The Eight of Cups Upright tarot card represents escaping from our failures and disappointments in life. Sometimes things just won’t go as they had planned.
The Eight of Cups Upright
Sometimes we just need to walk away. Famous business influencer Seth Godin writes in The Dip that individuals should know when to quit and when to stick. The problem is: Many people are compelled to quit too early.
We have many opportunities that are craving for our attention. Let’s not forget the distractive nature of social media and its impact on society. Luckily in the alternative healing arts space, we’re less likely to get pulled into such a stagnant vortex of non-creation.
That said – the road to success is often paved with frustration, challenge and outright failures. It’s our response to such outcomes that determines if we’ll continue in the fight or merely give up.
Card meaning
The Eight of Cups Upright is a ‘No’ Tarot card. In the Rider Waite love reading it means that we will unfortunately leave and abandon our hopes and dreams at times. Essentially, everyone escapes from the reality of their situations through unwillingness or by pure choice.
We see a man who is walking away from the eight cups which lay standing near him. He is removing himself from the situation where he has become overcome with struggle and frustration.
The mountains in the background represent the highs and lows in life. No journey is easy and the man underestimated just how hard things can really get, especially there is a lack of preparation.
As we can also see, the man is attempting to escape under the cover of darkness. We see dads unfortunately doing the same manuovere leaving mums to raise children on their own backs.
One must remember that we, as humans, always try to hide away from the hardest of challenges. We avoid hard in order to find easy. We strive for comfort and certainty among the chaos. It’s not fun to go on such a personal quest but we’re here to say – it’s worth it.
Our Polaris Star
We must ask ourselves what we are truly aiming for. For some, it’s financial security. For others, it’s flexibility and freedom. Some people simply want to travel the world and do yoga!
It’s this understand of what we’re aiming for AND why we need to head in that direction that will ultimately determine our willingness not go give up in the face of adversity. This is the Polaris Star.
It’s the thing that guides you. You feel this calling deep inside your stomach, heart and spirit. Most people just aren’t aligned with this but given you’re in this world of conscious creation, you will find your way here quite easily.
Understand, however, that despite our best attempts, we will still struggle and fail at times. Things won’t go as planned. We waste time, effort and energy one some tasks that reward us with very little.
Does this mean we stop striving for more? No! We just need to realize what really fulfils us. If this is what does fulfil us, then we need to try again and again. Remember that most people quit in the first 5 minutes.
New light
This journey is always one of mixed emotions. One minute we feel joy, contentment and happiness. The next we’re feeling sorrow and emotional discord. Remember the highs and lows on this tarot card? This is life.
Once we find ourselves into our new light and identify our very own guiding light (Polaris Star), we’re able to better handle the peaks and valleys. We’ll feel a deeper soul connection with our personal quest and manifest our way to the top.
Essentially we must explore what truly lights us up. Is it work in our community? Philantrophy? Becoming a yoga teacher? Embarking on the spiritual retreat that we’ve been putting off for years?
Or even building that online business of our dreams, so we can do everything we desire with abundance and freedom? And most importantly – impacting the world in everyway we possibly can.
Either way – you may have to take some time away in the present otherwise you may become just like the man on the Eight of Cups Upright. Disappointed, confused and making an escape when others can’t see. Essentially taking the easy road.
Going forward
When others are quitting, we’re the ones that will stay and stand one more time. Give ourselves another chance. Look for the opportunities that others won’t and finally achieve the goals that others can’t.
We now live in a world of instant gratifications and giving up within the first 5 minutes. We jump and chase material posessions as though they are the only value in life. What’s valuable is who you become in the process of achieving your personal quest.
Avoid the temptation to simply walk away from bad situation. You have more power than you’ll ever give yourself credit for as a conscious creator on this beautiful planetary experience.
You may be disappointed, but this is your time to rise to a higher level starting now.
Illustrations from the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck® reproduced by permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902 USA. Copyright ©1971 by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Further reproduction prohibited. The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck® is a registered trademark of U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
