Tarot Card of the Day – September 3, 2009: 2 of Cups

Deck: The Rider Tarot

Element: Water
Associations: Emotions; feelings; relationships

The 2 of cups shows the union between two people. The relationship is a platonic one involving friends.

In this card, we see a woman and a man depicted in the card, but the symbolism is universal. A woman stands at the left of the card and holds up a one of the cups as a gesture to toast the man who holds the other cup. He is standing on the right side. If we apply the idea of conscious thought versus that of the unconscious, the woman is actively engaging in this bond, where the man is driven by unconscious desires. He is reaching out to her as if to reassure her that all is well.

I’ve read about sub-elements in Tarot cards on Catherine Chapman’s Tarot Elements blog in her post, Sub-Elements In Tarot Cards. My immediate reaction to some of the symbolism in the card was that there was a sub-element of fire. I was drawn to the winged lion, which represented the element of fire in the Wheel of Fortune and the serpent in The Lovers card, symbolic of temptation. There are also two serpents curled in union around a small wand, another symbol of the fire element. According to an article on Paul Hughes-Barlow’s New Tarot, titled Parallel Universes and the Tarot, fire and water weaken each other. Does this mean that fire is a sub-element in this card? I am  inclined to think so. Water weakens fire and literally puts the fire out, so there is a balance of emotions right now.

This is why the card celebrates friendship and the start of something new. There is an apparent balance of emotions and desires have been placed in check right now. Universally outside of the relationship realm, something good will happen soon. The feeling is peace, happiness and positivity on all levels!

Image: The Rider Tarot Deck © US Games Systems, Inc.

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