seven of cups // creative prompts
hello, friends. all month long we've been talking about the seven of cups, but today i want to encourage you to dive deep into your own relationship with this card.
one of my foundational tarot beliefs is that you can tell your own stories with the cards — that tarot doesn't have to just be about replicating the wisdom and experiences of other people with specific cards, but can be instead about building personal relationships to each card in the deck based on your identity, your history, your dreams.
the seven of cups has plenty of standardized meanings, many of which were made popular by the art of pamela coleman smith or shared by beloved tarot writers like rachel pollack. and to be clear, there's absolutely nothing wrong with using those meanings, loving those meanings, or finding a lot of value and magic in those meanings. where things start to get tricky is when people insist that there is only "one right way" to read a card, that someone's personal associations with a card have no value, or that we all have to have the same relationships with our cards.
listen to me: your tarot practice is yours. it's nobody's business what you think in your heart of hearts when the tower shows up, or when the ace of cups haunts you for months, or when you realize you haven't seen the magician in a year. you get to decide what is meaningful and what isn't, just like you get to choose the techniques you use, the frequency of your readings, or the ways you deepen your relationship with the cards.
and that's what this monthly piece is all about — offering you some questions to consider, and some ideas to chew on. i've shared my own thoughts on the seven of cups, but what does this card mean to and for you?
which meanings or ideas do you associate with the seven of cups? what do you think of first when you think about this card? when you look at your version of this card, what is your eye drawn to? is there a cup that your eyes linger on?
what does this card symbolize for you personally? when have you pulled it in the past, and what has it meant to you? is this a card you work or see with often? is this a card you like or dislike? does the seven of cups bring up any strong emotions or reactions within you?
if this card was a song, what would it sound like? if this card was a genre, which one would it be? if this card was a trope or a mantra or a prayer, what would it be? if this card was an environment, how would it feel to move through it? if this card was a portal, where would it exist in your world, and where would it lead?
what is the seven of cups giving you permission to do? what does the seven of cups not want you to do? what rules do you have for yourself around seven of cups topics or ideas? does the seven of cups feel like freedom and openness, or does it feel like restriction or pressure?
if the seven of cups was a person, what would they tell you right now? if the seven of cups was a question, what would they be asking you to uncover? if the seven of cups was a threat, what would they be holding over you or trying to get you to do?
and — what does the seven of cups have to teach you right now? is there a part of your life where seven of cups energy already exists? what kind of medicine might the seven of cups be offering to you? in what way could the seven of cups be the answer to a question you've been carrying?
i'll be back in a few days with our next essay in the cups series on the eight of cups. but in the meantime, drink lots of water, look out for your neighbors, and spend some time with the seven of cups. which dreams are coming forward for you? which paths are you choosing, and why?
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