Seven of Cups

The cups on this card are filled up to the top with temptations. They appear as gifts but are distractions from the true path.
The serpents on the Seven of Cups card correspond to those on the Seven of Swords card. While the Seven of Swords is about illusion and seduction which comes from outside, at the Seven of Cups, one is challenged by his/hers own choices.
The cups are filled with gold and goods, which promise satisfaction, but offer only distractions. The craving will get stronger, the more these gifts are enjoyed improvident.
These unsatisfactory joys correspond to the torments of Tantalus, where he is always close to fulfilling his needs but never gets what he really desires – there is no satisfaction in life.
The temptations are depicted as 1: fame or glory, 2: addictions 3: power 4: adoration, 5: knowledge and 6: perfection and matter. These were chosen because they correspond to various teachings, but there are endlessly more – these trials are quite subjective and individual.
The seventh challenge regarding the veil, can only be experienced by passing the previous ones.
After negating all those temptations at a certain point, the serpents of temptation will withdraw, the gate will open and may grant a sight beyond the veil.
Unfortunately „just saying no“ is not the way to pass these trials – it wasn’t life if it would be that easy. There is no preparation either. Neither teachings, nor training can prepare one truly. To resist, without experiencing each of this challenges, only leads to more emptiness and won’t seal the void within. There is a saying that only the one who has experienced it all, can truly pass on to the next stage. Also simply those who fell, will know how climb the ladder to the top.
Maybe the goal is, not to deny the fruits which life has to offer. To walk on in time, after relishing them is the important thing to do, before they begin to rot. No joy can last forever.
Don’t worry, nothing is truly lost when succumbing to these distractions. Walking on will be much more difficult, the more time has passed, because distractions become habits and habits become the cycles which we are all trapped in. Fortunately the promise of life is not only that it will lead into a seemingly hopeless labyrinth, but also that nothing lasts forever and there is a way out of everything.
Falling is part of the path, so to say.
After all this card is all about choices and in life there is no wrong choice. When facing these challenges, the key is to know thyself and don’t lie to yourself. There is no shortcut or quick way up the tree of life to the top. Take your time, enjoy life and know what you can and cannot do at a specific time.