The Gothic Tarot by Vargo - Ace, Two and Three Of Cups

Due to their basics design, the aces, twos and threes are treated in the same thread. See The Gothic Tarot by Vargo Study Group for more informations.

Ace Of Cups:
The Ace is very simple, it is a cup, with three red gems on it. The cup is surrounded by red, personaly I would say blood, but you might have a different opinion on that.

Blood is the essence of life, the food of the vampires. Power is gained from it. Pure emotions flow in this blood, and this time, unlike the other aces, we can use the cup to drink it. It reminds me of the Saint Graal, suposevely containing Jesus Christ's blood. Here is my flesh and my blood. And King Arthur's knights looking for this cup; Perceval finally found it.

Two Of Cups:
There's an engraved monster, a lion with wings (griffon?), with a tongue that is cut in half, each half creating a spiral on each side. Below stands two cups, each of them right under each spiral.

The lion seems to be drinking in two cups instead of one. In order to reach a higher level, the blood in both cups must be mixed and drank together and go through digestion (transformation) to finally reach it's achieved form. It is some sort of alchemy.

Three Of Cups:

Two cups are standing still while they support a third one. They are within an arch supported by a pillar on each side.

The cups create a triangular shape, going up (masculine), meaning harmony. Two cups support the third one.

The one-two-three's of this deck are challenging to me, but I'll give it a shot....

The Ace, the Grail image presents itself to me, although it's impossible to tell if the cup is empty or filled from the perspective it's shown. The three gems look like "past - present - future" to me, and I don't know why. One looking back, one ahead, one to the future. "Drink of this cup..." images of communion come to me when looking at it too.

The Two Cups, the stone lion seems more decorative than interactive with the cups before him. The cups seem to blend into the background, are they made of stone now, or metal? This one leaves me dry ... very sad, considering what the card usually signifies. In a reading, I would be less inclined to read this Two of Cups as lovers, the beginning of a partnership, or relationship-oriented at all.

The Three Cups, balanced and poised. Like a champagne fountain, if you poured liquid in the top cup, it would spill down to fill the bottom two. Darkness behind the cups, shadow. An element of the unknown perhaps, even in the current time of bounty. And structure, it's a very structural card. Seems to speak of discipline, it takes care to create something that's balanced and stable.

The two of cups is interesting to say the least.

Imagine yourself in a medieval castle standing in front of this shelf. As you look upon the wall you see the gryphon head with its split tongue. Nothing is on either side. What do you think?

The gryphon was a symbol of vigilant strength. The gryphon was a complex creature; a lover and thief of gold and jewels, but also a trusted guardian. A creature who drew chariots of the gods, and represented the glory of the sun. The gryphon's claws were said to have magical powers. This made the claws quite valuable, as they could be used to protect the food and the drinks of royalty. A drinking cup made of the gryphon’s claw was said to change color when filled with a poisonous substance.

Animals drink with their tongues. Although mythical, a gryphon is still an animal. The symbol on the wall shows where the royal cups were kept. The contents of the couples cups protected by the gryphon.

3 of cups

2 goblets supporting a third. balanced beautifully. Surrounded by an arch that itself is supported by pillars. Structure and balance and stability are the most obvious signs at first glance of this card.

Do two become one (a seperation) or 2 create 1 ( a birth) or is this about the family unit/environment. Does their little "home"
the arch cut out in a wall, appear to be cosy. If you look deeper the blackness behind the cups could mean that all appears well on the surface. I see two sides to this.

Are things falling apart? Is this a warning that stability and support are needed, rather than there already is?

2 of Cups

WOW some of the readings in this post were amazing. I'm afraid I got a very simple interpretation of this card.

2 cups= a union= a couple (obvious thoughts) The lions expression appears to be that of annoyance- angry- scowling.
The tongue is split in two...does this union split? I felt like he was telling them (the union/the couple) off! A major arguement that could cause the breaking of this union.

I'm afraid I am not as knowledgable as some of you with the history of some of the symbols, and this is my first deck (apart from an Ancient Egyptian Deck that I purchased at the same time as Vargo's deck) that I am using to learn tarot.

I'm keeping a journal of every card I draw with my readings and write down initial thoughts, feelings etc. Then after that I will refer to the "help" book. What I post here are my first thoughts before looking at the book.

Ace of Cups

originally posted under Vargo's Gothic Daily Card, 8-27-04

This is my first time drawing the Ace of Cups from the Gothic deck...but I remember being struck by the red gemstones and etching on the cups when I pulled the Three of Cups.....

Here there is only one cup or chalice....and it is larger so the detail is easier to see. The cup itself looks very old....yet sturdy and beautifully maintained, especially the glowing red stones. Someone has taken great care with it through the years....it reminds me of a family heirloom that has been passed on for many years, generations....

The cup represents love, friendship, positive relationships.....
and the Ace in particular indicates a new beginning....possibly a new friendship or an existing one that moves in a new direction.

The swirling red design that seems to emanate from the cup is interesting....it makes me think of energy, and movement....the ancient cup is being reborn....the red swirls could be flames, literally creating physical change in the cup....it could be melted down and then molded into something new.....

Luna

Ace of Cups

A blood red flourishing background sits behind the single chalice that represents the beginning of the cups arcana. It is very striking and obvious when spotted amongst the more subdued grays and blues that are on most of the minors in this deck. All of the aces in this deck have the exact same crest. The color matches the polished round stones that are mounted around the goblet. Based on color and design, I would think this cup is made of metal of some sort, possibly brushed silver.

I can just imagine the mailed fist of the master of the clan wrapped around this cup to toast a new alliance. Wine filled and lifted in celebration at the announcement of his wedding. Blood filled and shared with the latest of his brood of wives. This cup has seen many years and much use. I couldn’t even be sure the stones were red when the cup was new……….

Three of Cups

There is an alcove with three chalices inside. Two of them on the bottom with the third one stacked on top. There is a pillar on each side of the alcove and the top is a triple arch. There is a small arch on each side with a larger one in the middle; very Eastern in style. The ledge is made of veined marble and runs past the edges of the alcove. The chalices are the standard ones depicted throughout this deck.

This is a hard one to discuss, at it is very plain and straightforward. The fact that there is a stack of them in the alcove like this lends me to believe that they are regularly kept here on reserve for large functions and celebrations. The clan often has formal events and rituals, like the wedding that occurred in the Lovers card. These chalices are filled with blood as often as they are filled with wine. There are other alcoves scattered throughout side halls around the ball room, making it easy for servers to quickly accommodate guests.

The ace of cups : I am under the impression that the design seems to want to fill the cup. But it doesn't seems to achieve it because of the law of gravity. I see this card as representative of the cups. A lot of turmoil.

2 of cups : I am under the impression that what some consider the tongue may be in fact a representation of breath (or wind). Maybe the griffon push some of his spirit into the 2 cups...

3 of cups : The three cups are carefully placed in a pyramid shape. Probably it's the good augur for the futur. Maybe it's the preparation of a celebration.

Three of Cups. Cups represent emotions. A threesome share their affinity with each other. Love is shared. The two women seek solace in each other's embrace, and the third, a male, provides protection for the women he loves very much. The threesome manifest in the three cups, one for each person. One could pour wine ... thoughts ... on the first goblet which would spill to fill the two goblets below.

This card struck me like a punch to my stomach - in a good way, because I flipped it on the "Your feelings Now" position of my Big Waterfall of Love spread. I'm currently in a sweet three-person relationship involving two women and a man ... but it's not safe to elaborate here.