THE SEVEN OF CUPS, LORD OF ILLUSIONARY SUCCESS

   Your ally, in shadow, faces seven golden cups floating in the clouds. The four cups in the foreground contain emblems of worldly success and power while the three cups in the background, which are less accessible, appear more resonant with spiritual development. Your ally, who is under the influences of Venus and Scorpio, is reaching out a shadowy hand as though about to make an important choice. Scorpio is associated with transformation, suggesting the inevitable change that occurs after such a decision. The influence of Venus, so filled with desire and volatile emotion, is unstable on every plane except the spiritual plane, where the influence leads to valor (see the Seven of Wands) and high spiritual love (see the Four of Wands). Each choice is attractive in some way, but there is also something off-putting about each one. The golden snake and the dragon are both a little frightening, the castle seems remote, the blue head floats decapitated above the cup, the jewels on closer inspection resemble colorful bubbles, and the cup with the laurel victory wreath has a faint skull etched (or reflected) in it. The central cup above the lower four shows a figure emanating pink light, a figure whose arms are outstretched. The top half of the body is completely hidden by a veil, and the figure remains totally anonymous and seemingly detached from worldly concerns and desires. At first glance, that cup might seem the least attractive of all. However, pink is associated with the highest, most loving energy of the heart. The four lower cups suggest the four lower Emanations of the Tree of Life, while the central cup suggests Tiphareth (Beauty), a sphere of spiritual transformation from the lower personality to the Higher Self. Given the powerful influence of Venus, which, except on the highest levels, attaches a person to the lower planes through desire, it is impossible to determine which cup your ally will choose, but spiritual love is within reach.

CORRESPONDING COLOR: Emerald.

Reversed: trapped in a fantasy world; inability to choose; a lack of real goals or purpose; easily distracted or confused