New Years Party with The 9 of Cups
My Dear Tarotstrology Seekers,
Today we begin a year-long deep-dive into practical tarot and astrology. Inspired by an email project I did during the final 4 months of 2020, I’ve decided to open up the journey to any and all who are interested, as the whole point really is collective medicine. I honor and tap into receiving a message for the collective through a single-card Tarot draw each morning after a brief ritual attunement to The All-There-Is. We will be using Lettie Jane Rennenkamp’s Many Queens Tarot.
We will utilize the card drawn to determine which aspect of our astrological forecast for the day to focus on. There is so much happening in the sky at all times that trying to take it all in at once can derail our ultimate goal of inviting astrology into our lives as a tool for reflection and healing. I do not use tarot or astrology in any divinitory fashion whatsoever. I do not predict the future and I do not believe in “bad” cards or “bad” placements/aspect/transits. If a tarot card or its corresponding astrology reveal a challenge, we can work within the understanding that they are here as resources and tools to help us dissolve those challenges through insight and reflection.
We will approach our practice each day from 3 angles.
We will learn about the card
We will learn about the card's "home base" astrological placement
We will use the astrological chart of the moment to determine what aspect the "home base" planet and sign are in today.
I recommend finding a daily chart that resonates with you, I personally use the chart of the moment on astro-charts.com because it’s pretty, the aspects are shown in easily identifiable colors as well as listed clearly below. I then use my We’moon calendar as a quick and extremely simplified reference for aspects and placements as we are not here to complicate things.
With that introduction, let us dive in… Our card for today is the 9 of Cups whose astrological correspondence is Jupiter in Pisces.
The Nine of Cups - This is one of those great cards like the Major Arcana’s World/Universe card. It reminds us that we are loved by those around us and that no matter what we may usually think of ourselves, that we are truly full of ideas and can access feelings of satisfaction in our lives. Rather than any broad-strokes instructions to “be grateful” or “count our blessings” the 9 of cups directs us to get laser focused about even the tiniest most microscopic bits of happiness in our life, career, relationships, finances, health etc… Also, it’s often given the nickname of “the wish card.” This card shows up to remind us that we absolutely can (and will) fulfill our desires but that we must remember to be careful what we wish for and how we wish for it. (I just watched last year’s live-action remake of Aladdin and loved how the Genie focused on the importance of phrasing…”Make me a Prince” is a very different wish than “Turn me into a Prince”). And we also must be sure to be aware of any ways in which our will is divided before we dive into wishing for anything. A divided will can look like your mind and body wanting different things, or even different parts of your mind arguing with each other about what you want vs. what you should want. There are many nuances to this and achieving a unified will looks different for everyone. The 9 of Cups is here to tell us to do whatever necessary to do that.
Jupiter in Pisces - Jupiter in its fullest expression as the “Lord of Material Happiness” occurs when it is placed in the 2nd decan of Pisces. This is when we feel our most generous and inclined to set a bountiful table and invite everyone. The figure in our card is often considered to be a young/initiate incarnation of the High Priestess as she prepares to welcome friends for a night of celebrating their joys and blessings - health, wealth, success etc...And of course the High Priestess is also never going to let anyone remain on a superficial level of anything, even these external pleasures.
Jupiter semisquare (45 degrees) from the 2nd decan of Pisces - Sooo, it makes sense to me that this aspect is in semisquare at a time when we absolutely cannot invite all of our friends over for a night of jubilation. I know I have been craving that hugely over the holidays, especially last night. Semisquare, indicates a time when we are forced to address the difficulties within our psyche due to their continual and persistent external manifestation. Really honoring and bravely exploring the psyche’s challenges here can lead a person to great achievement as the energy of a semisquare is much more stimulating than the blockage of a straight square (90 degrees). Persistence and endurance can lead to productivity and success in reconciling these difficulties. 9 of Cups showing up for us today tells us that we absolutely have the power and flexibility to adapt past our obstacles.
Sometimes...actually probably more often than not, I will offer you an assignment (usually a prayer or meditation) for synthesizing the day's lesson. Today I do recommend a seated meditation where you can allow yourself to create and feel a scene within your minds-eye and your heart of jubilant celebration with your friends and family.
Set a timer for anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. Once you’ve settled into your seat, make it as realistic as possible, feel yourself as the figure in the card preparing your home, answering the door, and any interactions you may have with your friends and family at your party. This will probably be really emotional, but we are here to kick through walls, not to shy away from the deep stuff. This is really different than just wishing you could hang with your friends and either complaining or crying over the fact that we can’t. The willingness to be present with any emotion or tears that may come up is the key ingredient that can dissolve the blockages within our psyches. Tune into the sensations that arise in your body while doing this meditation. Perhaps physical sensation will settle in the heart center, or perhaps elsewhere. Just be deeply present with whatever you feel and allow the mind’s active work to remain exclusively with the visualization rather than engaging any logic or complaint. The willingness to go into this space of deep presence is an offering of personal and collective spirit medicine.
When your timer ends, let yourself take as much time as necessary to come back to physical reality. If you have a deck of Tarot cards at home, I recommend putting the 9 of Cups on your altar, mantle, bedside table, or somewhere you can see it throughout the day.
Thank you so much for joining me today and I look forward to working together this year.
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro, The B!tchy Mystic
P.S. If you’re interested in taking a retrospective journey through the final 4 months of 2020 with the Medicine Cards as a tool for reflection and insight, you can read all of those here.