The 2 of Cups

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 20 Jun 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Mermaid	20 Jun 2002
Does anyone know what the 2 snakes twined around the stick means on the RW 2 of Cups? I know it's something medical, but I have no idea why it would be on this card. And why the lion's head on top of it? Thanks!

zorya	20 Jun 2002
in seventy eight degrees of wisdom, rachel pollack says that the lion symbolizes sexuality and the wings, spirit. the staff with snakes is called the caduceus of hermes. it symbolizes, healing and wisdom. this is me now. hermes saw 2 fighting snakes and threw his staff at them. they stopped fighting and joined by entwining around each other. snakes also represent renewel, as they shed their skin.

tigerlily	21 Jun 2002
The red lion is an alchemical symbol - sulfur? I'm really not into Alchemy, so I don't know what it symbolizes.

ChrisZ	21 Jun 2002
I may just be starting out, but on my deck there's the white snake on the left, and black snake on the right (I THINK, or it could be the other way around). Left snake = healing, right snake = wisdom, for me...Yeah, I think lion is sexuality and wings are spirit...

tigerlily	21 Jun 2002
The red lion is the symbol of the philosopher's stone, which supposedly can turn lead into gold; it's the symbol of Transformation. The caduceus is another symbol of transformation, it belongs to Hermes as the leader of souls (psychopomp). So I'd say the meaning is that if two people meet, they are transformed by the contact.

Mermaid	21 Jun 2002
What's your deck, ChrisZ? Coz on mine, they're both black snakes I think. Thanks for your answers guys! :)

aeonx	22 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by tigerlily The red lion is the symbol of the philosopher's stone, which supposedly can turn lead into gold; it's the symbol of Transformation. The caduceus is another symbol of transformation, it belongs to Hermes as the leader of souls (psychopomp). So I'd say the meaning is that if two people meet, they are transformed by the contact. Thank you! I've been wondering for this some time now, and finally somebody knew! :D Now I can sleep good at night... ~aeonx~

Emily	22 Jun 2002
In her 'Illustrated Guide to the Tarot' Rachel Pollack adds a little more about the 2 of Cups - Quote 'The separate souls entwine their energies like the caduceus. The winged lion head recalls the angel on the lovers and genuine emotion gives wing to sexual passion' lol too lazy to put it into my own words :D Whats a caduceus though?

ChrisZ	22 Jun 2002
Mermaid. I'm new to this, so that deck is my first and only...It came with a guide to interpretations of the cards...It has the two different coloured snakes on it...It's a good deck for starters, at leats for me it is...Has pictures which are "relatively easy" to connect meanings to...

Geenius at Wrok	22 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Emily Whats a caduceus though? ca·du·ce·us n, pl -cei [l, modif. of gk [i]karykeion,[/i] fr. karyx, keryx herald; akin to Skt karu singer] 1 : the symbolic staff of a herald; specif : a representation of a staff with two entwined snakes and two wings at the top 2 : an insignia bearing a caduceus and symbolizing a physician See, the dictionary is just as wise a resource as the tarot. ;)

Emily	22 Jun 2002
Thanks Geenius :) lol

The The 2 of Cups thread was originally posted on 20 Jun 2002 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.