Manifestation with the Watery Suit of Cups

This morning I taught a class on YouTube about the Suit of Cups. One of the things I love about teaching these sorts of classes is that I always get new ideas of how the cards work. Tarot is infinitely expansive; there are always new ways to see, understand, and process the cards.

My big unexpected take-away from the class was about how much we can use the element of Water and the suit of Cups in our practices of manifestation.

When I speak of manifestation I am speaking of prayer, of Law of Attraction, of Creative Visualization, and of magick. Use whichever words feel most comfortable to you. The premise is the same, however we might speak of it. When we want to bring something in to being, we must imagine it and see it clearly in our mind’s eye. In this way things move from thought to form.

Had I given much consideration to it, I might have more easily seen the suit of Pentacles as a suit of manifestation, since it is of the Earth element, and therefore already solid and real. I might have seen the suit of Swords as a suit of manifestation, because it is the suit of Air, and therefore related to the powers of the mind, where all manifestation begins. I might have even seen the suit of Wands, because of the passionate, spiritual motivation that we derive from the element of Fire.

But did I ever see Water as manifestation? Well, the Seven of Cups is one of the two cards that I strongly see a card of manifestation. The other is the Two of Wands. When I see either of these cards, I am inclined to ask my client to consider what they want to manifest at this time, and to encourage them to put their energy into bringing their desires into being. If both cards appear together, the need and ability to manifest is especially strong, and should not be ignored.

Truly, all four tarot Aces invite manifestation, and it was with the Ace of Cups that our discussion of manifestation began. Each Ace offers a beginning, an essence, a concept, and a jumping-off point. Each Ace is a seed from which something might grow.

What came to me very clearly was this. Everything I have ever learned about manifestation and magick includes a specific central point. The emotion that we put into our vision is paramount in our ability to bring that vision into being. Without feeling it, without emotion driving it, the manifestation will not have life.

While some tarot cards can speak of, and offer opportunity for, manifestation, we can use any tarot card to bring something in to being. Each card carries an energy. Tarot magick is simply the practice of using specifically chosen cards to bring us the energy we want, or to banish from us the energy that doesn’t serve us.

When we study the suit of Cups we might see instruction on how to channel our emotions toward manifestation. We might specifically see a story of manifesting more love in our lives, and on the planet.

What do you see about manifestation in the suit of Cups?

If It Were Easy, Everyone Would Do it! Lessons From the Suit of Wands

When we look at the key words and images typically associated with the suit of Wands in tarot (also known as Staves, Batons or Clubs) we sometimes miss the inspiring spiritual message inherent in these cards.

Each of the four suits of tarot, known collectively as the Minor Arcana, is associated with one of the Four Elements. Typically, we associate the suit of Wands with Fire, although there is a less popular tradition that associates Wands with Air instead.

When we look at Fire and Air together, we see the thought process that brings us to a place of creative and spiritual inspiration. From that perspective, we can see how both the masculine elements, Air and Fire, inform the suit of Wands.

My preference is to view the Wands as the messengers of the Fire element, bringing us creativity, inspiration, passion and spirituality.

There is a school of thought that suggests that, in tarot, the Major Arcana delivers spiritual messages, while the Minor Arcana only deals with mundane matters.

I find mundane advice and spiritual direction in all seventy-eight cards. In fact, I wonder if the element associated with each Minor Arcana suit might give us information about the way we could approach the suit, or what magick the suit might offer us.

For instance, can we find inspiration in the fiery Wands? Can we find truth in the airy Swords? Can we heal our hearts with the watery Cups? Can we ground ourselves with the earthy Pentacles?

I often find myself pondering a particular suit, and the lessons held within it.

Just as we find a story in the Fool’s Journey through the Major Arcana, so can we see a Fool’s Path in each of the Minor Arcana suits.

This week, I have been thinking about the story of the suit of Wands in regards to entrepreneurialism and creativity.

So many people see, in the Ace of Wands, simply a flash of excitement or a lust for passion. Yet, this creative energy that burns within us must sustain us throughout the arduous journey toward success.

The disappointment in the story of the suit of Wands is that the culmination, the Ten of Wands, does not show success realized. In the Ten, we are carrying the product of our endeavors, and weighed down by it, as we trudge toward the town, presumably to finally sell our wares and ultimately realize our success.

I don’t interpret the Ten of Wands in a negative way, though many readers do. I do see it as a sobering reality check for those of us who follow our passions as career.

Inherent in the Ten of Wands is the artist’s burden and the psychic’s curse; that drive we have to do what we do even at a cost, the fire that burns within us, and the dream of our ultimate success.

Unlike the suits of Cups and Pentacles, it is not until we advance the story through the Court that we realize our true success.

We can see, in each of the Wands cards, part of the journey toward creative and entrepreneurial success. When we tell the story beginning with the Ace and working up to Ten, I see it this way.

Ace: A burning motivation, a creative inspiration.

Two: The planning, dreaming, goal setting and manifesting that goes into a project.

Three: That first moment when you see that your project is having some success.

Four: Building community and structure for your project.

Five: Struggle, perhaps with creative direction or resources management.

Six: Success! Your plans are working out and your project is successful.

Seven: When you are successful, everyone and everything wants a piece of you. You must struggle to stay on top of your game.

Eight: There is a moment when your project becomes its own entity, separate from you. In this energy, anything is possible!

Nine: Success comes at a price. Here, we see the responsibility of continuing the project and meeting expectations.

Ten: We can see our greater success is within reach, but we must stay dedicated to a difficult path in order to reach it.

In this story, we see the energy alternating between success and struggle. So it is in the life of any artist, reader, and entrepreneur.

Often, when I mentor other readers, or read for artists and business owners, these are the cards that appear repeatedly. And, often, the message is the same.

If you are dedicated to your goals, and willing to do what it takes, you can be successful, but it won’t be easy.

The suit of Wands reminds us that many are called, but few are chosen. When we seek success, we know that many share our goals, but many will not succeed.

The suit of Wands gives us a bit of advantage in the knowledge of the struggles along the path. The cards comfort us with the reminder that if it were easy, everyone would do it!

In Praise of Fire

I work with the metaphysical properties of the Four Elements of Life. I use elemental associations when I read tarot, and in chakra work. For me, calling the Four Elements to create sacred space is more than just a tradition, it is an invocation to the spirits whom I worship and adore.

Saying I have a favorite element would be like saying I have a favorite child. But I will say this. The element of Fire speaks to me in a way that is almost beyond comprehension.

Fire's attributes include passion, creativity, spirituality, anger and humor. I have all those traits; some in abundance.

I'm born under a Water sign; Scorpio. But my rising sign is Leo, a Fire sign. My significator in tarot is the Queen of Wands, the Fire Queen.

In many tarot decks the Suit of Wands is illustrated with wands that are sprouting green leaves or blossoming with flowers. That is because Fire represents the life force.

As with all four elements, there are positive and negative aspects of Fire. A fire can warm your home, cook your food or rage uncontrollably and kill you.

Our modern society does not always allow us to easily connect with fire, either literally or metaphorically. In fact, our modern society seems to encourage the violent, angry aspect of Fire more than the sexual and passionate aspect of Fire. We let our kids see violent movies but are uncomfortable with passionate romantic scenes.

As individuals and as a society our ability to be healthy and happy seems to be directly connected with our ability to nurture the element of fire in our lives.

We need to dance more, laugh more and create more. We need to nurture our passions. We need to nurture our connection to Higher Power.

Fire is our inspiration. Fire is our vitality. Fire is our ability to know our will.

If you can dance around the bonfire, do it! If you can sit with a lit candle, do it!

If you can visualize a roaring fire and breathe that energy into your whole being you will be inspired, energized and connected to Spirit.