Imagination, fantasies, dreams, and choices are the traditional keywords for the tarot card 7 of cups. When I was first studied this card, I was curious, what do the contents of the seven of cups symbolize? In the book Tarot and Astrology, Enhance your readings with the wisdom of the zodiac, Corrine Kenner correlates the contents in the seven cups with the seven ancient planets, Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The seven planets also correspond to seven Major Arcana cards and 12 zodiac signs.
In Astrology, the Seven of Cups falls under the third decan of Scorpio, November 13 - 22. It is known as the Lord of Illusionary Success and it's sub-ruler is Venus.
Which cup would you pick if you had to choose one to lead you in a new direction in life?
The traditional meaning, along with the planetary correspondences, of the seven of cups is an indication to dream up a new direction to take in life. For example, in 2019, I consciously chose the Death Card as my Scorpio New Moon Card. At the time, I wanted a major change to occur in my life. I chose the Death card which symbolizes change and transformation to keep me focused on my desire for change.
If at the time, I had used the seven of cups as a significator card, I would have chosen cup number 4, the castle, which represents The Tower, the planetary ruler of Aries and (in ancient astrology) Scorpio. The Trump aka Major Arcana card of Scorpio is Death.
What do the contents of the seven of cups symbolize?
The seven cups in the VII of Cups card correspond to seven planets, as well as their corresponding Major Arcana cards.
Venus — head, The Empress - Taurus and Libra
The Moon — veiled person, The High Priestess - Cancer
Mercury — snake, aka the ouroboros, symbolic of the lemniscate, The Magician - Gemini and Virgo
Mars —castle, The Tower - Aries and Scorpio
Jupiter — collection of jewels, The Wheel of Fortune - Sagittarius and Pisces
Saturn — wreath, The World - Capricorn and Aquarius
The Sun — winged dragon, symbol of fire and strength, Strength - Leo
I wrote about the correspondences of all the tarot cards in a three part blog series called Astrology and Tarot Wheel. It will answer many questions you may have. Find it linked to this post. If you still have questions please do comment below, I would love to help.
In the meantime, download your own PDF version of the Astrology and Tarot Wheel to use as a quick reference as to where the all the tarot cards fall on the astrological wheel.