The Seven of Cups, one of the Minor Arcana of a traditional tarot deck, is an unusual tarot card featuring uncommonly detailed symbolism and powerful, surreal imagery. In divinatory tarot reading, the Seven of Cups has an almost infinite number of interpretations, but most tarot readers view it as a sign of imagination and delusion. It signals imaginary fears and hopes, as well as patterns of "what if?" thinking that are too unlikely to be worth one's thoughts.
Although the topic has rarely, if ever, been brought to light in the world of tarot reading, each of the items held in the Seven Cups acts as a symbol for not only delusion, but also the Seven Deadly Sins. The insight provided by this is that self-delusion is a route to sinfulness.
A Woman's Head:
The man who has the delusion portrayed in the Seven of Cups is fantasizing about an attractive woman, who stares down at him from the Cup. She symbolizes the fantasy of Lust, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, and indicates the dangers of pursuing dreams of romance that are pure fantasy.
A Shrouded, Glowing Figure
The glowing human figure shrouded in a white veil can be seen as a representation of Envy, one of the Seven Deadly Sins. The imaginary person stands in the center of the Seven of Cups tarot card, rising out of the center cup. By some tarot readers' interpretations, she represents a person who is holding himself to an imaginary, unrealistic, and even insane standard. He envies the lifestyles of those he does not actually understand.
A Snake
Long seen as a symbol of evil, the snake in the Seven of Cups tarot card is viewed as a symbol of Wrath, another of the Seven Deadly Sins. Poised in a position to strike, the snake looks angry and aggressive, and indicates that the subject of the tarot card is focusing on imaginary emotions of anger and hatred, whether from himself or from others.
A Castle
Along with the other fantasies and imaginary goals and fears of the tarot card's subject, the castle (or possibly tower) seen in one of the Seven Cups represents a false sense of security, and may correlate to the Deadly Sin of Sloth. Along with the other fears and fantasies lingering in the subject's imagination, he feels a sense of both security and fear that may be unrealistic.
A Treasure Horde
Obviously corresponding with Gluttony, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, the treasure horde in the Seven of Cups tarot card represents unrealistic and selfish fantasies of bounty and abundance. The tarot subject desires more than he has and will never be content until he grounds himself in reality.
A Wreath
A powerful symbol on the Seven of Cups tarot card, the laurel wreath rises out of a cup with a skull-shaped shadow, indicating the dangers of Pride, often called the worst of the Seven Deadly Sins. The tarot reading's subject may be lost in delusions of self-importance; it may indicate narcisissm.
A Dragon
Just as a dragon hordes his gold, the final cup in the Seven of Cups tarot card is guarded by an angry dragon, an archetypal symbol of Greed. The man envisions the dragon as a sign of his own selfishness and sense of self-entitlement.
Overall, the Seven of Cups tarot card may have two principle meanings: that the subject of the tarot reading is falling into sin because of his own delusional thinking; or that his delusional thinking will convince him that "everyone else" is partaking in the sinful activities that he sees portrayed in the Seven Cups. In either case, the key message of the Seven of Cups tarot card is that the subject of the tarot reading needs to become grounded and avoid elaborate fantasies and worries.
