Ten of Cups
„fulfillment, but choices to be made“
symbols: alignment with the own path, decisions ahead, experiencing and leaving paradise
expression: Malkuth through Briah
element: water
This card is fulfillment, in near perfection. The famous tree of knowledge looms aloft, entirely draped with its allegedly forbidden, but luscious fruits.
A paradisiac and almost satisfactory state we might say. It’s a timeless illusion indeed, but nothing can last forever. True, these fruits won’t rot – as unearthly as they are. This is one of the few cards, where we can just relax and chill for a bit, before wandering on. Real change won’t come along from outside forces, but must happen from within. There’s no hurry though. The cups are still flowing with gold and plenitude. As we all know, paradise was lost and it will be again.
There are three protagonists in this biblical „cast out of (or liberated from) heaven“ story. The first one is the serpent, who already possesses some kind of knowledge and wants to share it. There is Eve, who actively decides to do something, she doesn’t know the outcome of. At last, we have Adam, who is passively dragged into these life changing events. These three archetypes react very differently to the upcoming events.
The serpent, which sits in the treetop, is the original tempter. The open pentagram is attributed to Venus, the Morningstar, which we are likely to encounter, when facing this path ahead. This serpent can offer various rewards and may not be avoided at this point. At least, it is not intrusive by nature. We may walk up to the tree to face it. No worries, it won’t follow, if we just decide to turn away. „Free will“ is the phrase it respects most. This serpent is just a devil to those, who avoid it completely and regard it as the foe that brings a change they don’t want.
Eve may not know what is coming, but she acts in a proactive way and therefore stays responsible for her decisions. Only Adam, in his victim role, won’t choose on his own. Depending on which archetype we may be attributed on this path, the outcome will be the same as we all know. On the bottom of the card, we can recognize the available fruits of earth. Like their paradisaic counterparts, they also grant knowledge and lead to wisdom, exactly like in the story. As above, so below, these fruits are forbidden and may not present themselves in such an appealing way to disguise themselves behind the veils. The pattern, which is arranged around them, is a hint about a changing frequency, which corresponds to a higher state of awareness. The tree of life leads through its roots, to a growing feeling of purpose. This can be a card of visions, changing states of consciousness or flashes of inspiration and deeper knowledge. After all, there is no way to avoid the fruits, even if they are not as obviously exhibited. We may eat them and deal with the consequences and wonders of upcoming knowledge. We can be sure that the fall from paradise is comparable to the fall of the veils. Life may become exceedingly more complex from now on, because of the growing responsibility. „Whatever comes next, it’s worth it“, as the biblical serpent may have had said. Life will change from an illusory state of comfort to a more interesting path ahead, that’s for sure. The next steps won’t be easy, but they are the best part of the experience of life, to say the least.
Choosing this path is inevitable, better to face it in a proactive way like Eve did, then to stumble on it by accident. Even better would be, to accept the path ahead together, as a couple or as a group – after all, „love is the law“ and can transcend all barriers.
