Nine of Cups

Meanings according to the Rider-Waite:

ASTROLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Moon in Taurus as a symbol of joy, pleasure, and merry company.

NINE OF CUPS. The Nine of Cups signifies a period when we experience genuine joy and bask in it. True, such a period may also turn into excess, a tendency to "bite off more than you can chew," but on the whole the meaning of this card is positive: pleasant events, lightheartedness, merry company — in a word, what is called "you can't forbid living beautifully."

From the book: Hajo Banzhaf. TAROT SELF-INSTRUCTOR. Translated from German by E. Kolesov. Publisher: Center for Astrological Research, 1999.

NINE OF CUPS. Happiness. Second decan of Pisces, from March 1 to March 9. Astrological equivalents: Jupiter, Neptune, the Sun in the Ninth House. The second decan of Pisces symbolizes the attainment of fullness of feeling through merging with cosmic rhythms, and is therefore called "happiness." A well-developed psychic nature provides the opportunity to participate fully in the life process and to be a conduit for the objective influences of the Cosmos upon Earth. Representatives of this decan, consciously or unconsciously, become the spokespersons for those feelings and ideas that correspond to the present moment. This decan is ruled, in the Chaldean system, by Jupiter; in the Indian system, by the Moon — and it is not only strongly subject to the influences of its surroundings, but also knows how to influence them in turn. Its representatives often display a striving for moral leadership, pedagogical abilities, and authority. The role of mediator between the real and the ideal — one who is unable to give themselves wholly to either, but only to both together — creates oscillations from the position of leadership to that of passive religiosity, and in real life leads to impracticality and irresponsibility. So that the transitions from merging with the unity of the world to estrangement from concrete life may not become a betrayal either of the highest ideals or of real needs, it is important to determine one's place in life and not to depart from the chosen position. The TAROT card depicts a man in rich attire, seated with his arms crossed upon his chest. Above his head are nine full CUPS: he has attained all that he wished. The richness of feeling has become the foundation of inner satisfaction and material abundance. The man remains motionless in his place, passively accepting the gift from above and using it for good. Emotional fullness has been transformed into faith, which has become the basis of correspondence with the objective life process and therefore the pledge of luck, happiness, and well-being. The NINE is a Neptunian, Jupiterian number, and in it the influence of Sagittarius is palpable. In the passive Venusian suit of CUPS the influence of Neptune will be intensified, and therefore the NINE OF CUPS first and foremost signifies flashes of intuition, premonitions, prophetic dreams, omens, and symbolic situations. This is a very psychological card. At the level of the NINE the final testing of emotion takes place on the path of its origin (the ACE) toward its final form (the TEN). Here emotion is tested for the last time as to its strength and truth. The card symbolizes a certain sphericity. Finding yourself in the situation of the NINE OF CUPS, you may feel enclosed within this sphere; or else you may find yourself outside of this sphere and be able to perceive its closedness as if from without. The decision — whether or not to break the wholeness of this "situational sphere" — rests with you. This card is very ambiguous, and should always be studied in the spread together with its context. The trap is the pursuit of happiness.

UPRIGHT POSITION. In the upright position the card symbolizes success, material attachment, further advancement, well-being, health, victory, difficulties, illness. Neptune always brings with it chaos and confusion, so that the card in a spread may be likened to a wisp of fog: no matter how closely you peer, a certain indefiniteness will always remain. At the same time, the influence of Sagittarius is also expressed within it: a striving for all-embracingness, leadership, spectacle, ostentation, an intolerant attitude toward any limitation of freedom, toward being confined within any frames or boundaries. Sagittarius transposes the action of this card onto the social plane.

REVERSED POSITION. In the reversed position the card chiefly reflects the negative influence of Neptune: errors, imperfection, a painful attitude toward every kind of imperfection, the confusion of Good and Evil, false wisdom. At the same time — sincerity, naivete, simple-heartedness.