EXPLORING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE 3 OF CUPS

How does the Three of Cups shape your understanding of relationships and communication? Join me, Alexandra, as we unlock the secrets of this fascinating tarot card, linked to the powerful energy of Mercury in Cancer. In this episode of Intimate Tarot, we explore the Three of Cups through the lens of various tarot decks like Tempest Tarot Deck, The Dark Mansion Tarot, and Jack-o'-Lantern Tarot. You'll discover how the card's imagery and its interaction with surrounding cards can reveal everything from joyful celebrations with friends to potential relationship challenges and even infidelity.

We also take a personal journey into how the Three of Cups has influenced my own life, particularly through an unforgettable birthday celebration captured perfectly by The Good Karma Tarot. This episode emphasizes the importance of paying attention to the intricate details in tarot illustrations, as they provide subtle but crucial insights for your readings. Tune in for a rich discussion on how the Three of Cups can guide you to more effective communication and deeper connections in your love life.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to another episode of Intimate Tarot. I'm your host, alexandra, and today we are going to talk about the Three of Cups. This card is astrologically associated with Mercury in Cancer, mercury being the planet of communication and Cancer the zodiac sign that most craves connection. So you have, with this card, the perfect sense of close friendships, community tribe, your teammates, schoolmates, work colleagues, your neighbours, whoever you get in touch with on a daily basis. I see this card as the third house in astrology, because Mercury rules this decan and we are in card number three. I tend to see it as communicating with the intention of growing something. Now talk to who about what is established by the cards surrounding the three of cups in your tarot spread, but also pay close attention to the artwork, because the artist usually leaves you clues in the image.

Speaker 1: 0:51

Let me give you three examples of a hypothetical love reading made with three different tarot decks. If I ask the Tempest tarot deck for an opinion about a new guy I've just met and the three of cups shows up, I would see in the card three male hands holding three cups full of beer that is spilling over as they are toasting so vigorously in a gesture of celebration. This card tells me that my guy likes to party. He might even have an alcohol problem if the card is paired with the moon, or that he's not trustworthy if paired with the knight of cups, because it indicates that every time he's out he flirts with others. Therefore he's not serious about commitment. This three of cups paired with the three of pentacles, though, says that my man likes to have drinks with workmates or that he builds business connections through social gatherings. But if I draw the three of cups from the dark mansion tarot, I would see a man holding his chalice high in front of two beautiful women. Looks like there is a party going on, but these three are outside, privately on a balcony. And if I am consulting Taro to check how much I can trust my man and I see him at a party with two women. That wouldn't make me happy, also, considering that in this card we see the faces of the man and of one woman, but only the shoulders of the third character the woman we don't see because he's in a blind spot is the one in the blind, metaphorically, ergo me not witnessing the cheating because I'm home doing this tarot reading instead of being there with my partner. Moreover, if I pick the three of cups from the jack-o'-lantern tarot. I would see three witches dancing in circle holding a cup above their heads. They are wearing identical clothes and hats. They are clearly part of the same coven. They are practicing a ritual and, judging by the seriousness of their faces, I understand that this is like a job to them. They are not dancing for pleasure. They are doing it because that's what the coven commanded to do.

Speaker 1: 2:40

Therefore, in a reading about my guy, I would take this particular card as an invitation to have a conversation with him about our issues as a couple, and the conversation might be unpleasant but is overdue. Or vice versa he wants to talk to me circa the relationship, but he is unsure how to approach me because he doesn't want to hurt me. Yet the conversation needs to happen because keeping his true feelings hidden inside is hurting him. Keeping his true feelings hidden inside is hurting him. This is to say that the same core meaning of communicating with others, which is the Merkurin cancer of this card, has different delineations based on the type of reading tarot deck used and the cards around in the spread. As explained, my guy could have been talking with work colleagues or flirting with girls or discussing our troubles, and I got the majority of the story outline simply by paying attention to the details in the illustration.

Speaker 1: 3:30

But let's talk now about my personal experience with the Three of Cups, which is visually represented by the Good Karma Tarot. Here we have three ladies sitting outdoor on the grass enjoying the good weather and having a laugh. I can tell from the color of their skin that they come from different cultural backgrounds, and this image is so me during my birthday week, when I met with my ex-workmates to celebrate my birthday and to say goodbye, as I'm moving out of London and I won't see them as much anymore. I am Italian and they come from the Philippines and Peru, and we have different ages, family situations and almost opposite sense of humor. I love dirty jokes and I speak about death way too much. I am definitely a peculiar person, but these girls accepted me for who I am and welcomed me in the team, and I love them truly. I had the greatest time working with them and I've learned few good lessons from interfacing with women from other paths of life, and I hope I give them something in return as well, even if it's just a laugh with one of my usual inappropriate jokes.

Speaker 1: 4:28

This three of cups also reminds me of the diverse group of friends I'm creating this year. I reconnected with old friends once I moved back from Poland to England, and I've added new ones. I met at yoga class or through work, or friends of my sister or even from social media. People that are now in my circle are tarot readers or deaf doulas like myself. With some I share veganism or the fact that we are both single mothers. Others are men. I met on dating apps and, after finding out we are not a good match romantically, we stayed friends. Now the word friend is overused when it comes to online friendship, because the literal meaning of this word is a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically one exclusive of sexual or family relations.

Speaker 1: 5:15

So I want you to reflect on this next time you draw the three of cups in a reading. Ask yourself who are the people surrounding me right now? Are they true friends or are they not? If they are not friends by definition, who are they then? How can I label them? Also, question yourself by pulling more cards Is it beneficial for me to keep them in my life? What are the pros and cons of this friendship? More three of cups questions are. Do I feel supported in my community? How can I connect with others in a way that enriches them? What do I bring to the table of the conversation? I hope you enjoyed this episode. Please share and subscribe to the podcast. I'll catch you on the next one. Ciao, for now.