THE NINE OF CUPS

TODAY’S CARD is The Nine of Cups. The above version is from my newest deck (to be reviewed in a future post), The Forest Folklore Tarot.

Here’s The Nine of Cups in the Rider/Waite/Smith deck for comparison:



THE NINE OF CUPS: Very simply put this is often said to be "The Wish Card." The phrase that always occurs to me on seeing this card is something my stepmother used to say to me a lot when I was an adolescent and teenager: “Be careful what you want, Patty, you might just get it!” Back then I thought that this was ridiculous, if I took any real note of it at all other than to be annoyed that she was saying it to me yet again. But over the subsequent decades, it has come to mind many times, mostly to haunt me with its truth. I’ve grown to be very wary of my wishes and wants, even those I may harbor in my heart for the well-being of someone else. The more I learn, the more I see that my knowledge and awareness as one human being is terribly limited. I now work at trusting in that which is much greater than I am to light and lead the way. This is not to say that I have no wishes or wants, just that I am careful how much thought and emotion I put into them. As The Three of Cups can say, “What one holds in one’s mind, one eventually manifests.”

DIFFERENT OR LESS COMMON, EVEN QUIRKY MEANINGS FOR THE NINE 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):

Preoccupied in thought and action only with what you wish for/want, to a problematic degree.

“Wishing doesn’t make it so.” Wishful thinking, to the exclusion of taking action and checking out the wish’s viability.

What you wish for may or may not not be viable or ultimately satisfying, but while you are working for it you will feel better for doing so. That by itself counts for something, and can be learned from.

There is an aspect of the ephemeral to this card. Whatever it is referencing is often quite temporary.

If what you wish for is just not happening (especially if you are taking thoughtful action on it as well), look deeper. You may find that, at some level, you really don’t want it to come about.

Two meanings I harvested from the above Forest Folklore version:

1) Beware of putting all your energy into the basket of this one wish. You may get unpleasantly dunked and tumbled around in the rushing stream of the rest of your life.

2) Take time out to examine what needs doing now, and what can rest in the wishing well of the future.

This card frequently has a large-bodied person on it, and I have seen it reference body weight issues. Usually advising to be happy with just how you are, at least for the time being. Though if you read with reverses, or if it is aspected by a “negative” card (like XV, e.g.), or if your intuition so urges, it might indicate a need to attend to your physical health.

And lastly, a basic traditional meaning:

“The wish will be/is granted.” If a wish was not what you came to the reading about, it can be very helpful if this card shows up to take some time and see what you may be unconsciously wishing for. Especially if some other meaning for the card does not seem to be appropriate.

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‘til next time, keep wishing and wanting judiciously, and enjoying The Tarot,

[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 Tarot poetry; Roswila’s Taiga Tarot for taiga (illustrated tanka); and Yahoo DREAMJIN: Group for Dreamku – Haiku-Like Dream Poems.****