Could the six of cups be read as protection?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 28 Oct 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Alta	28 Oct 2004
Again, this comes from just a thought, a slight connection. I have started daily readings as one card for the day, and one card that supports or challenges it (you get to figure out which). For tomorrow I got The Tower with the 6 of cups as the challenge/support card. I was reading a gtarot book, trying to get the connection, and started thinking that in this situation the six of cups could mean protection, especially from people with old/long/past knowledge of you. I guess I could wait for tomorrow, but was wondering what you folks thought of that shade of meaning for the card?

MeeWah	28 Oct 2004
Not quite clear, but possible "safety net" or "cushion" from the fall-out of The Tower, such as those associations established in the past of the friends, colleagues & familial--their influence & advice come to bear. Those who will look out for ye or offer their support & thus mitigate the effects. May involve returning to the familiar immediately or soon after, so that ye will not be around to feel the full effects. Possible relocation; a return to a previous location & closer to the ties of family & friends.

WalesWoman	28 Oct 2004
What if the Tower was referring to something in the 6 cups that needs addressing, like perhaps how we tend to remenise about "the good old days" and make them better than they actually were, until we believe it? Or how maybe say, a couple argues and fights and it's a terrible relationship, one of them dies and then suddenly, the one who is gone is a pargon of virtue, no one can fill thier shoes, etc. Maybe it's something like that.

ihcoyc	28 Oct 2004
I would probably read that pair in the other order. I tend to see the 6 of Cups as having a fool's paradise aspect about it; something that's too good to be true, a Kinkade painting scene. It is in fact the sort of scene that could benefit from the Tower experience, even if it comes as a big surprise. Something that jolts people back to reality.

Ace	28 Oct 2004
Why can't it mean protection? Or being in a protected space when the sh-- hits the fan? Maybe it means you should think about a place YOU think is safe, so when everyone is going nuts, you can find a calm (inner place) and feel safe and calm.

Alta	29 Oct 2004
Thanks all, interesting thoughts. Recently I have read a bit about the 6 of cups. It represents, it has always seemed to me, a state of mind as much as anything. But now I am wondering if its energy is more complex than that. If anything big happens today, I'll post.

Ruby7	29 Oct 2004
Hi Marion, the 6 of cups is one of my favourite cards. To me there is in some ways an innocence or idealism about this card. I think it could be read as protection when paired with the Tower in that way. I see the protection coming from within yourself, everything that is innocent and pure within you going back to childhood, happy memories and all the goodness that is within you can most definitely protect you during upheaval. Not sure if I am wording this very well but in other words the protection is coming from your own personal past, perhaps lessons you have learned etc. All the best, Ruby7

MeeWah	29 Oct 2004
Agree with Ace & Ruby7, both of whom expressed far better than my attempt. Please keep in mind the following represents a personal view of 6-Cups & is not a "traditional" view. 6-Cups may be seen as pertaining to the emotional body of memory that accompanies one's passages or transition from one cycle to another, from one experience to another. In any experience, the emotional reaction within same tends to define that experience or moment & retained in "the emotional well" of the being. That referred to as the knee-jerk reaction, the gut reaction, the initial impression, so on--all get "deposited". One may forget the thoughts, the interactions, the details or even the nature of a matter, but the feelings are remembered. Depending on their trigger--whether an echo of a similar situation or of a life aspect--those feelings may surface or be revisited; or suggest a means to address a situation. In the face of changing times & conditions out of one's immediate control, one may fall back on the well of emotional memory which offers a measure of comfort & strength. Sort of like when the going gets tough, the tough "go shopping"--both a figurative & literal expression about looking for new or different "associations". Here, it may be an oblique reference/suggestion "to retreat to a safe distance" or distancing oneself; possibly also to scout for another position that will be more compatible with the (emotional) sensibilities.

WalesWoman	31 Oct 2004
Marion, It's been a few days since you pulled these for your daily read, so I was wondering how this turned out, did you find out what this was all about? Not needing a whole life story, but one thing about questions like these is...threads that keep one dangling.

Alta	31 Oct 2004
Kind of hard to fully interpret an extremely rough day, one of many lately. Yes, I would say that I got a hand from someone I had known for a while, but only two years, not a long while. I almost wonder if it referred to breaking down past illusions.

MeeWah	31 Oct 2004
Marion: That expresses ihcoyc's comment & could apply as an aspect. Transitions what they are, that which may be seen as personally sacred may suffer or be under duress proportionately, & represent the challenge portion.

WalesWoman	31 Oct 2004
Wow, another thought about this is the Saturn returns issue I've seemed have gotten caught up in, but so much of the Tower is in gaining illuminations from the past, finding new connections, new insights and the transformation that comes from it. Thanks.

divinerguy	31 Oct 2004
To the extent that this card possesses a "good will" component to it, I can see how a person would see it as being supportive. However, the childlike quality of this card also suggests that this support is neither strong nor experienced.

WhiteRaven	01 Nov 2004
Funny that you say that now because this is the first time I read this thread and the first impression I got from the two cards was that if you didn't let go of something in the past then there would be some sort of disaster...disaster is not the word I'm looking for here....ummmm......I get the feeling that there is a healing process that needs to be done that involves the past...(shadow work as they call it) and if you don't resolve this issue or issues then things will continue to go off course for you till you do pull up the straps and work with the shadows. Become friends with the shadows and regain your power...let them over run you and chaos begins... I could be wayyyyy off on this. Just a thought.

The Could the six of cups be read as protection? thread was originally posted on 28 Oct 2004 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.