The Seven (VII) of Cups
Keywords
Soul Searching, Finding Out Where You Fit In, Self-Examination, Finding Yourself, Know Thyself, Self-Understanding, Personal Fulfillment, Searching for Purpose, Emotional Needs, Being Honest with Yourself, Priorities, Hidden Identity, Holy Grail, Integration, Enlightenment, Meditation, Imagination, Daydreaming, Fantasies, Illusions, Hallucinations, Procrastination,Wishful Thinking, Pie in The Sky, Multiple Choice, Options, Opportunities, Decisions, Choosing, Picking, Selecting, Excess, Over-Indulging, Addictions, Self-Neglect, Lazy, Lethargy, Apathy, Letting Everything Go, Disarray, Disorganisation, Retreat, Withdraw
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Meaning
When the Seven of Cups appears in your Reading, it is a good indication that the time has come to take stock of your life and that questions need to be answered. It is a sign that you have changed and all you have to do is scratch beneath the surface to realise that all is not as it should be. It is very probable that something has happened in your life or possibly a major incident that has caused you to stop in your tracks and analyse everything you have done to date. You may be painfully aware that you are seriously wanting in certain areas of your life. You could have a feeling of not knowing who you are anymore or not knowing what you want or what it is that will make you happy. It is quite likely you no longer want what you have or that it does not bring you the same joy. You have probably been drifting along for a long time doing the same old things and presuming you were happy. The Seven of Cups suggests that regardless of how you have felt up until now, you have reached a state of Grand Discontent. There may be a sense of lack of personal fulfilment or real happiness in your life. It sometimes takes the rug to be pulled out from under our feet in order for us to wake up and take stock of our lives before it is too late.
Regardless of the originating cause of your issue, the Seven of Cups strongly suggests that your needs are not being fulfilled whether it be in a relationship, work or personal life. You must prepare to do some deep soul-searching in order to find fulfilment and identify the cause of your discontent or apathy. To facilitate this process you may be throwing the spotlight on each area of your life to see where the real issues lie. You could be attending counselling or psychotherapy sessions to help expose hidden motives and overcome childhood conditioning to expose your true personality. Then again, you may be using meditation or reading Self-Help books in an attempt to find your True Self.
You will have to put each area of your life under a microscope and be brutally honest with yourself. There is a desire to move on and be happy but for the first time you are conscious of not wanting to repeat the same old mistakes or get stuck in negative patterns. There is an effort on your part to liberate your self from your old self or a part of it that has been holding you back. Nothing Major is wrong when The Seven of Cups appears but it does throw the ball back into your court and suggests that you are beginning to take full responsibility for your personal happiness and fulfillment. It is a time for looking to the needs of yourself and if others see you as selfish or self-centred, so be it. Friends and family may have been flocking around you recently or fussing and fretting over you. They may have been trying to exert some influence over how you proceed from here but you must trust yourself on this one. It is about you at the moment and take as long as you need with this process but not forever. The sooner you have sorted this out the better. You can then make any necessary changes or additions to help get your life sorted out the way you want it this time before it is too late.
The Seven of Cups appearing can also suggest that you are exploring or trying to develop your spiritual side. You may have everything you need in life but feel a void in this area. However, you may also be avoiding or neglecting your spiritual obligations. Your life may be very busy with work, relationship, family and socialising, leaving precious little room for anything else. If this is the case, the Seven of Cups is a subtle warning that to be truly happy you must find a balance between the physical and spiritual.
Another interpretation for the Seven of Cups is Daydreaming and Pie in The Sky Ideas. You may be indulging in wishful thinking instead of doing anything about your situation. You lack focus and commitment, all enthusiastic one moment but listless and disinterested the next. You may have an overactive imagination and have a tendency to escape into a fantasy world instead of facing reality. You could be procrastinating and speaking of Grand Schemes and Wild Ideas. The only person you are convincing or kidding is yourself. Instead of taking real action to realise your dreams or ambitions you prefer to Build Castles in the Air and watch them float by.
The Seven of Cups can bring illusions and not having a firm grasp of what is going on in a situation. Everything may be all in your head or totally over the top. You could be ‘away with the fairies’ most of time and terribly impractical. Laziness and lethargy accompany this Card along with neglect of health and diet. Over-indulging in alcohol or mind altering substances may be causing you to lose your grip with the world. You intend to sort yourself out but never quite get there.
The Seven of Cups may have you feeling that your life is in disarray or disorganised. If you are used to being in control then this may stress you out considerably as you feel all over the place. Then again you may be so fed up and bored, you have decided to let everything go because your just don’t care anymore. This can be a very liberating experience. Think of all that housework that has to be done each day, all that ironing, washing and hovering? Doesn’t it just erode your soul? What a waste of your time and energy when you could be doing so many other things, things that you like and enjoy. Let the housework wait. It will still be there when you get back.
Multiple Choice is also suggested in The Seven of Cups. You may have several options or opportunities open to you at present but are bewildered by the variety of what is on offer. Every option looks attractive and has its appeal leaving you confused and unable to make a decision. You will have to make a choice sooner or later but do give it some thought as what you decide on will ultimately affect you on an emotional level. It may also set the tone of your life for the foreseeable future. Don’t be influenced by those around you. Try to focus in on what is important. You must take responsibility for your choice.
In a Relationship situation the Seven of Cups would suggest that all is not right or that something has changed. You may feel there is something missing in your relationship or feel emotionally unfulfilled. You might feel you have lost your personal identity within the relationship and wonder where it went too?
If looking for romance, you may be identifying your needs in a relationship and deciding what type of partner would be most suitable for. What is it that you truly want in a relationship? What is it that will make you happy?
A partner may retreat physically and mentally from the relationship as they try to find meaning in their life or you could be helping your partner find him or herself by giving them the space they need. The Seven of Cups is also a Feast or Famine Card and can suggest that after a long period of singledom, along comes several potential interested suitors all at the one time. There may be a multiple choice of partners and the time has come to decide who will best fulfil your emotional needs. Make sure you choose for all the right reasons. This may confuse you so be very careful in your selection.
In a Career Spread you may be in a job that provides everything materially but does not emotionally fulfil you. After years working for a company you slowly start to feel bored and discontent leading you to explore other areas of your personality that have not yet been developed or catered for. It is time to examine all your career options and determine which would make you happy. You may need to take some time off or a longer leave of absence in an attempt to find yourself career-wise. You may also be dreaming about the ideal career but doing little about realising it.
If looking for a job, then several offers may come at the one time which will leave you in a spin. You will have to examine each offer thoroughly to determine which is best suited to you. Remember to take your emotional needs into consideration when making your decision.
Reversed
Keywords
Reality, Awakening, Realisation, Priorities, Clarity, Resolutions, Resolve, Determination, Responsibility, Sober, Cleaning Up Your Act, Getting Your House In Order, Obsessive, Dreams Coming True, Achieving Goals/Ambition, Manifestation, Lack of Choice/Options/Opportunity, Too Much Choice, Missed Opportunities, Bewilderment, Poor Choice, Avoiding Issues, Lack of Spiritual Depth, Lack of Personal Understanding, Clueless, Lack of Imagination, Spaced-Out, Drugged, Fogginess, Shallow, Trivial, Superficial
When the Seven of Cups Reverses, it be a good sign of having clear thinking and understanding. You have decided to let go of an old way of life which hasn’t being making you very happy. It can suggest a time when you realise what the problem is and where you have been going wrong. You may suddenly see you life in stark clarity as you wake up to all that is out-of-order and not in your best interests. You may wonder why it took you so long to take your head out of the clouds and see the situation for what it really is. It is a time for seeing beyond the illusion that both you and others have created. Action is now required and the time of reflection an inner-work for the moment is over. You now must implement any changes that are necessary.
It can suggest that you have a clear goal and know exactly what it is that you want. Instead of dreaming about it in the Upright Seven, you begin to take steps to realise it. Your goal is in clear sight now and you may find that you let other areas of your life go in order to concentrate on it. You now have your priorities in order. Your dream, ideas and plans are no longer all in your head or in your imagination for they are beginning to manifest as you act now to make them real. If you have been involved in the creative process of something, be it a project, work of art or even building a house, you are now beginning to see it come together.
On the other hand, you could get so caught up with the planning and visualising of your great idea or plan that it never gets off the ground. Procrastination has you talking about it for ever but never getting remotely close to making it a reality. Your imagination may have run away with you too and what you have been dreaming about it just totally impractical, impossible or ridiculous. You could be chasing rainbows or delusional.
The Seven of Cups Reversed can represent a time for growing up and maturing. A sense of personal responsibility has taken over and suggests that you are eventually getting around to tidying up your life and maybe even your house aswell. A feeling of being re-energised and revitalised takes over from lethargy and laziness and it is all about cleaning up your act. The Seven of Cups Reversed can have a very sobering effect and will help you set new resolutions and strengthen your resolve. You could be giving up alcohol or just cutting down after realising how it has been making you feel so drained and foggy. You may have decided to overhaul your diet or go on a detox after overindulging or getting on the weighing scales. There is a need or desire to clear the fog and mugginess you have been existing in and realise that time has been wasted or that you have been living below par. You could be embarking upon a new exercise regime and feel full of determination and focus or you might be trying to kick the smoking habit. With this Card Reversed you can have a tendency to go from one extreme to the other. On one hand you can turn into a health freak, obsessed with diet and exercise or go totally into free fall and become even more slovenly and lackadaisical about everything in your life and find it hard to resist the slightest temptation. It will depend on surrounding cards to determine which is which.
Taken to the extreme with the Reversed Seven of Cups, we can find a drink or drug problem that has got out of hand. There may be very little time spent sober or drug-free. A deep unhappiness is the root cause and a need to escape reality. Addictions can cause irresponsible behaviour followed by self-loathing which creates a negative cycle or pattern. You may be indulging too much in the psychic arts or trance-work creating a detachment or disconnection from the physical world. Ungrounded and unfocused you may appear spaced out or unbalanced to those around you. You may need professional help to identify where your problems or issues lie.
The Seven of Cups Reversed can also highlight to need to attend to your spiritual side. It can suggest that you are too materialistic with having and getting and the finer pleasures in life. Your life may be very superficial or lacks depth. You may be chasing happiness in all the wrong places and with people who care little about you. You really need to take stock of your life but you may be refusing to examine yourself out fear of being horrified at what you might discover. Instead you fill your time with trivial or silly details. You haven’t a clue where you are going and really couldn’t care less because you believe you are having a good time. You spend little time on your own because you claim to get bored or having nothing to do. You do not know how to be or sit still with yourself. You think you have everything you want but deep down know that you are not happy. However, you are not able to quite vocalise or admit that at this stage. When there are any upsets or when things go wrong then it is always someone else’s fault. You take no responsibility for your life and prefer to just drift along. When the Seven of Cups appears Reversed it suggests that you will not get away with it for much longer.
When the Seven of Cups appears Reversed, it is generally an indication that the party days are over or should be. You need to come down to earth now and do something meaningful with your life .
In the Upright Seven of Cups we have, the search for inner happiness and personal fulfilment but when it Reverses, you may turn your back on your own needs in favour of another’s. You could be living someone else’s life or dream instead of your own. You lack the strength, determination or even the interest in finding your own way. You might prefer to stagnate in a comfortable but un-fulfilling situation at the expense of personal growth. Again, this is another sign of not taking responsibility for your own life. It can take you back to the Six of Cups where you were looked after and didn’t have to think of anything. You have stayed too long, got stuck in a rut or have failed to grow up.
In a Relationship Reading the Seven of Cups Reversed can suggest that you are refusing to acknowledge that something is missing. Your relationship may lack spiritual depth and relies too much on the physical. You could be keeping your head down and going about your normal business in the hope that it will sort itself out. Depending on surrounding Cards, any issues may well be resolved with communication and determination but that involves putting a bit of effort into sorting it out. You or your partner may lack the imagination and not be able to identify your key problems or may entertain unrealistic notions of how to settle them.
You may have an unrealistic or overly idealistic attitude about love and relationships. You may have read one too many romantic novels and expect happy ever after scenarios to just naturally occur. The partner you dream of may not exist or is only a figment of your imagination. You may be waiting for love to come knocking on your door instead of doing anything about it. In a relationship you might be wishy-washy and superficial needing to be cared for and looked after. You may rely too heavily on your partner and if living together or married may be quite useless at keeping house or the fridge stocked.
After spending time exploring all Career options, you are ready to make your selection. You now know what you want and which one will bring the most happiness. You could be setting about making your dream career a real possibility. However, you may feel backed into taking a job you don’t really care for because there is very little to choose from. You may also be finding it very difficult to determine what you want or are good at or feel bewildered by the variety or choice of what is on offer. You might feel dull and ambitionless at present, while those around you seem to be following their path. The time may not be right or you may not be taking the time to explore all your options. Perhaps you are waiting for the perfect opportunity to land on your doorstep. Failure to be observant may have led you to miss out on a great opportunity. You may have had your head in the clouds at the time or were distracted elsewhere. Then again you may be in a job that gives you very little opportunity to shine. Either no one is aware of your hidden talents or you choose to conceal them.
Your job may require you to be imaginative and inspirational but you may temporarily blocked and have little creative vision at present. The harder you try, the more ideas escape you or become elusive. You may also be reluctant to give up the comforts you have in your present position in order to pursue your dreams or find true happiness.
Ace of Cups Two (II) of Cups Three (III) of Cups Four (IV) of Cups Five (V) of Cups Six (VI) of Cups Seven (VII) of Cups Eight (VIII) of Cups Nine (IX) of Cups Ten (X) of Cups
The 78 Cards – Detailed Study Version (Card Description, Keywords, Upright & Reversed Meanings)
The 78 Cards – Shortened Version (Keywords, Upright & Reversed Meanings)
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