February 3-5, 2012: 10 of Cups

Al-Shariyf

SATIETY
(Previously called, “Perfected Success.”)
Ten of Cups

Meditation Pattern: Place Atu XVI, The Tower, and Atu XVIII, The Moon, side-by-side, with the 10 of Cups above them.

Traditional Description: A bunch of water-lilies or lotuses, whose flowers pour white water into the ten cups, overrunning them all. The uppermost cup is tipped sideways, and pours water into the left-hand upper cup. A single lotus flower surmounts the top cup, and is the source of the water that fills it. Above and below, the symbols of Mars and Pisces.

Malkuth of Water: Matter settled; complete good fortune. The pursuit of pleasure brought to success.

Mars/Pisces: Permanent and lasting success and happiness, because inspired from above. Not so sensual as the “Happiness” of the 9 of Cups, yet almost more truly happy. Pleasure, dissipation, debauchery; quietness, peacemaking. Kindness, pity, generosity, wantonness, waste, dissipation, craving for drugs, lack of self-control, unreliability in romance; all according to dignity.

Malkuth + Mars: Sensuousness, intractability, a fondness for material things. Potentially avaricious and vindictive; yet also capable of a vital, energetic, successful way of living the practical life in the world.

http://pturing.firehead.org/occult/thelema/libri/The Book of Thoth/thoth/cups10.jpg

Al-Shariyf

Hey everyone,
I have not set myself up to get this week's meditation's done and as a result the board has been a bit dead. That doesn't work. I really want to keep this thing going so I'll be backtracking a bit, starting with the 8 of cups and working all the way through to this card by Sunday and posting my results along the way.

Jim Eshelman

Thanks, Shariyf, as always.

Here is the layout:

[attachment=0:3ux936lv]Cups X.jpg[/attachment:3ux936lv]

A couple of things to add:

In the book, for this card, I include a couple of footnotes that may be useful.

The first is a quote from Crowley: "This is not such a good card as stated. It represents boredom, and quarreling arising therefrom; disgust springing from too great luxury. In particular it represents drug-habits, the sottish excess of pleasure, and the revenge of nature. – Fra. O.M."

The second is an original note: "It is not clear how some of these attributions arose from the idea of Mars commingled with Pisces, which normally would be a much more negative pattern. The words “quietness, peace-making… kindness,” etc., are particularly inconsistent with the symbols attributed to the decanate. It appears that the fulfillment of the suit of Cups in the Sphere of Malkuth so overwhelms the other symbols as to inspire the particular positive impression given here by G.H. Fra. D.D.C.F. The footnote on this card by G.'.H.'. Fra. O.M. should definitely be taken into consideration in this regard."

To the latter, I would add that the third (or Mars) decanate of Pisces is where we find the exaltation degree of Venus (27 Pisces). This may be touching this card quite a lot.