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The Rider-Waite-Smith 4 of Cups card is true to the nature of these tarot water cards in a mundane divination presentation. The energy of this card is shown as very passive as Smith's young male figure seems almost indifferent to the spiritually offered cup filled with "fresh drink", as he already has reached satiety form the other 3.

The meaning of the Rider-Waite-Smith is blended pleasure and success, receiving pleasure but mixed with anxiety and some slight discomfort. You might say, that instead of pure energy in motion, it is now an emotional idea held in conceptional confinement. The meaning of the tarot 4's is also perfection, completion, and making a matter fixed and settled.

The Tarot of Sacred Kingdoms- 4 of Cups is about apathy, emotional detachment, and disappointment. Although surrounded with the beauty of fertile nature, the young person seems to be starring off in the distance detached from her surroundings. Life may have become an automatic operation of routine and/or unfulfilling promoting boredom and dissatisfaction. The message here is to stop focusing on what you don't have and observe the richness of your surroundings and the wonderful things you do have. Gratitude opens new doors of potential. You may be so used to having certain things you "expect them" and therefore, ignore them until they are gone. Look around and recognize what luxury you really have and be thankful. There are many who don't have much at all, just surviving the day is all they can be grateful for.

In Western Hermetic Gematria, numbers hold significant symbolic meanings, often derived from a blend of numerology, mythology, and mysticism. The number 4 is no exception, and it is imbued with various attributes and correspondences. Here are some key characteristics of the number 4 in this context:

1. Structure and Stability

• Elemental Association: The number 4 is often associated with the element of Earth, symbolizing solidity, stability, and a grounded nature.
• Physical Manifestation: It represents the physical world and material existence, including the four directions (North, South, East, West), the four seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter), and the four classical elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water).

2. Order and Organization

• Geometric Significance: The square, with its four equal sides, is a symbol of balance and order. It implies a sense of wholeness and completeness in the material realm.
• Foundation: The number 4 is seen as the foundation upon which structures are built, symbolizing stability and reliability.

3. Manifestation and Realization

• Creation and Manifestation: In Hermetic thought, the number 4 represents the manifestation of ideas into the physical plane. It is the culmination of planning and groundwork that leads to tangible results.
• Practicality: It embodies the practical aspects of life, emphasizing discipline, hard work, and responsibility.

4. Divine Order

• Tetractys: The Pythagorean Tetractys, a triangular figure composed of ten points arranged in four rows, signifies the progression from unity to multiplicity, and the divine order underlying the universe.
• Kabbalistic Connection: In the Kabbalistic tradition, the number 4 can be associated with the fourth Sephirah, Chesed (Mercy), on the Tree of Life, which represents kindness, expansion, and the benevolence of the Divine.

5. Symbolism in Tarot

• Major Arcana: The Emperor (IV) card in the Tarot symbolizes authority, leadership, and the imposition of order and structure.
• Minor Arcana: The four suits (Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles) each consist of 14 cards, and the fours in each suit often indicate stability and structure in their respective realms (creative, emotional, intellectual, and material).

6. Astrological Correspondences

• Planets and Signs: In astrology, the number 4 is linked to the planet Uranus (associated with innovation and sudden changes that create new structures) and the sign of Cancer (which emphasizes home, family, and emotional foundations).

7. Mystical and Esoteric Meanings

• Sacred Geometry: The number 4 plays a critical role in sacred geometry, symbolizing the structure of the universe and the fourfold nature of creation.
• Hermetic Principles: It resonates with the Hermetic principle of Correspondence ("As above, so below"), indicating the mirroring relationship between the physical and spiritual worlds.

Understanding the multifaceted nature of the number 4 in Western Hermetic Gematria allows for deeper insight into its symbolic role in mysticism and esoteric traditions. It serves as a bridge between the material and spiritual realms, emphasizing the importance of structure, stability, and the manifestation of divine order in the physical world.

In Tarot, the 4 of Cups is associated with the astrological sign of Cancer. Cancer is a water sign, ruled by the Moon, and it is known for its deep emotional nature, sensitivity, and introspective qualities. These characteristics resonate with the themes of the 4 of Cups, which often involves contemplation, introspection, and a sense of emotional re-evaluation or discontent.

Key Correspondences:

• Astrological Sign: Cancer
• Element: Water
• Ruling Planet: Moon

Symbolic Themes:

• Emotional Reflection: The 4 of Cups typically depicts a person deep in thought, contemplating the cups before them, which symbolizes introspection and emotional evaluation.
• Sensitivity: As a Cancer card, it highlights emotional sensitivity and the need to nurture one's inner world.
• Discontent and Apathy: The card can suggest feelings of discontent or apathy, indicating a need to look inward and reassess emotional needs and desires.

These connections enhance the understanding of the 4 of Cups within the broader framework of Tarot and astrology, emphasizing the interplay between emotions and introspection typical of Cancer's influence.

When the 4 of Cups card is thrown during a divination, the querent will be or is experiencing:

• Pleasure, but with some slight discomfort and anxieties. 
• Experiencing a blending of pleasure and success but approaching their end. The querent is experiencing a stationary period in happiness which may or may not continue as long as desired.
• It is too passive a symbol to represent complete happiness and some drawbacks to pleasure are implied.
• Both acquisition and contention in this card. For it is not wrong to enjoy the luxury of your labors, but labor will soon have to begin again, or you will lose it.
• Warns us not to get lost in desire.
• Weariness.
• Disgust.
• Imaginary vexations.  

If reversed:

• Novelty.
• Presage.
• New instructions.
• New relations.

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