Cups and Water

 

The symbol for water is a triangle pointing downward.

 

Water is the emotional element. It is cooling, healing, nurturing, sympathetic and empathic. Water signs are resourceful and creative, and they draw on their emotions for strength. True to their element, water signs are not easily contained. Constantly changing emotions can make them appear moody, and at times seem irrational. They may go through many moods during the course of a day.  When upset their emotions become stormy and they tend to withdraw into themselves, resisting any attempt to bring them out of their shell until the emotional storm has passed.

The Water signs are: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces.  These are the symbols and characteristics of the signs in the Water Triplicity.

Cancer The Crab
Cardinal Water Sign
Ruler:  The Moon 
Months:  June 21 to July 22
Archetype: The Mother
Keywords: emotional, sensitive, security-conscious, retentive, domestic, maternal, protective, quiet, traditional, moody

Scorpio The Scorpion
Fixed Water Sign
Ruler:  Pluto
Months:   October 23 to November 21
Archetype:  The Magician or Shaman
Keywords:  intense, determined, powerful, strong-willed, secretive, mysterious, penetrating, introverted

Pisces The Fish
Mutable Water Sign
Ruler:  Neptune
Months:  February 20 to March 20
Archetype: The Prophet, The Samaritan
Keywords:  receptive, supersensitive, impressionable, peace-loving, sympathetic, charitable, compassionate, artistic, dreamy, shy, introverted, spiritual, reclusive

In Tarot the suit of Cups represents love, friendship, pleasure and happiness. As I said earlier, an emphasis on water signs in a chart usually indicates an ever-changing flow of moods and the water signs can move from the lowest to the highest within the course of an hour or a day because water is a free flowing element.  Some of these extremes are illustrated in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck such as the 4 of Cups which shows the emotional withdrawal common to these signs when they are upset or disappointed.  The 3 of Cups is an example of the exuberance we experience when we feel emotionally excited.  The 7 of Cups is an example of the sometimes dreamy or visionary nature that many water people experience on a regular basis. And, of course, the 10 of Cups represents the way we feel when we are truly emotionally fulfilled by our relationships and are able to share that sense of happiness with those we are close to in our lives.  Water people live in their emotions more than their mind and life is not fulfilling to them without someone to share these feelings with.

Look for the three water sign symbols in the following Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot cards:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The symbol for water, the downward pointing triangle, is seen on both sides of the title at the bottom of each of the cards.

Micki