Welcome to Tarot for Scholars, a resource that helps you weave the deep wisdom of tarot into your daily life and work. In each post, we offer reflections and prompts for exploring your own inner world and unlocking the unique creative power of your scholarship.
9 of Cups
About this card
A nourishing abundance of emotionally satisfying experiences and social bonds, which can lead to fulfillment and pleasure (or sometimes, to smug complacency). Through this card’s astrological associations and alternative depictions, the 9 of Cups teaches us to appreciate and practice the generosity of the universe itself, whose flowing waters cycle ceaselessly, connecting all of life.
Other interpretations
Margy’s cards, clockwise from top left: Radiant Tarot; New Chapter Tarot; Cosmic Slumber Tarot; Shining Tribe Tarot; Elemental Tarot; Navigators Tarot of the Mystic Sea; Spolia Tarot; Tarot of the Spirit.
Helen’s cards, clockwise from top left: Moon & Stars Tarot; Light Seer’s Tarot; Japaridze Tarot; Canes Arcanae; Star Spinner Tarot; Muse Tarot; Tarot of Mystical Moments; Forest of Enchantment Tarot.
Questions and prompts
Which version of the 9 of Cups card most appeals to you and why? If you chose a version other than the Rider Waite Smith, what does this other version add to your understanding that was missing from the RWS?
Think of a time that felt emotionally rich to you as a scholar. It may have been a single moment in time or a whole phase of your career. Where were you? Who was around? What made that time so wonderful? Pause and let yourself feel deep gratitude for having had that experience.
What’s one way you can live the abundance of the 9 of Cups today? Perhaps you can reach out and thank someone for their generosity, or “feast” on a delicious piece of source material, or strike up a collaboration with a colleague you enjoy … any act of nourishment that connects you to the larger flows of abundance around you.
Thanks for joining us for Tarot for Scholars! Your hearts, restacks, and comments brighten our day. 💫
Yours in scholarship,
HELEN SWORD is a scholar, poet, award-winning teacher, and founder of the WriteSPACE, an international writing community with members in 30+ countries. Her research-based books, articles, and online tools empower scholarly writers to write more clearly, confidently, prolifically, and with greater pleasure.
Visit Helen’s website here.
MARGY THOMAS is the creator of ScholarShape, a body of work dedicated to elucidating the patterns of Story-Argument across genres, disciplines, and life itself. Through services and DIY resources, Margy helps scholars use Story-Argument patterns to design their work — and to find its deeper meaning and higher purpose.
Visit Margy’s website here.
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