3 of cups v 4 of wands

what is the difference between these 2 cards
both are about partying enjoyment happiness

think 3 of cups is about friendship and support specifically and celebrating/joy
and 4 of wands is about celebrating having a party and a rest but for many diff reasons

am i on right track???????

is it that 3 of cups is more a heartfelt personal happiness and 4 of wands is a more general ease breathing out about stuff and general happiness/comfort????

I usually think of the 3 of Cups more as a "friendship" card - kind of a celebration of being in the company of people you care about, or feeling a sense of community.

I generally see the 4 of Wands as a victory celebration card - after a job well done, or going against the odds and winning, etc.

3 of cups the bridal shower or buck & doe
4 of wands the wedding or larger crowd

I don't use them as that but I feel it's like
that kind of celebration.

3 of cups - good time, come as you are celebration
4 or wands - more formal celebration

Also three is fun,
four there is a seriousness to it. After the situation you are
moving in a new direction with your life.

star-lover said:

what is the difference between these 2 cards
both are about partying enjoyment happiness

think 3 of cups is about friendship and support specifically and celebrating/joy
and 4 of wands is about celebrating having a party and a rest but for many diff reasons

am i on right track???????

is it that 3 of cups is more a heartfelt personal happiness and 4 of wands is a more general ease breathing out about stuff and general happiness/comfort????

Click to expand...

Sounds like the right track to me. The traditional meanings are quite similar, huh? I'd see their difference in the Wands being more about stable activity, taking a vacation, relaxing, watching TV, and the Cups being about emotional interaction with friends, but they could both involve parties and music.

Besides the picture, there is also elemental and number systems that come into play (and probably a few other systems).

The cups will show a more emotional side, while the wands will show a generally more superficial 'fun' side.

3 is a number of combination (of the 1 and 2). 1+2 also =3 which has meaning to it. It is a more spiritual number, or deep rather.

4 is a stable number. 4 legs to a chair, 4 legs to a table, theres a pattern here...

Also, the 3 of cups is assigned to mercury in cancer. This will be shown as an ability to express and explain emotion well.
The 4 of wands are assigned to venus in aries. This reflects the stability of the four, but venus is in detriment in aries because aries is mars, and venus and mars kinda clash.

I could see this as a 'competetive' fun, while the cups is 'talk over coffee' fun.

Not just celebration

Remember these card's aren't just about celebration--you don't get them and say, "Ah, party time!" What you're getting is an idea of what the party is about, what's going on.

With 3/Cups you have sisterhood, friendship, a uniting of emotions between a trio. 3/Cups can just as easily be lunch with your best friends as a baby or bridal shower. It can be drinks after work. It's unity and emotional support.

4/Wands is the laying of a foundation. All the work you've done has let up to this moment of celebration. If we think in wedding terms, as the card so often signifies weddings, you think about all it the passion and energy and ambition it took for these two to decide to make this commitment.

They made the committment before witnesses and celebrate it--what they're celebrating, as it were, is the laying down of a foundation. The foundation of their life together. They're going to need to build on this foundation--and the work isn't finished. But they take a break, and celebrate, that this first stage of the relationship is over. They've married, and that means they've got a solid basis for creating a life together and a family.

In a way, the two are very different. 3/cups is very much in the present, and very much a affirmation or re-affirmation of friendship and unity. 4/Wands is an acknowledgement of a union that everyone expects will continue to develop and grow. Of something solid on which greater things may be built.

3 of Cups - Emotional Relationship

4 of Wands - Contractual Relationship

fools fool

To add to all the above: I've read somewhere on the Forum that 3/Cups can also stand for unconventional relationships, also love that has gone beyond the stage of infatuation (2/Cups). In the decks I use 4/Wands often implies romance, sometimes a wedding (the contractual element).

Love, BrightEye

good morning
fantastic!!!, thanks everyone for your views and help with this
they have definitely made me see the two different meanings
specifically as far as relationships go then
the 4 of wands is a special joyous (official) event to celebrate and a beginning of the future together - a public affirmation/commitment of a union
the 3 of cups is the personal emotional interaction and feelings of joy/true friendship and sharing

got it in the main ! happy now lol

xx