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Description
(2016), pencil on paper, 5.5"x10.5" backed with digital frame.

The 4s of all the suits carry a measure of crystallization, of hardening and consolidation of the creative flux of the previous cards. The planetary ruler of the 4s is Jupiter, the old Roman ruler of the gods, but power is only one aspect of this dominance, the term "jovial" also derives from it, and so the cards tend to show also a certain mental relaxation and ease of spirit that comes with stability and quiet. The number 4 gives you the four points of a square, one of the most stable geometric shapes of all.
For Water the stability and balance of 4 introduces an element of placid calm, like the still surface of a lake. We are feeling secure and stable and have a sense of satiety, domesticity and fulfillment. However, too much calm can also lead to a sense of boredom. Without much of an outside stimulus we may lose ourselves in daydreams and feel indifference or even dissatisfaction.

Traditional depictions of the card show a person sat under a tree with their arms crossed before them. There are three cups arranged before them and a fourth is held out, but the person regards them with indifference, to absorbed in themselves or too apathetic to reach out. The Crowley deck has a rigid, crystallized arrangement of four cups showing the tendency of the card to point to an emotional standstill of some kind.
For my card I chose 4 seal pups tucked away on a grassy beach. Seals are highly mobile, agile and aware in water, but awkward and slow on land where most of their senses except their sense of smell are dulled. They cannot move quickly and pups sometimes fall victim to fighting males because they are too slow to get out of the way. This also made things easy for fur seal hunters who could simply walk along the beach and club the defenseless newborns to death and take their skins. The four babies in the picture are left behind by their mothers who are hunting out at sea. There is nothing much for them to do as they wait for the adults to return and nurse them.
In a spread the card means that emotional stability gives us comfort. We settle into routines, we enjoy quiet domesticity, but all of that comfort or "gemuetlichkeit" as it is so nicely called in German bears the danger of being stuck in a rut, of getting so settled and so comfortable that our satiety turns to ennui. We become sluggish both in our ability to move and to react as well as in our ability to use our senses and without realizing it we become vulnerable as emotionally we fell dull and flat.
When drawn the card shows that the abundance of the 3 that was experienced as a joyful emotional state has become worn down with use. We expect the same comfortable routine and it has made our senses blunted to new impressions and to new stimuli around us. We think we have everything we want, but in reality we are in danger of getting bored, of taking things for granted and to lose ourselves in daydreams because things feel stale with familiarity. We lose sight of the fact that all the answers and inspirations that we need to get out of our emotional rut are all around us. We need to open our hearts and follow our intuition instead of remaining closed up in our usual routine.
For a relationship-related question the card may indicate that we are in danger of getting stuck in an emotional rut. Your connections have become predictable and you are so preoccupied with feeling safe and not rocking the boat that eventually you may feel the relationship has lost its spark. If the card position points to a business related issue you could be preoccupied with not breaking out of your comfort zone. You have your familiar routines and ways of working and like the reassurance and sense of calm you gain from them, but what are you really waiting for? Things never remain the same and you’re in danger of letting opportunities get away from you because you are too slow and complacent to reach for them. In your personal life and development the card may also show that you have withdrawn emotionally to sort something out for yourself. That may be a reasonable strategy, but you should not let yourself get stuck in this position. Keep an open mind for outside impulses that may help you gain new emotional insights and new inspiration.
If the card is uncovered in an adverse or blockage position it could mean that you are feeling bored and restless without really understanding why. It could also mean that you have closed yourself off emotionally because you are afraid of getting hurt if you put yourself out there and let people or situations get to you.

Description
(2016), pencil on paper, 5.5"x10.5" backed with digital frame.

The 4s of all the suits carry a measure of crystallization, of hardening and consolidation of the creative flux of the previous cards. The planetary ruler of the 4s is Jupiter, the old Roman ruler of the gods, but power is only one aspect of this dominance, the term "jovial" also derives from it, and so the cards tend to show also a certain mental relaxation and ease of spirit that comes with stability and quiet. The number 4 gives you the four points of a square, one of the most stable geometric shapes of all.
For Water the stability and balance of 4 introduces an element of placid calm, like the still surface of a lake. We are feeling secure and stable and have a sense of satiety, domesticity and fulfillment. However, too much calm can also lead to a sense of boredom. Without much of an outside stimulus we may lose ourselves in daydreams and feel indifference or even dissatisfaction.

Traditional depictions of the card show a person sat under a tree with their arms crossed before them. There are three cups arranged before them and a fourth is held out, but the person regards them with indifference, to absorbed in themselves or too apathetic to reach out. The Crowley deck has a rigid, crystallized arrangement of four cups showing the tendency of the card to point to an emotional standstill of some kind.
For my card I chose 4 seal pups tucked away on a grassy beach. Seals are highly mobile, agile and aware in water, but awkward and slow on land where most of their senses except their sense of smell are dulled. They cannot move quickly and pups sometimes fall victim to fighting males because they are too slow to get out of the way. This also made things easy for fur seal hunters who could simply walk along the beach and club the defenseless newborns to death and take their skins. The four babies in the picture are left behind by their mothers who are hunting out at sea. There is nothing much for them to do as they wait for the adults to return and nurse them.
In a spread the card means that emotional stability gives us comfort. We settle into routines, we enjoy quiet domesticity, but all of that comfort or "gemuetlichkeit" as it is so nicely called in German bears the danger of being stuck in a rut, of getting so settled and so comfortable that our satiety turns to ennui. We become sluggish both in our ability to move and to react as well as in our ability to use our senses and without realizing it we become vulnerable as emotionally we fell dull and flat.
When drawn the card shows that the abundance of the 3 that was experienced as a joyful emotional state has become worn down with use. We expect the same comfortable routine and it has made our senses blunted to new impressions and to new stimuli around us. We think we have everything we want, but in reality we are in danger of getting bored, of taking things for granted and to lose ourselves in daydreams because things feel stale with familiarity. We lose sight of the fact that all the answers and inspirations that we need to get out of our emotional rut are all around us. We need to open our hearts and follow our intuition instead of remaining closed up in our usual routine.
For a relationship-related question the card may indicate that we are in danger of getting stuck in an emotional rut. Your connections have become predictable and you are so preoccupied with feeling safe and not rocking the boat that eventually you may feel the relationship has lost its spark. If the card position points to a business related issue you could be preoccupied with not breaking out of your comfort zone. You have your familiar routines and ways of working and like the reassurance and sense of calm you gain from them, but what are you really waiting for? Things never remain the same and you’re in danger of letting opportunities get away from you because you are too slow and complacent to reach for them. In your personal life and development the card may also show that you have withdrawn emotionally to sort something out for yourself. That may be a reasonable strategy, but you should not let yourself get stuck in this position. Keep an open mind for outside impulses that may help you gain new emotional insights and new inspiration.
If the card is uncovered in an adverse or blockage position it could mean that you are feeling bored and restless without really understanding why. It could also mean that you have closed yourself off emotionally because you are afraid of getting hurt if you put yourself out there and let people or situations get to you.