Spotlight on the 4 of Cups: The Connection Between this 4, Kabbalah and the Sefirah Chesed

The Four of Cups has always been a special card to me.  It is also, in my readings, quite straightforward.  While many cards in Tarot have multiple meanings or layers of meaning, the Four of Cups is, in my interpretation, a pure and relatively simple card with a very consistent message.  That does not mean however that it does not have spiritual depth.  Indeed this card is to me quite deep.

I was reminded of this in last night's ongoing Tarot teleconference given by Paul Nagy of Tarot Hermeneutics.*  The course works from two texts - Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack and Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Way of Tarot.  During this class we utilized Pollack's book, focusing on the author's section on the minor arcana which includes information on history of Tarot, the elements and numerology.

For every class Johanna Gargiulo-Sherman, creator of the Sacred Rose Tarot, draws cards for that night's study using her wonderful layout, The Elemental Power Spread.*  Participants in the conference analyze this array and reflect on the relationship between the texts and the cards.  In last night's class some very interesting correlations between Pollack's numerology - specifically her section on Kabbalah - were made. 

What interested me most about the layout was the placement of the Four of Cups in the position of fire and Pollack's comparison (as pointed out by Paul) between that four and the Kabbalistic fourth Sefirah Chesed.  The ten Sefirot (pleural) are contained in the Tree of Life can be thought of as emanations of divine light.  The Sefirah, Chesed, commonly interpreted as mercy, or loving-kindness and loving-kindness is known as one of the thirteen attributes of God.  

Pollack goes on to liken Chesed to a benevolent outpouring or a great emotional generosity.  An interesting observation, I thought, as the four of cups has a strong association with both benevolence and generosity. 

I had never made the association between the two fours prior not only because I have historically treated Kabbalah and Tarot as non-overlapping but because even though Chesed is the fourth Sefirah, I am more likely to associate it with Jewish numerology, than I am Pythagorean.  In Jewish numerology, or Gematria, the value of Chesed is 72, as in the 72 names of God. For me, this last association leads back to the Four of Cups, as well. 

The Four of Cups, in this context, has a strong connection to divinity.  It is the hand of spirit reaching out to someone whether they are aware of it or not but not only reaching out.  In the extended hand of spirit is a fourth cup which the figure appears to ignore.  It is significant to me that the three cups which do command his attention rest upon the ground.

Earth, as representative of our physical world, the Kabbalistic world of action, commands his attention.  These three cups on the ground of ordinary reality are all he sees. 

This makes perfect sense of course.  If the offer of spirit is compared to the Sefirah Chesed through the common denominator of the number four, why should this human earthbound man perceive it?  The hand and the cup are not of this dimension, this world of action.  And yet there is an opening if we can only comprehend it.

To draw this card is to be reminded that divinity does indeed reach out to us.  We are encouraged to be both vigilant and receptive to this most important opportunity.