Minor Misunderstanding | 4 of Cups
It’s not just about boredom.
A person sits on a grass hill gazing at 3 cups arranged in a straight row. They signify a moment of emotional balance, yet the figure appears lackluster at a divine offering of a fourth cup. Why? Might the balance break? The 5 of Cups, coming next, would suggest that loss is inevitable. If we do not take what is offered, it will be given anyway. In a sense there is a hesitancy to grow, a rejection of possibilities because they are unknown. Who is this hand after all? Can we trust it? We’re content to see our baggage laid out in front of us. It’s familiar, we’ve been there. The love, hurt, are all laid out. We think it’s who we are.
The tree the figure sits against is significant - an anchor, a resting point. It draws energy from the earth and grounds our sitter. The scene brings to mind the story of Gautama Buddha experiencing enlightenment under the bodhi tree. As the tree in the background reaches through it’s branches while deepening it’s root network, so must we must continue to expand.
Returning to the cups, it’s interesting how rigid they are. They are on a hill yet somehow stand upright in a line. They are an incongruence within this undulating landscape. Water is meant to flow, but here, the cups disobey that law. In corollary, the emotions are ordered, arranged. What would happen if they were knocked over? Would we take what is on offer then? We can also think of Isaac Newton and the story of the apple falling and literally striking inspiration. It is almost as though that needs to happen here. A shock to the system, a slight jolt. Sometimes we can get stuck in a state of potential. This is why I find the tarot’s number 4 cards interesting; they talk about what we do when we try to create structure through a single element. Thoughts, feelings, and behavior can become knotted and one dimensional.
To consider a slightly different angle, has the person rejected the three cups before them as well? Is the fourth just one in a series of uninspired offerings? There is a look of disappointment on our figure, arms crossed, showing they are closed off, unreceptive. And yet the fact that they continue to sit there is intriguing. The person could walk away yet is choosing to sit and be offered cups. It is almost like a challenge - show me something I actually want. I’m waiting for a reason to get up and enjoy the beautiful day, the nature around me. These cups are filled with waiting.
The 4 of Cups in the context of grieving
There is a sudden loneliness in the 4 of Cups, a loss of the easy joie de vivre shared by the group of women in the 3 of Cups. The others have left their cups behind and somehow we’ve assumed them as our own. This can literally signify others’ possessions, emotional baggage, or more figuratively, memories to which we can no longer connect, because we shared them with other people. And yes, the card can also suggest boredom. Of the many morasses of grief, one is certainly ennui, sometimes because we become disconnected from the things that once brought us joy. If our grief was brought on by a traumatic event, it can cause some of us to cling to stability and order, which in monotony, are cousins to apathy. The 4 of Cups is a gentle provocation. If you have even a flicker of interest in something, no matter how unlike the old you that thing is, pursue it. See where it leads you.
But there is another way to approach this card if we return to the image of the tree. Pollinated flowers often yield too many fruits for a tree to bear. And so a tree will drop some before they reach maturity. In this way the tree conserves energy for those it can sustain and nurture. Through this lens, the card teaches us to allow the excess to drop away. If the seeds have integrity, they may reach out as new life later down the road. It’s ok to simply sit in stillness and take in only what we can manage.
This post is part of the Minor Misunderstanding series by The Moon Unfolded. In this series I delve into some of the most perplexing and misunderstood cards of the minor arcana. To learn more about The Moon Unfolded and using tarot for creative grief work, click here.
