Tarot Talk
Since we are at the time of the Spring Equinox and new growth, let’s talk about a Minor Arcana card that tells of new growth of the heart: the Three of Cups.
The Three of Cups is a Minor Arcana card, so we know right away that the message offered by this card will most likely be more immediate in nature, or will most likely be connected to more day-to-day issues. The easiest way to get a decent understanding of a Minor Arcana card is to examine its number, or in the case of Court Cards, its rank, and to examine its suit. In this case, we are dealing with the number 3, and the suit of Cups. These two ingredients could actually give us enough information about this one card to offer a useful interpretation. So, let’s get started!
The suit of Cups corresponds with the element of Water. Many Tarot decks use images of cups and water on their Minor Arcana Cups cards, and that will make it easy to connect with the symbolism of this suit. A nice place to begin is with the element of Water itself. In its natural state, Water is cool and wet. When amassed, it has weight, and it tends to gather or pool at the lowest place. Because of this tendency, Water creates its own roadways or channels, and it prefers to use those already-in-place channels if it can. Water is used for cleaning and purifying, and Water can be a carrier for other substances. For instance, we can dissolve salt or sugar into warm Water, and use that concoction for other things. A body of Water can be calm and deep, or it can be dangerously churning and filled with powerful currents.
You can see just by examining the paragraph above just how easy it is to connect the element of Water to our feelings and emotions, and indeed, feelings and emotions are the main correspondences of the element of Water, and the suit of Cups. Emotions flow and have currents and eddies, a powerful wave of emotions can be cleansing, emotions can be hot and expanding or they can be bubbling upward, like steam, or cold and contracting and heavy, like ice, and our emotions can affect our physical bodies (which contain a lot of Water) and our health. Often, tears appear when we feel things strongly through sadness or joy or anger, as physical manifestations of those emotions. Water also represents the Inner Voice and the subconscious. To many of us, the subconscious is deep and dark and frightening, and a body of Water makes a perfect metaphor for the hidden segments of the Self.
The number 3 usually represents the creation of something new, or the making real of concepts or understandings presented by the number 2. We can see the manifestation of this throughout our physical world; when a male and a female of any species come together, the result is often the creation of new life. The number 3 can also represent optimism, self-expression and the polishing or honing of skills already in place. On the uncomfortable side of things, the number 3 can represent self-doubt, wastefulness, or vanity.
Within the Tarot, the Threes are seen as either creating something out of the potential of the Ace and the partnership of the Two of their suit, or they are seen as manifesting or making real the potential of the Ace and the concept of the Two. Briefly, we have the potential to experience potent emotions and feelings (the Ace of Cups), and balance, caring, attraction and chemistry (the Two of Cups). The Three of Cups presents the first-stage completion (with the second stage at the number 7 and the third and final stage at the number 9), begun with the potential of the Ace which manifests in the Two card and then presents a sense of achievement in our Three of Cups. Our card offers a bit of happy celebration because of that achievement, as well as an understanding that this is only a taste of the ultimate fulfillment available to us.
The astrological correspondence for the Three of Cups offers us a bit more depth of understanding. This card corresponds with the planet Mercury when it is located in the constellation of Cancer.
Mercury is known as the messenger of the gods and is known for his ability to move fast. The planet Mercury echoes this, circling the Sun quickly, taking only 88 days to orbit the Sun, spending about 7.33 days in each sign of the zodiac. Mercury is so close to the Sun that it has no atmosphere of its own; it can only be seen in our skies with the naked eye right after the Sun has set. Astrologically, Mercury represents the principles of communication, mentality, thinking patterns, a focus on details, rationality, reasoning, adaptability and variability. Mercury is connected to schooling and education, newspapers, journalism and writing, research, moving over short distances, as well as email, telephone and snail mail.
Cancer, the Crab, is responsive, emotional and generous, but that hard shell can shield a person who is moody, insecure or sensitive, and is often affected by the environment and people nearby. Those born under the sign of Cancer, the 4th sign of the zodiac, acknowledge that they experience strong feelings and emotions, and they are very protective of those feelings and emotions. Cancer people tend to be very attuned to the past, and they place a high importance on family, both family of the blood and family of the heart.
Mercury rules the mind and Cancer is about feelings; Mercury wants to move fast, but Cancer wants to dig in and protect what it values. Together, they tell of gentle and thoughtful responses, meditation and contemplation, and the use of intuition and reflection as well as logic and analysis. This can be accomplished through an openness for experiencing emotions and feelings, both our own and those of others, and through forging connections via shared experiences.
The traditional image of the Three of Cups is of three women, a blond, a brunette and a redhead, each holding up a cup as if celebrating, surrounded by green grass, lush vegetation, and freshly harvested fruits and vegetables. Sometimes the women are dancing; some images show a blue sky while others show a full moon. The Legacy of the Divine Three of Cups shows a dancing woman surrounded by three musical instruments, with the spray of ocean waves splashing around her. The Shadowscapes Three of Cups shows three mermaids, their tails swirling together, circling each other in what seems to be a dance, holding up their Cups as if toasting each other. Lots of feminine energy here!
The Threes have a place on the Tree of Life of the Qabalah; they are found in the sephira of Binah at the top of the Pillar of Form/Restriction. This sephira is seen as form, as force in pattern, and as the Great Mother and the Womb of Life. Binah offers shadow and contrast, which in turn gives us shape and form. Binah restricts in order to provide a springboard, and that restriction can also be its downfall if it becomes greed. Binah represents intuitive understanding, contemplation, and deductive reasoning, and the fertile receptivity of the Sacred Feminine.
The Thoth Tarot Three of Cups shows three pomegranate cups filled to overflowing. To Crowley, the Three of Cups represents abundance of all kinds. It is a card that reminds us that love is fruitful, and dreams do come true. The Thoth Three of Cups is also about pleasure, passive success, hospitality, eating and drinking, and even new clothes.
The Three of Cups is a happy card that is bursting with joyful energies. It tells us that we have a reason for feeling on top of the world and it is okay (in fact, it is recommended) that we take some time to dance and sing and celebrate our accomplishments. The Three of Cups offers an example of the benefits of uniting with others, helping each other, and working together. It shows us that no man is an island, and we often benefit from finding companions, getting together with people we like, and relying on others as well as ourselves. This card does not represent shallow or mindless pleasure; instead it tells of an openness to our own feelings and the creation of beneficial partnerships and communities through understanding and comprehending and accepting of our own feelings. The Three of Cups tells us that we can share, communicate and support, and thus create something that is larger than the sum of its parts.
Reversed, the Three of Cups represents excesses of emotions and pleasures, and the manifestations and consequences they bring: hangovers, failed relationships, gossip, lack of depth, wastefulness, promiscuity and overindulgences.
No matter which deck you are using, the Three of Cups brings optimism and faith both in the “now” and in the future. This card hints to us that we are evolving and developing emotionally, and that we know that we are valued and loved. The Waters of this card restore us and heal us, and they show us that no matter what our situation, we are blessed!