Tarot School No. 2.3
The Questions
When we started this series, I asked a number of questions, specifically about the Page of Cups that is, in this spread, crowning our querent and her question. In other words, as I see it, the Page of Cups in this position symbolizes our querent’s thoughts about the current situation. Her highest, conscious thoughts.
Just as a quick reminder, our querent is a woman in her mid to late 30’s, and she is asking about her current romantic relationship.
If you missed the previous posts in the series you can find them:
Back in 2.0 I asked a number of questions that I’ll answer here.
How would you read the Page of Cups, in this context? What does this card, in this spread position, for this querent and her question mean?
In this spread, I read this card quite simply. These are our querent’s conscious thoughts about her relationship. I think that makes sense, Cups are the suit of emotion, love, and she wants the loving, supportive relationship that she had before conflict began to overtake it.
Others took it further.
Tara pointed out that to her, the Page of Cups in this spread “seems like a super creative person talking to a fish and all..”
Ryan’s thoughts seemed to echo that, substituting ‘imaginative’ for ‘creative.
Demi saw the conflict related to childbearing. “I think they either want a baby and she's having trouble conceiving or she wants a baby and he doesn't (or doesn't yet).”
Mentioning the Page of Cups as pointing towards that interpretation. “Sometimes the Page of Cups can mean a pregnancy or an apology, either relating to the fish inside the cup. I saw the child reflected in the Sun card and how he felt unable somehow to fix her broken heart, and that's why my mind went to it.”
All of this makes a lot of sense to me.
There is only one Major Arcana card (The Sun) in the entire spread. That seems to indicate that the energies it symbolizes are reigning supreme overall. How do you think those energies might color the spread as a whole?
I also read The Sun in a pretty simple and straightforward manner. It’s position in the spread symbolizes something unrecognized consciously by our querent. Namely a powerful positive energy surrounding her relationship. An energy that if tapped into will lead to joy and happiness within that relationship. Something that was there before, but isn’t there right now.
On the whole, I read this as a very positive spread for our querent. Her relationship might be facing conflict and difficulty at the moment, but it will not be difficult for them to move beyond that conflict so that the relationship can in the future be as good as it was in the past.
Likewise, I read The Sun as a positive, high energy card, and I think that is reflected through virtually the entirety of the spread.
As mentioned above, Demi related it back to the Page of Cups, supporting the childbearing nature of the conflict, and that makes sense to me, especially when considering the other Cups within the spread.
The suit of Cups dominates the spread, taking fully half of the card positions. How do you think that impacts the reading? Does it bode well for our querent and her situation, given her question?
Cups are the suit of Water, of emotion, and in this spread, clearly that emotion is love. I think that the fact that Cups dominates shows us a couple of things:
-That the question our querent asked was truly on point. It wasn’t asked in place of something that should have been asked instead. She asked about her relationship, and all these Cups are about just that.
-Given their placements throughout the spread they show that the nature of the current conflict is transitory. That it can be healed, if she and her partner choose to heal it.
The suit of Cups dominating the spread, and particularly these specific cards do bode very well for our querent and her situation.
No particular Minor Arcana card number is overly represented in the spread, but it does contain four Court cards. A King, a Knight, and two Pages. Do you find meaning in the fact that there are so many Court cards represented in the spread?
Normally I would. But in this spread, given where they land, I don’t. I see them all as illustrative and predictive, standing alone, without a collective group message of any kind.
There is quite a large contrast between our querent’s present state as indicated by the 5 of Wands and the Knight of Swords, and her past state as indicated by the 10 of Cups, and her future state as indicated by the Ace of Cups. What do you read this to mean?
I read within it that her relationship is dominated by conflict and stubbornness, at this time. But that it was quite good, loving, joyful, and fulfilling in the past, and that it can and will be once again with just a little work.
There is also an apparent disconnect (but also a connection) between how our querent sees herself, indicated by the 2 of Cups, and how her partner sees her, indicated by the 3 of Swords. What do you read this to mean?
The Two of Cups, illustrates how our querent sees herself in relation to the situation she is asking about, her current relationship. This symbolism indicates that she feels as if she is a good and loving partner, doing all that she can to make the relationship continue to thrive. She doesn’t see any damage that she may have caused.
The Three of Swords symbolizes her partner’s view of her. It indicates that while she may not see it, or may not acknowledge it, she has hurt her partner. She has said or done things that have caused ill feelings, and those feelings remain at the forefront. There hasn’t been meaningful apology, forgiveness, or forgetting.
Viewing these two cards together, we can see a very plain and very strong disconnect between how our querent sees herself and how her partner sees her. This disconnect is the result of the conflict we saw with the Five of Wands and Knight of Swords, and it will have to be resolved if the relationship is going to return to its previous happy and fulfilling state.
That 5 of Wands and Knight of Swords right there in the heart of the matter indicates quite a bit of strife, but that strife is not indicated anywhere else on the side of our spread illustrating generative energies. Why do you think that is?
I read it as illustrative of the fact that the current conflict dominating the relationship is temporary, transitory, and easily overcome if the partners apologize for past hurts they may have caused, and both work to see the other’s point of view. The relationship was good in the past, and with just a bit of work and understanding will be good in the future as well.
What else do you see in this spread? How do you see the Page of Cups interacting within it?
It is a really positive spread that should go a long way towards putting any fears our querent might have to bed. I do think that Demi’s observations about the Page of Cups are solid, and should be a part of the communication with the querent.
What would you tell our querent? What do you think she can learn from all of this? What advice would you give her?
In this spread, I see the lesson as two fold.
Our querent, while not giving up on her own point of view or giving in, should strive to understand her partner’s differing point of view, just as she hopes her partner will understand where she is coming from. At this moment they are at loggerheads because neither is willing to consider the other’s position. That needs to change.
Additionally, both of them need to sincerely apologize to the other for the hurt that has been caused, as symbolized by the Three of Swords earlier. As she is the one receiving the reading, we would do well to advise her to start the process of healing with an apology to her partner.
Lastly, our final card, the King of Cups illustrates that when she makes that first move towards healing, it will be reciprocated. The relationship can return to the goodness that it had before, and both partners will have grown emotionally as a result, having learned from the mistakes that were made, and will be stronger in the future.
Is there anything in my reading of these cards that you agree, or disagree with? A way that you would express or read things differently?
Do you think the advice I would communicate to the querent is solid, or would you give her something else?
Is there anything you would like me to expand upon?
Does this offer any insight to you?
Let’s chat about it in the comments below…
A huge Thank You to: Demi at
- from Mythos - and Justin. Please check out their work.