Category: Tarot

The Tower Card: A Symbol of Transformation (B.O.T.A. Version)

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This morning I went to Sunday Service at Builders of the Adytum, and the speaker was giving a talk on one of the most challenging tarot cards in the deck, The Tower.

B.O.T.A is a modern mystery school that was founded in the early 20th century in Los Angeles that combines elements of Western esotericism, Qabalah, astrology, and Tarot. Paul Foster Case, the founder, was a highly influential figure in the Tarot and esoteric circles. The organization is known for its unique and profound interpretations of Tarot cards, including the Tower.

I thought that the timing of this talk was perfect for me, as I’m going through one of those Tower moments that always comes as an upsetting surprise. 

So I thought I would share more about what I learned today at B.O.T.A., as well as what the card means more generally.

The Tower

The Tower Card: A Symbol of Transformation

The Tower card is traditionally associated with sudden and often disruptive change. In most Tarot decks, it depicts a tall tower being struck by lightning, with figures falling from the building. This imagery is generally seen as negative, representing chaos and upheaval. However, B.O.T.A takes a more nuanced approach to the card.

In the Builders of the Adytum’s Tarot deck, the Tower card is imbued with a different energy. Rather than emphasizing destruction, the card highlights the concept of necessary change and transformation. The lightning bolt is seen as a symbol of spiritual awakening and enlightenment, shaking loose the old and stagnant structures in one’s life.

Key Elements of B.O.T.A’s Tower Card

Let’s go deeper into each of these key elements to better understand the symbolism of B.O.T.A’s Tower card:

The Tower 

This represents our ego, the concept we have created of ourselves and the world, and the structure of our personalities. We build this structure brick by brick, and it may  indeed serve to protect us and keep us safe for a time. But there comes a point at which this structure is more limiting than helpful. It is then that we may be set up to have a “Tower” experience that will destroy what is no longer real and liberate us from illusions.

The Tower in this card is also known as the House of God, or La Maison Dieu. It is built of error and delusion, but it is our home, where we live. In other words, our ego or our personality is the house that the Divine lives in. The light of God is expressed through us imperfectly in this way.

The Lightning Bolt and the Crown

The crown is the symbol of dominion and of mastery. Most of the time, we think that our personality or our ego is in charge, that we are really the ones in control. 

The lightning bolt comes from the Sun and throws the crown off of the egoic structure of the Tower. It shows that our Higher Self or God is always the one truly in control. There is nothing “negative” or “bad” which comes to us which is not ultimately without purpose, if we are willing to accept the truth and cultivate the seed of wisdom each disappointment carries within it.

In this interpretation, the lightning bolt is not a destructive force but a flash of divine inspiration. It represents the sudden insight or revelation that can shatter our illusions and complacency. It’s the spark of spiritual awakening that can be uncomfortable but ultimately liberating.

The Falling Man & Woman

Traditionally, the falling figures in the Tower card are often viewed as victims of destruction. 

However, in B.O.T.A’s interpretation, they represent aspects of the self that need to be shed. These figures symbolize outdated beliefs, ego-driven patterns, and emotional attachments that hold us back on our spiritual journey. The Tower’s upheaval is necessary for our future growth and transformation.

“Verily destruction is the foundation of existence, 

And the tearing-down thou seest 

Is but the assembling of material 

For a grander structure.”

–Paul Foster Case, The Book of Tokens: Meditation on Peh

The Spiritual Lesson

The B.O.T.A. version of the Tower card imparts a profound spiritual lesson: transformation and spiritual growth often involve upheaval and the dismantling of our old ways of thinking and being. It encourages us to embrace change, even when it feels disruptive, as a necessary step on our spiritual journey.

This perspective invites us to see the Tower card as an opportunity for renewal and personal growth rather than something to be feared or avoided. It reminds us that even in times of disruption, we can find a higher purpose and a way to continue on the path to spiritual enlightenment.

The Builders of the Adytum’s interpretation of the Tower Tarot card offers a refreshing and empowering perspective on a traditionally challenging card. It reminds us that even in times of upheaval, there is a higher purpose and a path to spiritual enlightenment.

By embracing change and letting go of what no longer serves us, we can rise like a phoenix from the ashes, ready to embark on a new and transformative journey in life. The Tower card is not necessarily symbol of disaster, but of the rebirth and transformation that can result if we look more deeply and integrate the lessons available to us to be learned from these experiences.

It is also important to keep in mind the Hebrew letter, Peh, associated with this card. Peh represents the mouth. It is the creative word: it is what we are saying, and how we’re reacting to other people.

I AM the MOUTH whence issueth the breath of Life;

I am the all-devouring one Whereunto all things return.  

“Beginning and End” Is my holy name, 

For the MOUTH is a sign of my self-duplication, 

Whereby I testify to myself of myself.

–Paul Foster Case, The Book of Tokens: Meditation on Peh

The Tower also links the 7th Sephiroth (Netzach, or Victory) with the 8th (Hod, or Splendor).

Netzach is associated with the planet Venus, and with all she represents: desire, beauty, romance, the erotic.

Hod is associated with the planet Mercury, as well as the power of logic, communication, and rationality.

I am the Word of Life 

Which exciteth all beginnings, 

The Word Which hath its own beginning in Victory 

And its completion in Splendour, 

And is the balance between them.

–Paul Foster Case, The Book of Tokens: Meditation on Peh

Tree of Life B.O.T.A.

This speaks to the fact that many of us experience these “Tower” moments when we are confronted by the disparity between our desires, Netzach, and what we think we know, Hod.

This card also lies directly beneath Key 14, Temperance, which is known as “the Intelligence of Probation and Trial”. It is through these disruptions in our sense of self and what we know that we are tested and made stronger. 

Whether we like it or not, we cannot reach the most elevated version  of ourselves if we are not continually tested and asked by our circumstances to reach higher and grow into the best expression of who we really are.

XV. The Devil

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Keywords for The Devil 

IGNORANCE HOPELESSNESS
OBSESSION DESPAIR
DARKNESS DOUBT
LIMITATION DEBAUCHERY
BONDAGE ADDICTION

In the image on this card, we see the Devil represented not as Lucifer, bringer of light, but instead as Baphomet, part man, part goat, with the wings of a bat and feet of a bird. In this form, he is representative of the forces of darkness. 

This is further reinforced by the dark mark, perhaps a stigmata, we see etched into the palm of his right hand. It is the glyph for Saturn, planet of limitation, restriction, and boundaries. Saturn also represents incorporation into physical form, along with all the physical limitations inherent in materiality. 

This symbol, like many other elements here, is as if to say, “This is it—the physical, material world you see before your eyes is all there is—nothing more is possible.” It asks us to forget the spiritual, to tie our hopes and desires to the physical only. It encourages blind consumption, sex without soul, obsession with form and ignorance of spirit.

This is further echoed by the appearance of the man and woman standing with chains around their necks by the feet of the Devil. They are parallel figures to the pair we saw earlier, blessed by Archangel Raphael, in the Lovers card. 

Here, they appear with a set of horns on their heads, indicating their animal-like nature. There are no trees as we saw earlier in the Garden of Eden. Instead, the woman herself bears the fruit, her tail extending behind her as a ripe bunch of grapes. 

The man’s tail is made entirely of fire, likely an allusion to the libido, or sexual life force energy. He holds his right hand with palm facing up, touching the clawed feet of the Devil. 

It is interesting to note that the Devil himself lights his torch from the flames produced by the fiery energy of the man in this image. It is as if to say that the ideas represented by the Devil (bondage, ignorance, focus on the physical instead of the spiritual) springs from the sexual impulses of man when uncontrolled or unskillfully expressed.

NOTE: The Tarot card meaning description is based on the Rider Waite cards.

The Devil Interpretation

When the Devil comes up in a tarot reading, it can refer to the feeling of being trapped, despondent, or hopeless. We may despair of ever finding a way out of our difficult and limiting circumstances. 

This card can also speak to themes around captivity, bondage or enslavement. We may feel like we are in chains, bound to a destructive force that is much greater than ourselves. This often takes the form of overindulgence in or addiction to various substances such as drugs and alcohol, as well as process addictions like shopping or gambling.

It also speaks to obsessions, especially those of a romantic or sexual nature, where we may feel compelled by physical drives to engage in relationships or other forms of social interaction which we know on some level are ultimately unhealthy for us.

A central theme of this card revolves around what value we attribute to the physical & material elements of our world. The upside down pentagram which we see suspended at the crown of the Devil’s head provides a key to understanding these themes more deeply. 

The pentagram, right side up, is a five pointed star meant to represent the human body and our relationship to the five elements. The top point of the star represents the head, the two sides the arms, and the lower points the legs and feet. 

Right side up, the pentagram has the head over the heart and body, in a relationship of “mind over matter,” where our desires are informed and directed by our reason and higher mind.

Inverted, the Devil’s pentagram signifies desire over reason, and matter over spirit. In this case, we let our lower animal passions drive our conscious mind. Instead of utilizing our consciousness constructively, reason is instead used solely for the purpose of rationalization, to justify wrongs done in the name of passion. 

When we allow our “lower” (or our unexamined or unmediated) desires to rule our lives, we find that our entire system can be thrown off balance. 

It often expresses itself in what we might call the “sins” of materialism. Materialism is not simply an obsession with money and the physical objects it can buy, but also a more philosophical orientation towards the world that holds that nothing exists beyond the world of the senses. This is especially common in the modern scientific outlook which holds that if it cannot be measured, then it must not exist.

Remember that the word “sin” originated as a latin term from archery meaning “to miss the mark.” With this in mind, we see how this obsession with form is not necessarily “evil” per se, but simply misses the mark. It is incomplete, and as such, fails to draw a complete picture of our reality. 

Unfortunately, this failure of perception results in grave errors that undermine our experience and even our capacity for continued existence on this living planet Earth. We can see this today, for example, in overconsumption, the drive for endless economic growth, and its relationship to climate change and environmental destruction.

This is the bad news. The good news is that we are not condemned to continue the errors of the past. Look at the chains which hold the woman and man on this card. They hang loose around their necks. It would be so easy to remove them and become free. 

First, they would need to become aware of their bondage, and recognize the falsehood of the lies which have held them chained. Liberation would then become inevitable. For those who have developed the eyes to see, it would then be a simple task to lift the chains from off one’s neck, drop the lies, and step into the future free from the limitations of ignorance.

Six of Pentacles

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6 of Pentacles

Keywords for the Six of Pentacles 

GENEROSITY INEQUALITY
MERCYIMBALANCE OF POWER
GIVING/RECEIVINGUNEQUAL RELATIONSHIP 
TO HAVE/HAVE NOTDOMINANCE/SUBMISSION
SHARING RESOURCESHIERARCHY

In the image on the card, we see a well-dressed man standing over two men who hold their hands outstretched to receive a few coins in their hands. This appears to be an act of charity, motivated by benevolence and good-will.  However, it is possible that all is not what it seems here.

Notice the position of the merchant’s right hand, from which he dispenses the few coins he is offering to the poor. It is in the same position as the hand not only of the Hierophant in Key 5, but also the Devil in Key 15. 

In both cases, this is a gesture which says: I give to you, but I retain yet another part to myself.

In the man’s left hand, he tightly grips a set of scales which are likely meant to be a symbolic allusion to his trade as a merchant, but also to an idea of which he would like for us to be convinced. With scales clenched in his hand, he seems intent on persuading us that this is, indeed, justice.

Contrast this with the way the goddess Justitia holds the scales in Key 11, Justice, of the Major Arcana. She holds her scales lightly,  balancing them gently on the tips of her fingers in an effortless, easy manner.

We may ask ourselves, “What does this say about the difference between the Justice of Man and the Justice of God?” 

The Justice of God (or cosmic justice, universal law, etc.) is effortless, in many ways simply a chain of action and reaction. It is like a karmic cycle that at its core is simply the interrelation of causes and their effects over time. 

It is enforced naturally, in much the same way the earth turns and the sun rises and we are born and must die in a natural sequence of beginnings and endings.

Human justice, however, is grasped tightly, and much effort is expended to exact retribution and maintain an order that at its best, is artificial, and in the worst cases, is highly unjust and contrary to the values of life.  

It is often maintained through the use of excessive force, with violence and suffering in order to ensure compliance to a system created by the dominant group in power. 

It is also maintained through a hegemonic system of values which idealizes the generosity of the wealthy in the form of alms and small acts of charity, which honors and preserves their right to hoard wealth, refuse to pay a living wage, and set up economic and political systems which keep the majority of the population in a state of perpetual poverty and material lack. 

However, it is not merely on a large scale, societal level in which giving to the other can be a powerful tool for control and influence. 

Often, in interpersonal relationships, we find a dynamic in which one person controls the resources (financial, emotional, physical) and dispenses them to others in order to establish a relationship of dependence. 

This manufactured state of dependence is then often used as a tool of manipulation in which the one who is seemingly the beneficiary is obligated to provide other kinds of resources (for example, emotional or domestic labor) to the more seemingly “generous” party.

6 of Pentacles Interpretation

When the 6 of Pentacles comes up in a reading, we are often being asked to look more attentively at the power dynamics in which we are engaged.

This card may point to a situation in which we are relating to others through a dynamic that is based on inequality. This is a dynamic in which one person gives and the other takes, leaving little in the way of reciprocity.

The 6 of Pentacles often asks us to question our assumptions regarding the nature of the exchange, as well as our perceptions regarding the moral value we attribute to each of the players in this game. 

Again, we usually will find that all is not as it seems. Often, the person in the role of “giver” may offer a helping hand less out of mercy than out of a desire to control and build or retain his own power in the situation. 

In the scene picture on the Six of Pentacles, the wealthy merchant controls the resources available based on an economic and political system which has been established to protect the interests of his class. 

Those lower than him on the social scale are disempowered, and often denied the opportunity to earn a living in a way that will support the fulfillment of their basic needs. 

The tokens of “mercy” are little more than an excuse, a way to ease the tension and buy the good will of those who have been marginalized by a system he has helped to create.

The bottom line here is that the Six of Pentacles often asks us to question our assumptions regarding the nature of exchange within any given relationship we may find ourselves in.

We would do well to take a step back and take a look at the relational power dynamics we are engaged in from a new vantage point. You may be surprised to find that in some ways, it may better to give than to receive.

The Tower of Babel

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“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” –John 1:1

For most of my life, my greatest passion has been the search for knowledge.

A lonely child, I found refuge in books: in fiction, tales about foreign lands and fantastic creatures; in practical books about science, the earth, and life processes; in languages, philosophy, religion; in the paranormal, occult, and mysterious. You name it, I had to know about it.

I often felt like everyone else had gotten the instruction manual on this thing called Life, and I was the only one left empty-handed.

And so I took this business very seriously. I read anything and everything I could get my hands on. Somewhere out there was the answer, one day I would find the truth behind it all, and everything would make sense.

In college, I studied literature and languages, and later went to graduate school for a master’s degree in Rhetoric & Composition. I developed an obsession with epistemology, the study of truth, language, and what we can know.

Eventually I started to think that maybe Socrates had it right all along, and the answer was that we truly can know nothing;  but my obsession now had a life of its own, and the demon inside me demanding answers ate every piece of text and trivia in its path, never satisfied, always hungry for more.

I was building my very own Tower of Babel, and it was destroying me. Every Word was another brick in this tower, growing higher and higher into the sky, and I thought that in this way I would one day touch God.

This tower was not built of truth, but of ego. It was a fortress meant to protect me from this reality: that I was terrified, confused, lost and alone.

As all I had built crumbled in a flash, I saw that each little piece of knowledge, each little fact, each bit of data was a line of defense against the world, against chaos, and against life.

It was awareness that I was seeking, and consciousness that I needed.

Words can be a useful tool in directing thought, in guiding the mind to greater consciousness. The word is creative, it is generative, it directs the manifestation of life, but it is not life itself.

Queen of Swords

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Queen of Swords

Keywords for the Queen of Swords

WISEBITTER
DISCERNINGCYNICAL
ASTUTEJADED
STOICDISILLUSIONED
SELF-POSSESSEDPESSIMISTIC

In the image on this card, we encounter what appears to be a crisp and cool day at the very beginning of spring. The Earth is beginning to awaken and prepare for longer days of warm sun and the fertility which accompanies it, but a deep chill in the air reminds us that winter has not yet fully passed.

Above the head of this Queen, we see one single, solitary bird soaring high above the earth. Like her, this bird of prey is unmatched in its capacity for long-range vision. She is able to detach herself from her personal and emotional involvements in a situation and achieve unparalleled clarity on what lies at the root of the matter at hand. 

However, this may at times predispose her towards solitude and loneliness. She has a tendency to be aloof and to keep others at a safe distance. This may prevent her from developing the kind of ties to others that are integral to feeling safe, supported and emotionally fulfilled in life. 

Closer to the Earth and the world of the Queen of Swords we see thick, dense clouds which make the air feel heavy. These formations even appear a bit foreboding, possibly even ominous, in the weight of their condensation.

They suggest the kind of gravity and seriousness of purpose reflected in the character of the Queen of Swords. She possesses a kind of understated and subdued type of beauty in which all excess and ostentation have been eliminated. She carries herself with a restrained elegance and stoic attitude that emphasizes only what is essential and true.

Queen of Swords Interpretation

Like all of the court cards, this can represent someone in our outer environment that shows the same qualities and characteristics of the Queen of Swords. Alternatively, in some instances it can also refer to how we ourselves are showing up in a given situation.

The Queen of Swords is someone who has seen it all and lived to tell about it. Often, she has come to her knowledge under difficult circumstances. She has suffered, and experienced loss, and much grief throughout the course of her life.

She may have experienced tragedies which would have defeated anyone who did not possess her resilience, endurance and resolve. However, it is these painful circumstances which have given her the wisdom and discernment she possesses today.

As a result, this Queen tends to someone who is honest, direct and clear in her communication. She is capable of seeing through deception and lies, and rejects all attempts by others to manipulate her or be anything less than honest.

This Queen is a woman who is worldly and wise, and by far the most experienced and discerning among her counterparts. She knows she can trust herself, and can be quite proud of her skillful and accurate judgements regarding what is true and what should be done.

The clarity, insight and wisdom possessed by the Queen of Swords is immensely valuable in this world where most things are not what they seem, where deception and dishonesty seem to be the law of the land. She possesses the wisdom of extensive experience, and the resolute will required to act on her knowledge.

As mentioned before, the wisdom of this Queen has been hard earned. She has seen enough of the world to know better than to trust too quickly. Unfortunately, this can mean that she may develop an inclination toward bitterness, and express herself in ways that others find acerbic and harsh. 

She may also become a person who appears “jaded,” someone who lacks faith in others and tends to distrust even the existence of noble sentiments and ideals such as altruism and love.

The Queen of Swords may find herself burdened with heavy feelings of despair and hopelessness, and if she is not careful, might become depressed and disillusioned. At times, it can speak of a woman who is so focused on her sorrows that she is unable (or unwilling) to see the sincere goodness, generosity and joy that still can exist around her.

VIII. Strength

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Keywords for Strength 

SELF-CONTROLFORTITUDE
INNER RESOURCESSOFT POWER
DISCIPLINECOURAGE
RESILIENCEVITALITY
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCEKUNDALINI

It is late afternoon, and a warm and vibrantly energizing yellow sunlight permeates the air, illuminating the landscape we see all around us. On our left, we can see the high peak of a distant gray mountaintop in shadow, the very same mountain which we first saw earlier in the Lovers card.

There is a certain peace and serenity which permeates the atmosphere. There is still much energy left of the day, but we are now at a point when the power of the Sun is under control. We are no longer burned by its heat, but gently warmed by the life energy calmly exuded by this center of solar energy.

Directly in front of us stands a woman in white, wearing a crown of flowers on her head. She also wears a garland of roses, one which ties her, in an elegant figure 8, to the lion at her feet.

Gently, tenderly, with an attitude of the utmost care, she holds the open jaws of this king of the animal kingdom, the lion. In return, he looks up at her with an attitude of loving submission. For the woman has learned how to tame the wildest and most powerful of beasts: with attention and respect, with care and with love. 

A lesser person would have responded to the ferocious strength and power of the lion with fear, with fury, with a violence meant to destroy. But the woman, who bears much in common with the Empress, knows better—she knows that strength and power is nothing to be feared. Treated with respect and love, the raw, primal energies of this red lion are instead a force to be tamed, to be controlled with disciplined attention and careful responsiveness. 

To try to suppress or kill this energy would be a tragedy; to misunderstand the lion as a threat is a grave error, for he represents a force which is ours to be harnessed. It is one which, with the right attitude, can ultimately show us greater power than we could have ever imagined possible. 

The key lies in the garland of roses which tie the woman and the lion together. Roses represent our desire nature, the forces of love and attraction which propel us forward into the future, which draw our destiny towards us. The lion represents the raw power of our uncultivated emotions, our primal, animal level of the subconscious. When we can direct the raw energy of these emotions and direct our own difficult feelings with compassion and care, we often find that we have access to a kind of power previously impossible to imagine. 

NOTE: The Tarot card meaning description is based on the Rider Waite cards.

Strength Interpretation

When Strength comes up in a tarot reading, we are often being asked to act in a way that demonstrates true inner strength and courage. 

The quality of strength as demonstrated in this card has little to do with the common cultural conceptions many of us hold around this idea. Strength here is in fact the opposite of the show of force that our cultures so values. True strength is the antithesis of the violent expression of personal will that we mistakenly often take to be true power. 

Instead of dominance and coercion, we see a strength whose expression is truly much more powerful. This kind of strength relies on inner resources, and is dependent upon our cultivation of discipline and genuine self-control. 

On a more esoteric level, the lion is a representation of our primal (some would say “lower”) animal nature. It symbolizes the raw energy of kundalini that comes from our deepest inner sources. 

It is the “libido” that Carl Jung speaks of, which, in contrast to Freud, is not simply a shameful sexual impulse, but rather the vital life force energy that animates all which moves and breathes and has its being in the world. 

Our desires, our feelings, our emotions are nothing to be feared. They must not be repressed or denied through oppressive tactics.

They are instead a force to be respected, a force to be honored, a force to be gently and lovingly guided in the direction of our highest vision and most elevated ideals. 

Ace of Cups

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Ace of Wands

Keywords for the Ace of Cups

LOVEINTUITION
INTIMACYINSPIRATION
ROMANCEEMOTIONAL SENSITIVITY
COMPASSIONPSYCHIC EXPERIENCE
KINDNESSCLAIRVOYANCE

A hand reaches out from a cloud, holding out in offering a golden chalice, recognized by some to be the Holy Grail of legend. 

From this cup the waters of life spring forth. We hear the gentle stirring of the water as it springs from this golden cup, landing with a gentle splash in the calm waters below.

We also hear the sweet chime of bells softly ringing from where they hang at the bottom of the cup’s bowl. They announce, as the ringing of bells often does, the presence of the sacred, acknowledging a time of holy importance.

We see an abundance of life blooming beneath the nurturing, life-sustaining waters of this cup as green lily pads and red lotus flowers.

Finally, above this sacred chalice, we see a dove holding a wafer. The dove has been known as a symbol of innocence, gentleness and peace since the time of Ancient Egypt and beyond.

The dove was sacred to Venus, and symbolized the power of the divine feminine, in conjunction with matters related to love and the renewal of life. Indeed, it was understood that these two concepts are inextricably linked. 

Life is renewed through love. We are sustained by the care and connection we have with one another. Furthermore, love and attraction are the driving force behind the sexual impulse from which all new life is generated. 

Later, the dove was adopted as a Christian symbol of the Holy Spirit, related to the Goddess Sophia, representing divine wisdom. It is also related to the Hebrew concept of the Shekinah, which means the divine “dwelling” or “settling place” of God. 

The dove was also an important symbol of alchemy. In the representations of the Rosarium Philosophorum, the dove is often shown acting as a mediator and messenger from spirit, one which blesses the initial union of the Solar King and the Lunar Queen at the beginning of a process which will ultimately be consummated in the Alchemical Marriage. 

As such, the dove is representative of the assistance which the alchemist (or spiritual seeker) receives as a kind of divine gift, an unearned bounty which we recognize as being the Grace of God. 

Ace of Cups Interpretation

When the Ace of Cups card comes up in a tarot reading, it often signals an auspicious beginning in the realm of love or friendship. 

This card may show up when we are at the beginning of a promising new romance. It speaks to a renewed sense of intimacy between people, as well as potentially in relationship to ourselves.

It can signal a boost to our self-esteem, confidence and self-love. It can also indicate a period of emotional well-being, of being in touch with deeper feelings, and being able to process and then express these emotions in healthy and appropriate ways. 

On another level, the ace of cups can also speak to the development of our intuition. It can symbolize psychic ability, as well as getting her true inner voice. 

Above all this card symbolizes a true depth of feeling, along with the possibility for deep emotional connections. This card asks us to open our hearts and surrender to the power of love that unites all things.

Three of Swords

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3 of Swords

Keywords for the Three of Swords

HEARTBREAKLONELINESS
SORROWBROKEN TRUST
BETRAYALLET DOWN
ANGUISHSEPARATION
DISAPPOINTMENTREJECTION

The imagery on the Three of Swords is quite simple: amid a background of dark gray storm clouds and bitterly cold rain, a single blood red heart is pierced through its core by three shining steel swords.

3 of Swords Interpretation

When the 3 of Swords comes up in a tarot reading, it often indicates an experience of intense emotional pain. It can speak to the feeling of being hurt or betrayed by the ones we love. 

We may feel heartbroken or betrayed after discovering an unpleasant truth about someone we care about and thought we could trust.

The experience represented by the 3 of Swords is not an intellectual one, but rather a visceral emotional experience stimulated by the pain of knowing a difficult truth, one which often cuts to the very core of who we are.

When the 3 of Swords appears, it can refer to feelings of rejection, abandonment or isolation. We may feel that we have been left out in the cold, helpless in the dark, stormy night we see depicted here on this card.

Four of Cups

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Keywords for the Four of Cups

BOREDOMDISINTEREST
APATHYREJECTION
DISSATISFACTIONBOUNDARIES
LOST IN THOUGHTDECLINING AN OFFER
INTROSPECTIONSAYING NO

In this card, we see a young man sitting by himself underneath a tree. He appears to be lost in thought, caught up in his own internal world. Perhaps he is daydreaming, indulging in idle fantasies of what he hopes could one day be. 

What seems more likely is that he is reflecting on the past, deeply focused on the moments of his life that have come before this one, and which still affect him now. In this case, the three cups laid out before him could very well stand for the emotional memories he holds within himself, which perhaps he has not yet become willing to let go of. 

This could explain why he seems so disinterested in the cup being offered to him from a floating cloud (likely from the very same hand which we saw in the Ace of Cups). This hand is attempting to offer him the gift of a new experience, one which could potentially bring a change to his circumstances, which holds the possibility for new happiness and satisfaction.

However, it seems that the youth’s attention remains focused on his internal world so much that he now rejects the present and all the gifts it offers us. 

4 of Cups Interpretation

When the 4 of Cups comes up in a reading, it sometimes means that we have lost our connection with the outer world, and turned our focus inward instead. 

It can speak to being caught up in our own thoughts, and perhaps ignoring the reality that exists outside of ourselves.

The 4 of Cups can also refer to a sense of dissatisfaction with our surroundings, as well as a potential rejection of the opportunities which are currently available to us. 

This card can also indicate an inability to think creatively, to come up with new and different solutions to our problems that may be unfamiliar to what we have done in the past.

At times, the 4 of Cups in a reading can also point towards an area where we need to have stronger boundaries. 

Just as the young man in the card says “NO” to the cup being offered by the cloud, we ourselves may need to decline what is being offered to us. 

The 4 of Cups reminds us that sometimes we are better off rejecting something that is not suited to us, in order to make space for what we truly deserve. 

Three of Cups

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Keywords for the Three of Cups 

FRIENDSHIPCELEBRATION
COMMUNITYHAVING FUN
CONNECTIONSHARED JOY
EMOTIONAL INTIMACYENJOYING COMPANY
COMPANIONSHIPFEELING SUPPORTED

In the image on the card, we see three dancing women dressed in elegant flowing robes. 

As they raise their cups in celebration, they toast to each other in recognition of a shared accomplishment. 

The rich autumn colors of their attire, combined with the abundant fruit of a recent harvest gathered around them, suggests a completion of a goal held in common. 

3 of Cups Interpretation

When this card comes up in a reading, it tends to signal a sense of our being connected with and cared for by others. It can also often speak to the experience of enjoying yourself and having fun with friends. 

When this card appears, it signifies a sense of well being and security that we get from spending time with people we care about. It signals being surrounded by supportive people who we know we can trust and rely on. 

The three of cups represents the drive shared emotional intimacy, as well as the pleasures of enjoying the company as a card of the suit of cups, related to the water element this card depicts the deep satisfaction of intimacy and connection we can experience with our friends, our community, and the other groups of which we are apart.