Scorpio in the Minor Arcana: The Six of Cups

Back to the Minor Arcana! Today we move on to the Six of Cups, which - in the system I use - is linked to the second decan (2^nd- 11^th November) as well as the Sun in Scorpio.

Just to recap: Scorpio is the fixed Water sign, so Scorpio will want to know what’s going on at a deeper level, not at the bubbly surface – “still waters run deep” is a good description of Scorpio’s focus.  Scorpio has to dive into the depths in order to unearth the root of a problem and will then try to transform it – but it may take a crisis or something similar before Scorpio will take that plunge.  

Sharman-Caselli Tarot

But here we have Sun in Scorpio – the addition of warmth and light!  Sounds like the complete opposite of dark and intense Scorpio, you might think?  If we think in terms of the Sun representing our creative energy, then in Scorpio that creativity is going draw on our emotions and intuition at a very deep level.  This could be seen as the need to express our creativity by changing or transforming something.  The Sun also represents our core being, our vitality – and in Scorpio this could connect us to our inner desires, perhaps even compulsions or obsessions.  The ‘shadow’ side of this – the reversal, if you like – could be seen as emotional obsessions or fixations getting in the way of the expression of creative energy, or perhaps the fear of losing control.

How is the Sun in Scorpio reflected in the Six of Cups?  If we think of themes of ‘past memories and future dreams’ (Juliet Sharman Burke’s keywords), we can see how nostalgia becomes a place of refuge when what’s going on in the present is too difficult to face.  The harmony (Six) and the gentleness (Cups) feel warm – like the Sun’s energy, allowing us to penetrate what’s going on at the surface and to go deeper into the root of the issue.  Juliet Sharman-Burke also talks about the idea of old love reappearing or being rekindled – again, the idea of cycles, of relationships that have died coming back to life.

Shadowscapes Tarot

The Shadowscapes Tarot's Six of Cups conjures up lots of childhood memories for me - tea parties with teddy bears and other stuffed animals!  It reminds me that I need to be more open-minded, to look at things from a more child-like perspective - with innocence and wonder - rather than always from the jaded grown-up viewpoint.  I'm also reminded of the idea of the puer aeternus ('eternal boy') and its shadow, the senex ('old man'), and the need to recognize both aspects in ourselves, rather than let one overshadow the other.

Thoth Tarot

The downside, or ‘shadow’, of the Sun in Scorpio/Six of Cups is the potential trap of living in the past. That takes us back to the images of the Five of Cups – focusing on what’s past and ignoring what we still have.  Following that theme, remember the lotus roots in the Thoth Tarot’s Five of Cups, and how they formed a butterfly-shape? Well, in the Thoth’s Six of Cups, we see that lotus in its opened, receptive form – it’s been transformed; the fear of disappointment has been overcome so that more pleasant things can be enjoyed.  Enjoy what we have now, and let go of what’s past – that, to me, is the essence of the Sun in Scorpio!

Shadowscapes Tarot created by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Barbara Moore, published by Llewellyn

Sharman-Caselli Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections

Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, published by US Games Systems, Inc.