Tarot Five Water Cups

Tarot Five Water, Cups, Loss in Pleasure

Minor Arcana, First Decan Scorpio

Five of Water

Tarot Five Water and each of the Minor Arcana cards numbered Five express attributes of Geburah, whose title is Severity, the fifth sphere of  QBL Tree of life whose planetary correspondence is Mars.

Sephirothic Planetary Correspondence

The planetary correspondence of Geburah is Mars and each of the minor arcana cards numbered “Five” exhibit this planet’s quality colored by their correlating elemental suit of  fire, water, air or earth. It is worth bearing in mind that Geburah correlates with Fear. 

These four suits are allocated to the four worlds of the QBL: Fire: Atziluth, Water: Briah, Air: Yetzirah and Earth: Assiah.

Astrological Decan Allocation

Five of Water, also known as Five of Cups, is the first decan of Scorpio, whose planetary attribution is Mars.

The combination of Five/Mars and the decan planetary attribute of Mars is summed up by the card’s title of Loss in Pleasure. 

This Mars plus Mars combination in Water indicates a breakdown of entrenched systems normally associated with water, which can result in decay and putrescence due to what were thought to be promising influences and opportunities that failed to be realized.  

Considerations

Loss in Pleasure is the title of Five of Water, the first decan of the astrological sign of Scorpio corresponding to major arcana tarot card Death.

This Mars/Scorpio combination evokes images of redirection of drive into sensuality, accelerated by the influence of the decan planetary allocation,which is also Mars. 

The drive of Mars is directed by the influence of Scorpio’s withdrawal, inscribing an arcing, inward voyage that creates a cannibalistic, self- eating obsession.  

The sensuality of Five/Water does not have the anesthetized properties experienced with Seven Water, which expresses an influence often leading to total inertia. 

Here we witness frustration and irritation due to forces beyond our control that appear to deny us obtainment of our goals, resulting in a condition perceived as loss of opportunity, whence the title of the card. 

Tarot Five Water speaks of the mythological hero in conflict with forces antagonistic to the achievement of ambitions. It is here we awaken to Geburah’s influence of Severity that can invoke obsession to achieve one’s objectives at any cost. However, under the impress of this period, little can be gained through one’s own efforts. Achievement will come from outside of ourselves whether that other is physical or metaphysical. This is a period where we can reflect on our actions and seek inspiration to find alternative directions to achieve our desires.

Here is the legendary crossroad where pacts are made. We should do well to remember that everything has a price and gifts are not always what they at first may appear to be.

This statement really does capture the meaning of Tarot Five Water,: there is pleasure but at what price?

In addition, the influence of Scorpio corresponding to major arcana card Death, directs this drive toward dissolution of established conditions or created forms.  When taken to an extreme,this obsession results in total loss of identity, effectively returning forms to the slime from whence they came. 

Illustrated here is the condition one experiences when the warning of the previous card Four of Water, Blended Pleasure, has been ignored. The following card Six of Water, Pleasure, can only be obtained through focused resolution to traverse Five of Water’s challenges by heeding the instruction being voiced from the decan signature.

Seek the big picture and don’t fall prey to the belief that all is lost, meaning enjoy your journey. 

Five of Water indicates an inheritance of some form which can be painful to receive because of perceived loss but over time can become appreciated as a gift.

This card’s influence can also indicate entering a new and original paradigm, a promotion one is happy to receive while simultaneously bringing the recipient trepidation at the thought of new responsibilities and challenges because they fear they may not have the resources to meet. them.

We should consider that this inheritance is a realization of where we are because of choices we have made.

Personality Type

The character qualities of the court card Prince of Water are those best suited to receive and translate the specific ancestral voice of this decan.

Because of the deviousness of this Prince, we find the brutal aspects of this card acted out through a desire to bring misfortune into other people’s lives. See the major arcana card Tower, whose attribute is Mars.

These are personality traits expressed by the Prince of Water who corresponds to Air of Water. 

The element of Air brings an analytical component to what would  otherwise be an imaginative, dreamy and possibly insipid character. However the analytical traits are generally directed toward premeditated subterfuge to gain power and influence.

Decan Signature

In our failure to understand what any two through ten minor arcana card is saying, we should allow ourselves to be driven back to our specific inner voice of the decan for resolution.

The conjunction of major arcana cards Death and Tower, (corresponding to Scorpio and Mars), are the specific signature of this decan and will be projected through the personality type represented by the Prince of Water. The Prince of Water corresponds to an Air of Water influence.

Foot notes

¹Transformation or morphing are more appropriate titles for tarot card Death.

²A result of Scorpio astrological sign.

³This is a deliberately induced and focused mild schizophrenic state achieved through techniques such as shamanic or magickal practice