Tarot has been a part of Barbara Moore's personal and professional lives for nearly twenty years. Right from the start, tarot intrigued her with its marvelous blending of mythology, psychology, art, history, mystery, and magic. She has studied under...
Dissatisfaction with present circumstances is a common-enough experience. Being dissatisfied can bring about positive results by encouraging us to imagine things differently, which can lead to improvements, progress, and innovations. However, the result can be much more negative if it draws us into boredom, for example, or criticalness or apathy. The Four of Cups does not necessarily represent a specific response; it is more about the feeling of being dissatisfied.
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The Universal Waite card shows a man who is unhappy with the options set in front of him in the form of cups. He has either lost interest in the ideal—represented by the hand presenting a cup, reminiscent of the gift given in the Ace of Cups—or he has not yet seen it. In this image, it is not completely clear whether he will give in to apathy or if he will see a new possibility.
Core meaning:Dissatisfaction with reality.
The Legacy card shows a man who is dissatisfied with the reality that surrounds him. None of the goblets on the ground completely please him. Instead of turning away and pouting, he imagines his ideal goblet. By visualizing it, he is one step closer to creating it, although at this point it still is not guaranteed that he will do so.
In the Shadowscapes card, a lovely mermaid has lost interest in her fascinating surroundings. She is riveted only by her own reflection, or so it seems. While gazing into the water, rippling the surface, she may very well see something that inspires her into action. However, it is just as easy to imagine her falling into self-absorbed lethargy.
