THE SEVEN OF CUPS
“The Lord of Illusionary Success”
Venus in Scorpio
DESCRIPTION AND SYMBOLISM
A man in black stands silhouetted before seven cups that have emerged from a deep grey cloud that has suddenly materialized before him. He is hypnotized by this sudden apparition and stands in rapt amazement at the strange wonder he now beholds. One cup holds the face of a beautiful woman; from the second cup a snake emerges with its forked tongue extended; the third holds a towering castle; a fourth a treasure of gold and fine gems; the fifth a laurel crown; the sixth a crouching dragon ready to pounce and, in the seventh, a figure concealed beneath a white veil surrounded by a red aura.
ASTROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
The desires of Venus rise to a fever pitch when nurtured by the intense passionate waters of Scorpio and invoke a dark hunger that longs to follow one of the many paths to illusionary success that the world has to offer. The desires for power and position, wealth, fleeting fame and worldly prestige can cause us to become dominated by the darker emotions of envy, jealousy, deceit and anger and be unable to recognize our Higher Self that lies concealed among the many illusionary paths to success that our desires place before us.
ORACLES
When Appearing Upright in a Reading
You have fallen into a pit of self-deception and have become blinded by your own delusions. Vanity, egotism and selfish self-indulgence have begun to totally control your life. The pursuit of illusionary hopes and deceptive pleasures will cause you to make serious errors in judgment.
When Appearing Reversed in a Reading
A sense of new will and purpose will enter your life. Make informed decisions and act intelligently upon them. Pursue that which is presently successful but remain aware of new opportunities that may present themselves. Make careful choices and then follow your true will.
THE TREE OF LIFE
“The Sphere of Victory”
When Venus is in Scorpio the only true victory lies in the choice made between embracing a dissolute life devoted to the satisfaction of selfish and often unattainable desires that lead to only illusionary success or a victorious life of spiritual endeavor through which we may realize a purposeful and meaningful existence. The outcome for good or evil in our lives depends on the choices we make and the balance we strike between the material and the spiritual dimensions of experience.