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3.2 Ace, Two, Three

Activity

Spend time with each of the Cups below to generate your “tarot encyclopedia” notecard for each. I recommend the following process, which only takes ~10 minutes per card. You do not need to complete all (or any) card in a single sitting.

  1. Look at the image on the card and examine its details.
  2. Read the page in the companion book for that card.
  3. Read the description provided here.
  4. OPTIONAL: Read other descriptions of that card online or in other books.
  5. Reflect on the questions posed.
  6. Write down the details of the image that have meaning to you and the 2 or 3 interpretations (perhaps 1 heavenly, 1 upright earthly, and 1 reversed earthly) that resonate most strongly for you. Feel free to write down your own interpretations based on what comes to you!

Ace of Cups

Name: Emotional Source

Astrological Correspondence: Season of Autumn. (Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius)

Position on The Tree: Neptune of Water. Crown in the Creative World

Notes to Consider: The Dove, relating to Venus, Love, and the spiritual, holds the universe in its mouth. The Chalice is the point of the Crown sefirah, with its contents overflowing into a lush pond of lotuses. This is the World of the subconscious emotions fueling our creative force and eventually giving birth to the thought-consciousness of the Formative world.

New beginnings, compassion, a source of beauty, pleasure, and joy.

What relationship do you currently have to the flow of energies that fuel your body? Can you feel the impulses that provide the basis for your thoughts?

Two of Cups

Name: Love — “Lord of Love under Will”

Astrological Correspondence: Venus in Cancer.

Position on The Tree: Uranus of Water. Wisdom in the Creative World

Notes to Consider: The inner forces of activity and passivity share a tender moment before they are thrust into the world. The twin dolphins represent the upward (toward our Higher Self) and downward (toward our Personality) forces of evolution. The lion caduceus represents the work of awakening, purifying, and re-unifying the Solar (volatile/active/yang) and Lunar (fixed/passive/yin) aspects of our being.

You’ll see these same characters on different points of their journey over and over throughout the tarot. See if you can feel their love story unfold. What are they feeling as they stare into each other’s eyes?

Marriage and partnerships. Completion. Mutual trust and acceptance.

Three of Cups

Name: Abundance

Astrological Correspondence: Mercury in Cancer

Position on The Tree: Saturn of Water. Understanding in the Creative World.

Notes to Consider: The Three Graces (Pleasure, Joy, and Beauty) fill their cups from the source. The sensual and evocative nature of the card clues us into the raw bliss and joy available in this world, but Saturn and Mercury are both planets of dual extremes. They’re both on their best behavior, but what will happen as the situation evolves?

A perfect moment, emotional intimacy and well-being, authentic communication.