Learning Tarot – 8 of Cups
The 8 of cups is usually a pretty depressing card, simply seen as a man walking away in disappointment, but it wasn’t until today that I truly understood what this card meant, as I’ve had to walk away from a situation and truly surrender. There are several reasons why the man has his back turned to us, slumped in disappointment, but we are left to wonder where it is he is going. He is in disappointment because he must leave a situation in which he was incredibly close to attaining the 10 of cups: pure bliss, love, and enjoyment. He is also in disappointment because he is leaving behind 8 cups in which he invested so much time and emotions into. Think about his journey from the Ace of cups to this point, all that he acquired and went through. This isn’t an easy decision to make by walking away from the investment he has made emotionally, but something in him realizes he can no longer sustain being stuck in this area, so instead he decides to venture into unknown territory and possibly start over.
In the RWS deck, we see that the water is very low, possibly an indicator that he no longer has emotional fulfillment staying here. The sun and moon in this card indicate both the subconscious and conscious efforts he put forth into his decision to walk away. The blue sky can indicate that he has found some sense of clarity in his decision, knowing that it must be made. His red cloak and red boots indicate he is leaving with courage, as he ventures into the unknown territory of the mountainous terrain.
Where is he going? To find his 10 of cups. Will he return? He might. Although the 8 of cups indicates walking away from something that no longer gives us emotional fulfillment, it doesn’t mean that the man in the card will never return. It just simply means that for now, he knows he must continue on his journey. Perhaps one day he will return from the mountains, but by then, the cups may have long been overgrown by nature, leaving him satisfied with his decision to have walked away. Then again, he may realize his 10 of cups was here all along. Only time will tell.
