The Tarot of Eli 2: Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot-Eight of Cups & The Animal Totem Tarot - 8 of Cups

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The Rider-Waite-Smith-Eight of Cups card illustrates the meaning of "The Lord of Abandoned Success". The person on the Card has successfully organized and stacked the eight cups, but without the balanced order of completed effort of 4 above and 4 below and then wanders off as if losing all interest in them and leaving them abandoned and unused.

Waite's card shows the deadened effects of Saturn on the element of water which produce discontent, disillusionment, and decline of interest in anything. Here is seen a man of dejected emotional aspect, as in drowning in his own previous emotional concerns, causing him to desert the happy emotions of his felicity, enterprise, and/or undertaking.

The Animal Totem Tarot -Eight of Cups illustrates and image of self-discovery, exploration, and departure as the Salmon. The Salmon can feel a calling deep within to embark on a new journey, stimulating a sense of recklessness and discontent. Hence, this is a time to seek a new path and/or direction. This could be a very hard path to reach and/or begin traveling on but once reached it will be smooth sailing. It's time to change course where you are headed is not where you need to go. It is time for a new quest.

The salmon, as a totem, spirit guide, and power animal, holds deep symbolic meaning across various cultures and spiritual systems. Its characteristics revolve around themes of perseverance, transformation, intuition, and returning to the source. Below is a breakdown of the salmon's symbolic traits in each role:

Totem Animal: Salmon

As a totem animal, the salmon represents innate strength, determination, and life cycles. Individuals with the salmon as their totem often share these qualities:

• Resilience and Determination: Salmon swim upstream against strong currents to return to their birthplace, symbolizing the ability to overcome challenges and persist in the face of adversity.
• Connection to Origins: The salmon's instinct to return to its birthplace reflects a deep connection to heritage, ancestry, and the idea of returning to one’s roots or spiritual source.
• Life Cycles and Renewal: The salmon’s life journey mirrors the cycles of life, death, and rebirth, symbolizing the need to honor beginnings, transitions, and endings.

Spirit Guide: Salmon

As a spirit guide, the salmon offers wisdom and guidance in navigating life's challenges and aligning with one's purpose. The salmon may appear during times of transition or when you need to reconnect with your inner truth.

• Intuition and Inner Wisdom: Salmon rely on an almost mystical sense of direction to navigate their journey, teaching the importance of trusting your instincts and inner knowing.
• Adaptability and Flow: This guide encourages you to embrace change and go with the flow of life while staying true to your path.
• Spiritual Pilgrimage: The salmon's upstream journey mirrors the spiritual seeker’s quest, reminding you to remain steadfast in your spiritual or personal goals.

Power Animal: Salmon

Calling upon the salmon as a power animal invokes its strength, focus, and resilience to help you through tough situations or periods of growth.

• Endurance and Strength: The salmon embodies physical and spiritual stamina, aiding you in pushing through obstacles and staying the course.
• Determination to Fulfill Purpose: The salmon inspires a focused drive to achieve your goals, especially when the odds seem stacked against you.
• Healing and Transformation: Symbolizing the cyclical nature of life, the salmon helps in navigating transitions, offering spiritual renewal and emotional healing.

Salmon in Symbolism Across Cultures

1. Celtic Mythology: The salmon is revered as a symbol of wisdom and inspiration. In Irish lore, the Salmon of Knowledge gains its wisdom by eating hazelnuts that fall into a sacred well, emphasizing the connection to higher understanding.
2. Native American Traditions: Salmon is seen as a provider and a symbol of abundance, gratitude, and the importance of giving back to the community.
3. Shamanic Practices: The salmon is often invoked as a guide for emotional clarity and spiritual direction, especially when one feels lost or disconnected.

Key Lessons from Salmon

• Trust your inner compass even when the path seems uncertain.
• Persevere through life’s challenges, knowing they lead to growth and transformation.
• Stay connected to your origins and honor the cycles of life.
• Embrace change and let go of what no longer serves your journey.

By connecting with the salmon, you align with its profound wisdom and strength, fostering a sense of purpose, resilience, and spiritual alignment.

In Western Hermetic Qabalistic Tarot this card is assigned Saturn in Pisces.

When Saturn is in Pisces, it combines the disciplined, structured energy of Saturn with the intuitive, empathetic nature of Pisces. Here are some key characteristics of this placement:

Key Characteristics of Saturn in Pisces

1. Emotional Discipline:

   • Saturn in Pisces often indicates a need to develop emotional boundaries and discipline. This can manifest as a cautious approach to emotional expression and a preference for solitude or privacy in emotional matters.

2. Sensitivity and Compassion:

   • Despite Saturn’s often restrictive and serious nature, when placed in Pisces, it can bring a deep sense of compassion and a desire to help those in need. This placement can foster a strong sense of duty towards caring for others, especially those who are vulnerable or marginalized.

3. Spiritual Responsibility:

   • Saturn in Pisces can indicate a karmic duty or a structured approach to spirituality. This placement often emphasizes the need for practical, disciplined engagement with spiritual practices or metaphysical studies.

4. Creative Discipline:

   • Pisces is a highly creative sign, and Saturn's presence can bring structure and discipline to artistic or creative pursuits. This can result in a methodical approach to creative endeavors, with a focus on refining and perfecting one’s skills.

5. Overcoming Fears:

   • Saturn in Pisces may highlight fears and anxieties, especially those that are nebulous or difficult to pinpoint. This placement can signify a lifelong journey of confronting and overcoming these fears through discipline and perseverance.

6. Boundaries and Escapism:

   • Pisces' tendency towards escapism and Saturn's need for boundaries can create tension. This placement often requires finding a balance between escapist tendencies and the need for structure and reality.

7. Service and Sacrifice:

   • There is often a strong sense of duty and service with Saturn in Pisces. Individuals with this placement might feel a deep sense of responsibility towards humanitarian causes or may be drawn to professions that involve care and service to others.

Challenges and Growth

• Escapism vs. Reality: Individuals with Saturn in Pisces may struggle with the tendency to escape from harsh realities. Learning to face challenges head-on and developing coping mechanisms is crucial for growth.
• Emotional Vulnerability: Balancing emotional sensitivity with the need for emotional boundaries can be challenging. Establishing healthy boundaries without becoming overly guarded is essential.
• Spiritual Doubts: This placement can bring periods of spiritual doubt or confusion. Developing a structured spiritual practice can help ground and stabilize these uncertainties.

Opportunities for Development

• Structured Creativity: Channeling creative energy into disciplined practices can lead to mastery in artistic fields.
• Healing Professions: This placement is often well-suited for careers in healing, counseling, or other professions that require empathy and care.
• Spiritual Leadership: The combination of Saturn’s discipline and Pisces’ spirituality can create strong, grounded spiritual leaders who approach metaphysical topics with a practical mindset.

Overall, Saturn in Pisces represents a blend of discipline and intuition, responsibility and compassion, structure and spirituality. This placement offers the potential for profound personal growth and the ability to bring practical solutions to emotional and spiritual challenges that are emphasized in the 8 of cups.

In Tarot, numerology and gematria, the number 8 holds significant meanings, often associated with power, balance, and material success. However, the interpretations can vary depending on the specific cultural or esoteric context. Here's an overview of the meanings of the number 8 in these two systems:

Numerology

In numerology, the number 8 is often associated with:

1. Power and Authority: The number 8 is linked with ambition, leadership, and the ability to achieve material success. It is seen as a number of strength and discipline.
2. Balance and Justice: The shape of the number 8 (∞) is reminiscent of the infinity symbol, suggesting balance and the flow of energy. It symbolizes the balance between the material and spiritual worlds, as well as the concept of karma — what goes around comes around.
3. Material Success: People with the number 8 in their numerology charts are often seen as hard workers who are focused on their goals, especially in terms of financial and business success. This number is often associated with wealth and prosperity.
4. Practicality and Realism: The number 8 signifies a pragmatic approach to life, emphasizing efficiency, organization, and the ability to manifest goals into reality.

Gematria

Gematria is a Kabbalistic/Qabalistic method of interpreting Hebrew scriptures by computing the numerical value of words. In Hebrew and Western Hermetic gematria:

1. The Letter "Het" (ח): The 8th letter of the Hebrew alphabet is "Het" (ח), which has a numerical value of 8. This letter can represent life ("Chai" - חי), and its numerical value is often associated with vitality and dynamic energy.
2. Symbolism: The number 8 in gematria can symbolize new beginnings and transcendence beyond the natural order. It represents a step beyond the perfection of the number 7, indicating a realm beyond the physical and into the metaphysical.
3. Spiritual Aspects: In the context of the Kabbalah/Qabalistic, the number 8 can also be linked with the sephiroth (emanations) on the Tree of Life, particularly Hod and Yesod, which involve aspects of humility, acknowledgment, and foundation.

In summary, both numerology and gematria view the number 8 as a powerful symbol, though their interpretations focus on different aspects of power, balance, and transcendence. In numerology, the emphasis is on material success and balance, while in gematria, the focus is on spiritual life and new beginnings.

(1) Salmon Spirit Guide Invocation Ritual

This ritual is designed to invoke the energy of the salmon as a spirit guide, calling on its wisdom, resilience, and guidance to support your spiritual journey. Perform this ritual during a time of transition, when you seek direction, or when you need strength to persevere.

Preparation:

• Time: Dusk or dawn, symbolizing transitions.
• Location: Near a natural water source (ideal) or with a bowl of clean water.
• Tools and Items:
  • A blue or green candle (symbolizing water and flow).
  • A small mirror (to represent reflection and inner wisdom).
  • A feather or incense (to carry your intentions to the spirit realm).
  • A journal or notebook (to record any insights or messages).
  • Optional: A piece of fish-shaped jewelry or a small figurine of a salmon.

The Ritual:

1. Sacred Space Creation

• Find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed.

• Light the blue or green candle to invite the energy of water.

• Place the bowl of water or position yourself near a natural water source to connect with the salmon’s elemental energy.

• Set the mirror nearby as a symbol of reflection and intuition.

• Use the feather or incense to cleanse the area, moving in a clockwise direction, while saying:

  “By air, water, fire, and earth, I cleanse this space and invite sacred energy to flow freely here.”

2. Grounding and Centering

• Sit comfortably and take a few deep breaths. Visualize yourself as a salmon swimming freely in a clear river. Feel the flow of water around you, guiding you toward your purpose.
• Place your hands on your heart or over the bowl of water to anchor yourself.

3. Invocation

• Speak this invocation aloud:

  “Spirit of the Salmon, sacred swimmer of the rivers,
  Keeper of wisdom and guide of the soul,
  I call upon you to join me in this sacred space.
  Teach me the power of perseverance,
  Illuminate the path to my spiritual home,
  And show me how to flow with grace and purpose.
  As you return to your source, may I find mine.
  By the currents of life, I invite your guidance now.”

4. Meditation and Reflection

• Close your eyes and meditate on the salmon’s journey. Visualize a salmon swimming upstream, navigating obstacles, and reaching its destination. Allow any thoughts, emotions, or visions to arise without judgment.

• Hold the mirror and gaze into it briefly, asking the salmon for insight. Say:

  “What wisdom do you offer me, Spirit of the Salmon?”

5. Receive Messages

• Remain in silence and tune into your intuition. Listen for any subtle messages, feelings, or symbols. Use your journal to record these insights.

6. Gratitude and Closing

• Thank the salmon for its presence and guidance:

  “Thank you, Spirit of the Salmon, for your wisdom and strength.
  I honor your journey and the lessons you bring.
  Go in peace, knowing your energy flows within me.”

• Extinguish the candle and pour the water from the bowl back into the earth or a natural water source, symbolizing the flow of life.

After the Ritual

• Pay attention to synchronicities, dreams, or symbols involving salmon or water. These may be additional messages from your guide.
• Revisit the ritual when you feel the need to strengthen your connection or seek further guidance.

When the 8 of Cups is thrown during a reading, the querent is:

• In a moment of creative birth of 8 weeks or 8 months, requiring the practice of physical caution, carefulness, and prudence. 
• Experiencing a type of physical wisdom radiating from an inner place of balance and integration.
• Making sure that all the bases are covered; every "t" crossed and every "i" dotted.
• Making intelligent choices, like taking small steps instead of trying to do everything at once, thus making the material world more closely conform with one's needs. 
• Experiencing the possibility of turning a talent or skill into a profession.
•  Skill in work with energy and forms, such as fingers working on a manipulative substance.
• So focused on the minute they are unable to see the larger picture.

If reversed, it implies: 

• Focusing too tightly on the minute details and not seeing the big picture, causing them to never finish a project!
• Not seeing the forest for the trees. (Looking only at the idea of profit and not seeing the lies and plots that will bankrupt them),

Thank you for your interest, comments, and supportive donations. May you live long and prosper!

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