Cosmic Tribe Tarot

FOUR OF CUPS

Luxury

Luxury is the fantasy of perfect emotional gratification. A hot tub filled with beautiful people overlooking the sea; a smooth and powerful automobile; a dinner party prepared by a culinary artist: these are all rich experiences because they are attached to rich emotions. What we really enjoy in luxury are the deluxe feelings of happiness, satisfaction, and comfort. And while you may choose to adorn them with beautiful objects, these feelings come from inside and cannot be bought or sold.

In the card a shrouded figure conjures luxurious feelings from the waters of our collective unconscious. The figure stands on a column representing the cultural base of luxurious gratification and manipulates us by appealing to our emotional natures, tempting us and constraining us. Our emotions are showered with dreams of beautiful flowers and silvery light. The emotions respond by producing four golden goblets that in turn sprout dreamcatchers. The dreamcatchers snare our fantasies, making them take shape. They appear as versions of the flowers showered on our dreams by the shrouded figure. When we set about to acquire these dreams, we soon find the happiness, comfort, and security they promised. But behind the figure the moon is full. It reminds us that the luxurious feelings of the present are not permanent. They phase in and out like the moon. On second glance, the color of the flowers turns out to be different from those sowed by the shrouded figure. And each flower is the same. Just like everybody else's! As the moon wanes, the objects of emotional luxury lose their appeal. Our fantasies are fickle in this way. Emotional luxury is slippery.

When we achieve a certain awareness of the frequency of our cycles, the velvety curtain is pulled back and the mechanisms of luxury are revealed. Luxury is a sensuous part of the emotional wave lying somewhere between contentment and debauchery.

Divinatory Meaning

Should the Four of Cups indulge your reading, see how your world overflows with luxurious feelings. There is no need to grasp at them or buy them in a frenzy. Just open yourself to satisfaction right now. Soak in the luxury of friendship. Breathe in the security your work affords you, or the freedom your unemployment offers you. Taste the satisfaction of cooking your own meal. Let these sensuous feelings lull you to a well-deserved satiny sleep where every night can be a rich cinematic experience. But remember, like all emotions, luxury is ephemeral. Gratification is never forever. If you become overly attached and force it to happen again and again, you may find yourself pushing luxury into debauchery.