Kitchen Table Tarot

4 of Cups, 8 of Swords, 10 of Wands

Hello friend, I’m glad you are here today. No matter what you’re going through or what you’re feeling, you are so welcome here at my kitchen table. If this resonates for you in any way, I hope my interpretations can help bring guidance and clarity. If not, I hope that you still enjoy your visit. Let’s get to these cards.

The main sense I get from these cards is that whoever this is for, this is a snapshot of their uncomfortable feelings in the process of a journey—a passage of change and rearrangement. Dealing with times of apathy and inability to accentuate any positive, let alone the; a sense of being unable to escape an endless cycle in which you are mostly your own victim; and getting to the end of a particular road and not knowing how to proceed. In this image we see none of the torches this figure is to follow—just the ones that got them to this point. The overall vibe is that of uncertainty—decisions are difficult, turning your mood around is difficult, and carrying the burdens of your spiritual travels is near untenable. In the last card the wind is really blowing the person’s skirt around, which suggests a wind that could extinguish any torch—and in your life this could be a wind of change or a sense of instability.

Looking closer, the 4 of Cups here seems to most represent disappointment. This card can often signify that a person is taking the good things on offer for granted, or stacking up empty cups without trying to refill them. There might be a layer of apathy, but it’s the kind that comes with being weary. Perhaps you’ve only been handed empty cups—or promises of love—so you’re not looking in the right direction when one actually comes through. The disappointments of the past can cause us to overlook genuine connection in the present, so if you can find a way to work through anything lingering from childhood or past relationships (of all kinds), this will help free you from negative thought patterns and the ruminations of loneliness. The person looking into the mirror is holding their hands in the same way but without rope. They seem to be punishing themselves for something that could be resolved by actually looking at and confronting the struggle, to see that a lot of it is in their mind and the result of limited thinking. Now of course, when I talk about limited thinking, I’m not talking about things over which you have little to no power, like institutional injustice or “fighting city hall” (to borrow and reinterpret a phrase mentioned sometime in the last week by Steve), but personal things you can at the very least think about if unable to deal with materially. If there’s something you don’t like in yourself on a behavioral or spiritual level, you are capable of journaling about it, or making a bulletpoint list. You don’t need to go it alone—a close friend, therapist, clergy member etc., etc., can listen and let you bounce ideas off them. You may feel trapped and oh boy, does spirit know I’ve been there and still have the occasional day (…or week), but you have way more agency, at least emotionally, than you think. The 10 of Wands does speak to how burdensome this load has become, but it’s a cycle closing and a time to accept help if offered, or to use your voice and ask for it.

It’s okay if you feel bummed out. It can be hard to see the light sometimes, and when problems compound themselves it’s difficult to even take a peek at them. This won’t last forever—nothing does. Life is a shifting kaleidoscope of color and terrain—sometimes full and blooming, other times oddly empty depending on how the wheel turns and the glass scatters into unseen crevices. But if we keep turning the chamber, light will come through and the lovely hues will return. Don’t force yourself into an approximation of happy to keep up an image. Cycles roll on, seasons change, and you will perk up again.

Thank you for being. I am glad you are here with me on this planet, and I hope that you can see you are wonderous just the way you are—magnificent, bold, and unique. Don’t worry if you’re not seeing it just yet. You will in time; just you wait. In the meantime, remember: you are loved, celebrated, and always welcome at my kitchen table. -KTT 🌻💛