Touchstone Tarot~ 9 of Cups

minrice

I really like this card because I get a warmth from it that I don't get with the 9 Cups from my other decks (Morgan greer, UW). In those the 9 looks happy, but kind of arrogant.

In this one a beautifully dressed elderly Gentleman stands at a wood table next to a large bowl of cherries. 9 cups are carefully arranged on the shelf above him.

I like the fact that the man isn't young, to me that signifies that his success has been a long time in coming and wasn't just handed to him. He has had to work for his success, evidenced by the lines on his face and the wisdom in his eyes! How long did it take him to collect all those cups?

To me the message of this card is of success, believing that you can create what you see in your mind's eye, even if it takes a lifetime. Maybe the shelf with the cups extends beyond the border of the cards, leaving room for the man's future generations to contribute to his legacy. Also, the cups are not just for display, I believe that as precious as they may be to him he also puts them to good use. They are clean and well cared for but they are not behind glass or just for show.

The bowl of cherries to me means that he is enough well off to afford such a little luxury, and the phrase "Life is a bowl of cherries" comes to mind. Life is pretty darn good even if there are pits!

Perhaps the pheasant feather in his hat links him to the 9 Coins. Maybe the woman in this card is his niece and she has given him the feather from her favorite pheasant. The gentleman is successful but takes pride in his family and their accomplishments as well.

I love his coat, it looks so warm!
 

BodhiSeed

Okay, don't laugh at me Minrice, but I see the 9 of Cups guy as Scrooge from Dickens Christmas Carol! I think he put all his energy and time into making money, but had some sort of spiritual awakening (like the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future). He realized at a late age that things don't bring happiness or contentment, but sharing these things with others does. He has found many cupfuls of love and kindness through his changed relationships with others, and this has brought him true contentment that he never experienced before until now.
 

tarotlyn

He is experienced and wise now and he knows what it is like to get what you
want, what you have desired. There is a quiet look of confidence on his face.

Life is certainly good to him and he has plenty of love and an abundance of
other things to match. Look at his baby seal (?) robe, and it is lined with mink.
(they wore real fur in his days!) And this wonderful robe is soooo
comfortable, warm, and cozy. He feels good and "everything" feels good
and right to him at his time in his life.

Oh yeah...look at his face...he has been loved...and is probably still being
loved (the wedding ring on his left hand). I am sure he has experienced
and known of a lot of love and is happy...and yes I agree, the cherries...
the joy the contentment is there.

His hands are not now being used to do hard work...no...he is in a very
lucrative place at this time in his life.

He says to us:
"Today is YOUR day...you get what you want...you get what you long or wish for."

He says:
"I send you my happiness, contentment, and joy, may you be as happy as I am."
 

Quester

He looks like somebody's father or uncle. He seems to be staring into his past and thinking about how he reached this point in his life. Although he looks VERY well off, I don't think the journey was a smooth one and I think he reviewing a time from his past in his mind. He has a wistful look on his face.
 

stargazer

I always seem to focus on the cherries first in this card.

Life isn't always a bowl of cherries, you don't always get what you want.

Count your blessings, see all the wonderful things that you already have in your life.

Tarotlyn, I also noticed his wedding ring.
A long and happy marriage/relationship is something many people wish for and something some can spend a lifetime trying to find!
 

BodhiSeed

stargazer said:
Tarotlyn, I also noticed his wedding ring.
A long and happy marriage/relationship is something many people wish for and something some can spend a lifetime trying to find!
Ack! Thanks you two, I didn't even notice this!
 

minrice

I didn't notice his wedding ring either!

Lol, he does look like Scrooge huh? Perhaps he has stepped on others on his way to the top, but like you said he looks content now.
 

Templar Girl

He does look content, almost a 10 of Pents feel.
Well spotted re his ring. His robe has a lush feel looking at his sleeves but his outfit is not unduly ostentacious. Is that an embellishment coming out of the top of his hat by cups 7 +8 or a fish? Anyone got a magnifying glass.
 

stargazer

Looks like a feather or a tassel to me.

What is he holding in his left hand? Is it a belt/sash?
He is holding it almost lovingly as if it contains memories of a past love. He has a faraway look as if he is remembering the past.
Is he a widower I wonder?
Did the sash belong to someone he was or is still tied to?

Maybe for all his apparent wealth he is lonely and would trade it all to have his love back.

What do you think?
 

tarotlyn

stargazer said:
...Maybe for all his apparent wealth he is lonely and would trade it all to have his love back.

What do you think?
I think that the "9" represents WISDOM and CUPS represents LOVE...
This is the UPRIGHT description not reversed.

What you say could be true IF it was reversed.

I do not think he is lonely as he is married.
This is a card of CONTENTMENT and not longing for the past love.
(otherwise life wouldn't just be a bowl of cherries...right?)