Where Wands symbolize the element of Fire, Cups represent Water: receptivity, love, and the inner being are the province of this suit. In the Ace we see the culmination of these things: a hand appears from a cloud holding a Cup -a grail - from which multiple streams of water run into a beautiful pool. This flowing water will never run out: it is infinite, as love is.
In the Four of Swords, we see the image of a knight’s tomb in a church. The scene is a peaceful one: three of the Swords are engraved in stone on the wall behind the tomb, while the fourth makes up part of the tomb on which the figure of the knight lies. The scene depicted in the stained glass window is that of Christ healing a follower who kneels before him. This, then, is not a card of death, but one of rest and regeneration.
The Queen of Pentacles depicts a Queen sitting on her throne. It signifies either you are in a position to care for others and provide for them generously in a material way or that you are in need of such in return. The Queen caringly looking at the gold coin in her hands indicates both her wealth and her nurturing quality. She is a prime example of someone who takes on both domestic and provider roles.
The Strength card traditionally depicts a woman gently opening (or caressing) the jaws of a lion, who looks up at her with complete trust. The lion can symbolize our passions, and our unconscious energy: the kind that manifests through our intuition and our dreams. In taming this, the woman in the card is allowing this side of her being to safely merge with the rational, outward-looking aspect of her core personality. Interestingly, the Strength attribute is normally perceived as being linked to the woman; however, in allowing itself to trust and have faith, it is, perhaps, the lion that more properly embodies the deeper meaning of the card.
After the shifting and chancy light of the moon comes the beauty of The Sun, blazing down joyfully on the child who rides a horse away from a walled garden. This garden is often interpreted as being that of Eden. Rather than leaving it fearfully and in shame, however, here the child leaves its shelter optimistically, ready for the adventures that his new self-knowledge will grant him. The Sun points to the inherent capacity of simple, everyday life to be deeply infused with wonder and happiness, and the miracles in the minutiae all around us.
Seven Cups appear in the air before a figure containing fabulous treasure, success, and achievements - and danger. The stance of the person beholding this array of desires, hopes, and fears suggests surprise, wonder, and hesitation about which Cup - if any - to choose.
