Hard Card: 9 of Cups

Since when is getting everything you want something hard to decipher? I mean, if you work hard and invest enough then surely everything will go your way and come up roses. Right? Well...

Be Careful What You Wish For

Not only is the Nine of Cups a rich, often sumptuous card that depicts the figure in it as wealthy and quite happy to be so, it is one of the most glossed over cards in the deck. Often, this card denotes an end result, we don't see the figure in the card have to work hard for any of their wealth, and they seems more than comfortable wearing rich clothes and basking in their environment. But are they happy?

I look at this card and note that while the figure appears quite happy with their lot in life, they're alone and it is that solitary depiction that sticks with me. Can they really be said to have everything there is to want? Is this really a wish come true or is it a gilded prison? 

Dressed to the Nines

Not only is the Nine of Cups more than it seems on the surface, it's not even the last card in the suit. The last card features an entire family and symbolizes emotional contentment while this card is a work in progress. They have everything materially they could get but emotionally, they're still filling out the room they have to grow. Not that this is a bad card, not at all, but it leaves layers unanswered when it comes to the bigger questions, are they happy, is their life what they pictured? Do they want this?

Surprisingly, the answer may be no, as they have gone out in the next card and began a family and what looks like a modest household. Not quite the maison d'or that we saw in the Nine. Life is often like this card, though, and it may be the most truthful in its illusion. As we see social media continue to evolve and proliferate, there is an increasing need to be aware that a lot of the things we see online aren't reality. Instagram posts can be so staged and while some of them may be genuine, presentation matters. 

All That Glitters

Perhaps the best and biggest lesson in the Nine of Cups is the one that asks us to look at our lives and determine if we will be happy getting XYZ or if there's happiness to found closer to home. In the end, what it means is up to each person but ultimately, this card is a reminder that sometimes life knows what we need and want better than we ourselves do, despite all of our wanting in the moment.