Waning Gibbous: Nine of Cups, Two of Cups, Death

Cups and a Waning Moon, and thus a withdrawing emotional energy, cloud this reading. 

The Nine of Cups (by En Tze) is one of my favorites in the deck. Witchy and dark, it shows a moment of manifestation. Witches (even “evil” ones in Disney films) incite action and break individuals out of their stagnation. They force you to become what you are “meant” to be. 

The Two of Cups is from the Vox Arcana deck (by Giulia Valentini), and carries duality and balance. In this case, the reversal—those cloudy dark skies—indicates a withdrawal of emotion and a focus on the inner self.

Death, from the Blood Moon Tarot, is really a card about morning. Sure, the Death card is about transformation—”change” as some readers happily put it—but such transformations result in the death of those who were. That takes an emotional toll. This card asks you to sit with and acknowledge your grief instead of running from it, to nurture your emotions and feelings as you process the change. You have to live with who you are and what you will be, not who you were and what you could have been.

What a spread. Ha. The Nine of Cups, reversed, tells me that there is a problem with stagnation. What you want, you can’t get, and no witch is coming to break you out of your routine (or slump, or rut). The Two of Cups (also reversed!) shows an emotional withdrawal, likely because you haven’t engaged with the change you need. It’s dark; the emotions are being dumped out of the cup. But no matter how much you try to dump out, there will be more.

This is like a long, slow Tower. To begin, you have to acknowledge the loss of who you were and what you could have been before you can move forward. Once those potential delusions break down, you can step forward into your new self.

What emotions do you need to focus on? What space do you need to hold grief for what once was? What do you need to move forward?