The cards pictured are from the Crowley Thoth Tarot Deck.
Seven of Cups and 5 of Swords
When the Seven of Cups comes up we know we are under a spell. We listen to the part of ourselves that just wants to escape. She softly whispers in our ear: take the easy road. We feel drawn into a cycle of instant gratification and we lose our way.
This card points to some less-than-healthy behaviors that might be taking up space in our lives. When we are faced with temptation, we can feel cloudy and disconnected from our moral compass.
Whether it’s a relationship based purely on pleasure and not connected to our hearts, a job that pays the bills but does not fulfill us, or the things we do that soothe our brain after a long day but don’t feed our soul.
It is hard to make healthy choices because they usually require more planning and effort. And if you have been dealing with emotional or physical pain, planning and action are just that much harder.
But we are called to remember that these things usually don’t make us happy. It may be delaying unhappiness for the time being, but it is not making us more joyful in the long run.
The Seven of Cups wants us to see through the illusion of instant gratification. These habits can easily deceive you into thinking that it’s something you need. You start to crave this way of operating instead of the healthier more sustainable choices.
Now there is nothing wrong with pleasure in it itself. The cards just want us to see if we are experiencing quick, short-term pleasure, or more restorative pleasure. It wants us to cultivate habits that enrich us and make us feel more alive and strong, to find things that truly fill our cups.
When we take a step back and look at our patterns, we will be able to adjust and recalibrate, rather than operating on autopilot. This recalibration will be so worth the effort.
Our head is often clouded when we experience the Seven of Cups. We have not been thinking clearly due to a problematic pattern. If we try to break the pattern but slip up, we can fall into the Five of Swords.
The Five of Swords, also known as Defeat, shares its wisdom and medicine. Through this card, we are being asked to dive into our shadow side and accept hard truths. Though no one wants to feel defeated, it’s a natural part of life.
On this card are five swords in the shape of a pentagram. The top of the pentagram is pointed towards us. The significance of this formation is to show we are the ones that amplify or disarm our defeat. We control how it affects us, what we learn from it, and how we move forward.
Under the influence of our first card, the Seven of Cups, we may be reflecting on our fair share of setbacks. Things may not have worked out the way we had planned or we may have some slip-ups along our way.
But the card of Defeat has more to do with how we identify with our failures rather than seeing them as natural occurrences. It’s about how we limit ourselves to avoid pain than the actual events that cause disappointment.
We are being asked to shift our perspective and see our lives non-judgmentally. In this light, our setbacks and disappointments exist without a story. When we detach from the negative meaning, we experience a deep sense of relief.
Some questions to ponder: How can we change the way we view our defeats? How can we start to see them as a natural part of life? How can we continue to take risks while giving ourselves compassion?
Disappointments, bad habits, and failures are our best teachers. They show us how strong we are and what we can do differently next time. We are being called to this powerful work with the Five of Swords and the Seven of Cups.
Mantra for the week: I make the choice to care for myself. I view any setbacks without judgment.
I would love to pull some cards just for you. Check out nikkifo.online to sign up for a personal tarot reading.
