Tarot of Prague Café Club - 9 Cups

Jewel-ry

Hello,

I drew this card today and decided to post my feelings on here. In the 'spiritual tarot' book I have it is described as 'enjoying the good life'. What a good expression and its so evident in this card. This man sits at a bar, its like one of those old saloon bars, and has a smoke from his pipe and a pint of ale. He chats to the waiter. Meanwhile a ginger cat (puss in boots) lounges at his feet. Satisfaction is obvious in this card but its the cat I get drawn to. So many cat sayings that come to mind:

Cats got the cream
Fat cat
Look what the cat dragged in
Cat got your tongue
Grin like a cheshire cat
Curiosity killed the cat
When the cats away the mice will play

Also cats have nine lives (apparently!). Obviously one for each cup on this card :D

The man looks like he has just finished a days work and so his satisfaction is probably well-earned. It is physical as well as emotional. If I have a really busy day and get a lot done, I might feel shattered at the end of the day, but I also feel fulfilled and satisfied. Its a bit like enjoying the fruits of your labour.

J :)
 

Bean Feasa

This card is filled with lovely warm detail - the phrase 'lovingly-drawn' springs to mind. The little waiter guy reminds me of the small people on the 6 of Cups - not exactly children, something fey about them. Does he perhaps symbolise the wish-granter - some sort of version of the fairy godmother, since this card is often described as 'the wish card'? The man at the bar looks well-dressed and comfortable and is enjoying a pipe and a pint in relaxing surroundings. The book points out that he is no drunkard, just someone taking a well-earned break. He does look pretty together, in charge of his life and not at all liable to fall into addiction or bondage to the good things around him. This aspect of this card didn't strike me before, but I think it's significant. Being able to enjoy such the good things of life without going overboard is a skill that seems to be getting ever rarer nowadays - for example we have an acute problem in Ireland at the moment of young people (and a lot of older people too) drinking to damaging levels, and just completely overdoing it. I don't think puritanism is the answer, but this card seems to point to a way through - the way of moderation and enjoyment while keeping a clear head.
Ahem, yes well, stepping down off my soapbox now to admire my favourite detail on this card - Puss in boots. Like Jewel-ry, I love this cat - he reminds me of a big soft marmalade feline friend I grew up with. He's pulling himself upright with his front paws so his boots can be seen and admired to the full, capturing perfectly the vanity of cats. All in all this is a lovely warm playful card, bursting with both lifelike and fantastical detail.
 

baba-prague

This is a card that we really struggled with. It altered many, many times. But in the end we were very happy with it. Technically (interestingly) it was one of the very difficult ones though, partly because the central figure is, in the original, very badly soiled with dirt and grime. We had to take careful photographs and do a lot of on-screen restoration. It was nice to see him emerge!

This "Puss in Boots" is one of those fantastic artist's jokes that you can find all over Prague if you look very, very carefully. Firstly, he is concealed in plaster "foliage" over the front of one house. VERY high up, so almost impossible to see (I've never seen anyone spot him, though the house is in a hugely crowded tourist area). Then, well, I don't know how to put this, but in the original the fact that he is a tom cat is somewhat obvious. We decided that this was a little too indelicate for the final card, so the poor boy had his proudest possession tucked away! Now he makes me laugh every time I walk past the house.

By the way, we debated taking the pipe out. I am very anti-smoking (just don't like the way people become addicted) and so in many ways I wanted to remove it. But then, Alex talked to me about Lord of the Rings and the scene in which Frodo and Gandalf blow smoke-rings together, and I decided that yes, I was being a bit PC! At the period depicted in the card, smoking this kind of clay pipe would have been seen in a whole different way from modern cigarette smoking of course.

Have to agree with what you say about "moderation". I think in the end it's much more enjoyable than damaging yourself in the false hope of having a good time. I'm Irish too - and Alex Russian - so we are very familiar with the way in which people overdo it. But like you, I am not a Puritan. I love to go out and have a drink, a meal and some fun - but I hate the feeling of being drunk (or surrounded by people who are out of control). If we got this across in the card, I'm really pleased.

BTW, in the new deck, Puss in Boots of course takes over the whole card!
 

lunakasha

The first thing I noticed about this card, which made me smile, is the little Puss in Boots kitty relaxing in the corner of the card....I am not sure what he is holding (catnip???), but he looks pretty comfortable just sitting there. There is a man holding a mug of beer (looks like he's already had a few) and a young boy carrying a tray, ready to refill his mug when he is ready. There are nine red wine glasses lined up over the bar.

This card has a nice, relaxed, comfortable feeling about it; the Nine of Cups is often described as the "wish fulfillment" card, and it looks to me like this man is enjoying the simple pleasures of life with not a care in the world.

According to the book, the Puss in Boots is here to remind us that we should enjoy life, to go after what we want with joy and enthusiasm, as Puss did in his adventures. Take time to smell the roses....

:) Luna
 

annik

Never understood the nicotine addiction but the guy is quite nice looking with the pipe. Puss in boots seems to be wait to be served. It is a relaxing and quite enjoyable card! I am ready to join the fun!