Alright, let’s talk about this. I’ve been pulling cards for a while now, mostly for myself, trying to make sense of things. The other day, I was specifically trying to get a handle on feelings – you know, how someone really feels in a situation, or maybe even sorting out my own mixed-up emotions about a group thing.
My Process with the Three of Cups
So, I shuffled my deck, really focusing on understanding the emotional core of this particular situation involving a few people I know. Cut the deck, drew one card. And out came the Three of Cups.
My first immediate thought was, “Okay, celebration, friends hanging out, good times.” Pretty standard interpretation, right? But I wanted to go deeper, specifically on the feelings part. What does it feel like?
I didn’t just look at the picture. I closed my eyes for a second and tried to feel it. What memory does this bring up? It took me back to this one time, years ago, after finishing a really tough community theatre production. We weren’t professionals, just a bunch of locals putting way too much effort into it. There was drama, stress, late nights building sets, all that stuff.
But after the final show, we had this impromptu gathering backstage. Someone brought cheap wine, someone else had leftover cake. We were all exhausted, sweaty, makeup smudged. But the feeling in that room… that was it. It was this huge wave of shared relief, accomplishment, and just genuine affection for each other because we’d done it together. We were celebrating not just the end of the show, but celebrating us, the weird little temporary family we’d formed.
Digging into the Feeling
That memory helped me pin it down. The Three of Cups as feelings isn’t just “happy.” It’s more specific:
- Shared Joy: It’s happiness that comes from being with others, celebrating together. It’s not a solo victory lap.
- Harmony & Connection: There’s a real sense of camaraderie, of being on the same wavelength. Like everyone’s genuinely glad to be in each other’s company. No weird tensions, no fakeness.
- Community/Belonging: It’s that feeling of being part of a group, accepted, included. Feeling good about the collective ‘us’.
- Exuberance & Lightness: There’s often a bubbly, almost effervescent quality to it. Like laughter that comes easily.
I thought about times that looked like a Three of Cups situation but didn’t feel like it. Forced office parties, awkward family gatherings where everyone’s just going through the motions… yeah, that’s not it. The feeling is missing. There’s no genuine shared warmth.
It reminds me a bit of when I first started gardening with a few neighbours. We didn’t know each other well. We decided to tackle this overgrown patch behind our buildings. Some days were frustrating, figuring out who does what, dealing with weeds. But when we got the first few veggies growing, and we stood back looking at it, sharing tips, deciding who gets the first ridiculously small tomato… that quiet feeling of shared effort paying off? That had a touch of the Three of Cups feeling too. A quieter version, maybe, but still that sense of ‘we did this’.
Wrapping It Up
So, after sitting with it and digging through those memories, my practice helped me solidify it. When the Three of Cups shows up representing feelings in a reading now, I don’t just skim past it as ‘friendship’ or ‘party’. I look for that specific flavour: Is there genuine shared joy here? Is there real harmony and connection? Does it feel like people are happy together, celebrating something collectively? It’s about the emotional resonance of community and shared good times. It’s a simple card on the surface, but the feeling it represents is pretty special when you really tune into it.
