are about to reach your limit in an emotionally charged situation.

A psychic once told me that I was more connected to souls who have already passed over than to souls in this life and I immediately thought of the Ten of Cups. I see that as a possible reading for this card, i.e. a mediumistic tendency.

Over-indulgence, either literally with food and/or libation, or in emotions or an activity.

Spiritual community.

Yearning for a sense of community.

Is this the right community for you? What does being in it cost you? Does it make use of your skills and talents? Conversely, you may feel more "at home" if you give more of yourself to the community. I.e., take some risks.

In my Ten of Swords post I mention that this card can represent the negative experiences a highly sensitive person can sometimes have in our society. The Ten of Cups can represent the positive aspects of being highly sensitive, i.e, deeply connected to others by intuition and empathy. It can also represent these gifts of intuition and empathy that the highly sensitive person brings to any community.

I rarely quote others' card meanings but I think what the book for The Herbal Tarot (U.S. Games) says about this card is very important: "We can learn life's lessons through joyfulness and bliss and not, as it is so often thought, only through pain and grief."

*MINI-REVIEW ALERT: The Voyager Tarot is a gorgeous deck, and one of the most beautifully produced I've seen. However, it is one of those decks I cannot read with. The art lover in me over-rides the intuitive reader and I can do nothing but gawk and appreciate the cards' beauty. (I find this same problem with a couple other visually stunning decks, like The Gilded Tarot.) This is by no means a criticism of the deck, especially as I imagine other readers might well find this deck's rich imagery very stimulating. In either case, this is a deck well worth having in a collection. I take it out every so often just to look through it. It's a feast for the eyes and the spirit whether one reads with it or not.

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Please see the top of the sidebar for my background with the Tarot and a recommendation to beginners.

‘til next time, keep opening to the joy of The Tarot,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)**** SEE ALSO: Roswila’s Dream & Poetry Realm for some articles about Tarot.****