Debauch?

Thought I would post some more impressions on this card...

I'm letting my mind wander here.

It is almost as though we are glimpsing some piece of jungle swamp-land. Perhaps it was once a thriving area for wildlife and shrubbery, etc. Now it is barren, and rotten. The reeds (are they reeds?) connecting the cups seem to be filling them with poison which is dripping into the swamp... sustaining it perhaps?

Also, if you look closely at the reeds, a shape begins to form. If you look at the top half of the card, and at the five-joined cups, the reeds which join them form the image of what might be a bull's head? I guess the association could then be drawn between debauch and the earth sign Taurus. Perhaps this is a warning of the dangers of too much earthly pleasures... drugs, and sex perhaps?

Hmnnnn...

C

Centaur said:

I guess the association could then be drawn between debauch and the earth sign Taurus. Perhaps this is a warning of the dangers of too much earthly pleasures... drugs, and sex perhaps?

Hmnnnn...

C

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So THAT'S my problem!

Seven of cups seven chalices being filled with poisonous neetar, pleasures in corruption and weakness - Sex drugs and alcohol abuse.

Debauch, a word that

...is very close to my heart.


Really, I love this word.

Debauchery.

It sounds like a class offered in a New England prep school.Such a lovely formal and crisp word for something so...so....informal and... downright Bachanalian.

I cannot separate the British-ness of the word. But this makes it all the more enjoyable as a notion, or a state one can reach with the right combination of drugs and alcohol. Debauch. British people getting down and dirty. Sloppily dignified. Sort of my impression of AC in a nutshell. (I mean no offence to any of our British At'ers, this is all said w/ the utmost of respect)



(btw my mother is British, as well as half of my family )

Deanres said:

Seven of cups seven chalices being filled with poisonous neetar, pleasures in corruption and weakness - Sex drugs and alcohol abuse.

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Mmm... an occasional poison is a marvellous thing!

It's funny that this card provokes a similar response from others, because really it's quite disgusting to look at.

I know I'm not _supposed_ to like it, but... that's why it's so appealing.

U.K British

Hi to you Astrid no offence taken and Spiral,
yeh i love the look of this card believe it or not. I always think that someone threw~up over this card to make it look like it does, i would say that this was one of Crowley's Favorite cards in the Deck. Its one of mine for sure.

spiral said:

It's funny that this card provokes a similar response from others, because really it's quite disgusting to look at.

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I think that's the whole point really. But the hangover / clean up on the morning after is something else altogether. But you never think like that when your having too much of a good time, do you ?

"external splendour and internal corruption"

This card is almost the "evil and averse" image of the Six; it is a wholesome reminder of the fatal ease with which a Sacrament my be profaned and prostituted.
Lose direct touch with Kether, the Highest; diverge never so little from the delicate balance of the Middle Pillar; at once the holiest mysteries of Nature become the obscene and shameful secrets of a guilty conscience.

The Book of Thoth p.199-200.

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Just my views, since this card came up today and I wanted to try and understand it a little better.

I do not like this card. It is a gloopy mess. The water has gone off. It is stagnant. It reminds me of vomit. Or something that has gone mouldy.
As a feeling, it makes me think of a hangover after too much lager. It reminds me of wanting to be sick, a thumping headache and a need to re-hydrate myself.
I think you could see this card as a point where someone has over-dosed themselves in pleasure. These pleasures have done them no favours in their excess and now they are paying the price. As an example, for someone that has drunk a lot, the card might signify emotional embarrassment. When looking in the mirror, it might reflect an ugliness that they are not fond of, looking back at them. They may have been searching for something [love, happiness, excitement] in the wrong places [a bottle, drugs , casual sex] - delusions and illusions.

This card reminds me of how I have been at times, under the influence of alcohol. The times when I have had more than ‘one too many’ and have drunkenly stumbled about, making a fool of myself in the search for a few more late drinks. This card is like the ‘naked truth’. You laugh and chatter under the influence of alcohol and you think that you are appearing wonderfully to the other person. But what the other person sees [if they are sober], is a mess. The feelings that you get from the alcohol are just a temporary illusion. The reality is that you have gone too far. The gloopy water in the card has passed, aged and is showing you up. And the next day, amongst that sweaty, draining, murky feeling this image presents, you feel dreadful about the night before.
This is how I have felt on occasions. I don’t think it is fitting to be overly-drunk at my age. And I don’t like to be seen that way. Or remembered in that way. And this card is how it makes me feel. It suggests a sadness and desperation. This is not a card I would like to receive on a regular basis. I think that it would very likely make me change my ways.

I am looking at alcohol as an example, but I imagine the card could suggest the sluggish way that any over-indulgence makes someone feel - tired and drained from over-eating, having too much sex, unfulfilled by too many one night stands, nasty come-downs from too many drugs. I can see all of these things in this image and how it slows down the next day and your life. It is like walking through treacle.

LB

When I look at this card, I see a pond that has been overrun with unchecked algae growth. Because of a change in the environment, the ecology of the pond becomes unbalanced, resulting in the proliferation of green algae. As the green algae slowly chokes out all other life, the poisonous red algae begins to evolve and leading to the eventual death of the pond.
In a practical sense, I see this card indicating the initial stimulus for the behavior, the behavior itself, the environment which perpetuates the behavior, the repercussions, and the inevitable end.

I used to call it "The Grotty Loungeroom Card"
Its like a loungeroom I had in a house I lived in, old worn out furniture, no light, stuffy, remains of old drunk/drug parties hanging around, stale alchohol and ashtray 'incense' ... god, I've gotta get out of here and get some fresh air and sunshine. Partying is good, but too much partying is ... erk!

In readings I interpret it two ways depending on aspects: Too much fun, slow down, straighten up, purge. Too staid, too self restricted, cut loose, enjoy youself, do something ... well, debauched!