You know what the problem is with most Tarot books? They are useless when you are actually in the middle of reading for someone. They are full of flowery, academic junk that takes three paragraphs just to say “good news.” I mean, who has the time for that when your sister-in-law is practically hyperventilating on the phone?
My practice log today isn’t about some fancy spread. It’s about how I stripped down the Nine of Cups so it actually serves a purpose in a real-world, rush-job reading. I got tired of the old methods and decided to build a better way myself.
The Mess I Found: Throwing the Books Out
My entire practice began because of a sudden, chaotic call. This was maybe five years back, right after I had just finished moving my entire life across the state. Boxes everywhere, half-unpacked, and my phone rings. It’s my old mentor, Mark. He was freaking out about a major contract—the kind that makes or breaks his entire year. He needed a reading, right then and there. Didn’t matter that I was sitting on the floor amongst plastic storage bins. The clock was ticking.
I grabbed the first deck I could find, the old Rider-Waite, and the Nine of Cups popped out in a key position. Normally, I would reach for my reference shelf—the whole stack of dusty, respected tomes. I scrambled over the boxes, pulled out three different books, and flipped to the page.
What did I get? Well, one book droned on about emotional satiety, another mentioned “wishes fulfilled but possibly superficial,” and the third talked about the Vesta archetype and the culmination of earthly desires. Absolute noise. I couldn’t just read him that garbage. He was asking, “Am I signing this deal or not?”
I realized right there: my “practice” was flawed. I had been relying on other people’s overly complicated language, not on my own intuition or the raw image itself. That night, I dumped all the reference books in a big plastic tub and decided to start fresh.
The Practice: Seeing What is Actually There
For two days, I did nothing but look at that one card. The Nine of Cups. I didn’t read a single meaning. I just stared at the picture, logging observations like an elementary school science project. This process was brutal—it felt like I was ripping apart everything I had been taught, but it worked.
Here’s the log of what I saw, what I physically identified and recorded:
- The Man: He is sitting there. Not working. Not running. He is content and secure. His arms are crossed, like he doesn’t need to do anything else. He’s smiling like a cat who just ate the canary.
- The Cups: There are nine of them. They are neatly arranged behind him on a shelf or altar. They are full. They are displayed. This isn’t about the search for success; it’s about the possession of it.
- The Curtains/Drape: It’s blue and rich. It’s like a velvet stage curtain that has just been pulled back to reveal the main attraction. It signals that this moment is private, celebrated, and finished.
I realized the academic BS about superficiality was missing the whole point. Look at the guy! He doesn’t look like he cares what anyone else thinks. He looks like he got exactly what he wanted. Period.
The Realization: Boiling it Down for the Quick Guide
The goal was to create a meaning that was instantly usable, regardless of the reading context. Something you could shout into the phone while dodging moving trucks. I hammered out exactly three core concepts that every reader—beginner or experienced—could instantly latch onto.
I wrote these three concepts down on a single note card and stuck it next to my desk. This was my personal, definitive practice result. No more fluff. No more second-guessing.
Here is what I distilled it down to, the final, practice-proven cheat sheet:
- Wish Fulfilment:
This is the most direct meaning. You get what you ask for. End of story. Forget the caveats about “careful what you wish for.” In the moment of the pull, this card says: “Yes, you are getting that thing.”
- Emotional Satiety:
It’s not just about money or a job; it’s about a feeling of total, complete satisfaction. The kind of feeling where you lean back and nothing bothers you. You are full in every sense of the word. Nothing missing from the collection.
- Unrivalled Joy/Security:
The man in the picture is secure. The cups aren’t going anywhere. This card locks in the feeling of being safe, being comfortable, and knowing that your success is visible and solid. It’s what you feel when you finally put your feet up and realize the work is done and the reward is yours.
This simple guide, forged out of necessity and the chaos of Mark’s high-stakes contract, is now my only reference point for this card. I tested it repeatedly over the next month, using it in every quick reading I did. The clarity was instant, and the accuracy was spot on every single time. It forced me to stop overthinking and just trust the raw visual power of the image. The practice proved that simplicity beats complexity when you are actually in the trenches doing the work.
