The Shadow Series, Tarot Card Comparisons: The Thoth Tarot- 8 of Cups & The Shadow Tarot 8 of Quantum Space/Time and the Abyss

card represents emotional over-extension; where your giving of yourself to others and taking time for yourself is out of balance. Emotional happiness often depends on a balance of give and take.

Often emotional stagnation is a state of inertia brought on by over-extending oneself beyond personal limits and boundaries. Either, we ignored our limits and boundaries or just didn't know them. This card reminds us to set our boundaries and emotional limits and to honor those limits and boundaries if we are to experience emotional health.

The  Thoth eight of cups suggests that we are feeling tired, depleted, and emotionally short-circuited as a result of fulfilling others needs to the brim and ignoring our own.

The symbol of the lighted holes in the sea of emotion, depict over-extended energy which results from over-giving or the random actions of over-extending oneself. This just radiates off into the atmosphere where it is wasted energy.

 Astrologically the 8 of cups card is Saturn in Pisces. Saturn suggests that we supply discipline or established structures in our life and represents a heaviness or weightiness. Pisces is a representation of emotional fluidity. The combination of Saturn and Pisces, reminds us to honor our emotional fluidity but to set personal limits and boundaries that honor ourselves. It is best to understand that we must not do for others, what they can do for themselves; for it is not our job to heal everyone we meet as freedom of choice demands that each of us have a right to our own emotional health or disease.  As these are conscious choices!

It is good to remember that we can't give what we don't have, so it is important to honor yourself and stay in your emotional balance if you are to assist others in theirs.

When I was studying Qabalistic Magic, my Mentor said something very startling to a young martyr (12yrs old) who feared the evil of his own emotional confusion. After a period of trying and trying, without success , to achieve a particularly difficult Qabalistic ritual, I begged with tears flowing down my face, for him to show me how. After a horrid period of begging, He held up his hand and said," If you wish to speak to me you must stand for I'll not support your weakness." Stunned, and defeated, I walked away feeling emotional depleted to the point of exhaustion and abruptly went to sleep. Upon awakening the light went on, and I proceeded to approach the Great Ritual with Greatness in my heart and succeeded. This card reminds us to honor the inner strength in all of us and not do for others what they must realize for themselves. It's okay not to always be right, and not to cure everyone who seems to need it. Since 50% of all Wisdom comes from correcting one's errors. One should do for others not what they allow you to do but what doesn't overstep your personal boundaries of honoring the Divine in yourself and others. Everyone has the right to their own imbalance so that by experience they can learn to correct it.

Emotional over-extension helps no one, it only magnifies the error. "Above all things, know thyself"!

The Thoth Deck 8 of Cups, is Indolence and/or The Lord of Abandoned Success. Attributed to this card is Saturn in Pisces. The Angels of the Decan: Vabaliah and Yeshivah.

In the Qabalistic Tarot, Hod is in Briah, the Mental World. To reiterate, Hod is the concrete mind; However, with Saturn in Pisces the 8 of Cups, being a Water sign doesn't balance Saturn's energy well.

With Saturn in a water sign, a certain amount of  introspection, manifests as disinterest with material conditions. The effect, is discontent or a decline in interest in anything. Thus, one's tendency  is to abandon success.

The interpretation of the Eight of Cups, is based on the fact that Pisces in the eight of cups, is calm but stagnant water, that is completely deadened by the heavy influences of Saturn.

We know Water, is the Element of consciousness/emotions, so what is going on within one is a deadening of interest, a complete lack of wonder, as shown by this Jean Baptiste Greuze painting of the 19th century.

Therefore on the Thoth 8 of Cups card, the lotuses of enlightenment are depicted as drooping, for lack of sun or rain. The Sea of mind has become little stagnant pools, in poisoned soil and all the cups are old and broken, symbolizing "an old and worn out" way of thinking. The Sun of Spirit, is a pallid yellowish light barely shinning through the leaden clouds of indigo. Mind and emotions on autopilot, thought process is not conducive to expanding and liberating the Life of the person. The blood in the body is moving like molasses. This person needs stimulation!

Not my favorite card, but this dullness of mind, is often necessary to warn us that it is time to evaluate our feelings.

The Shadow Tarot's, 8 of Quantum Space/Time-Amdusias, is the Nightside of the Thoth 8 of Cups and it to implies , indolence, endings, and seeding of new cycles.

Amduscias

Amdusias (also Amduscias, Amdukias or Ambduscias) has 29 legions of demons and spirits under his command and has the rank of Great King. He is depicted as a human with claws instead of hands and feet, the head of a unicorn, and a trumpet to symbolize his powerful voice.

Amdusias is associated with thunder and it has been said that his voice is heard during storms. In other sources, he is accompanied by the sound of trumpets when he comes and will give concerts if commanded, but while all his types of musical instruments can be heard they cannot be seen. He is regarded as being the demon in charge of

the cacophonous music that is played in Hell. He can make trees bend at will.

He is mentioned as a King in Johann Weyer's Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1583).

 So if you have need of tree bending music, skry this cards sigil.

Thank you for your interest, comments and supportive donations. May you life long and prosper.