Nine of Cups – The Wish Card

Your wish is my command! The genie card! In a general context, the Nine of Cups Tarot card is a positive card which indicates your wishes will be coming true or your dreams will become a reality. The Nine of Cups represents reaching goals, having wishes coming true and fulfilling dreams. The emotions embodied by this Minor Arcana card are positive indeed. Triumph, pride, joy, and happiness, and in some interpretations. Success and even fame may also be predicted.

There can be no doubt that the woman who is depicted in the card shown here is radiant, basking in the glory of her achievements.

Traditionally, this is known as the ‘wish’ card. In divination, it can portend that your wishes will come true. The imagery in this card is generally one of satisfaction and it is an auspicious for anyone who is ready to celebrate their success.

In a reading this card can serve as a reminder to let yourself really enjoy the abundant pleasures in your life rather than be coy for fear of being accused of being a self satisfied, smug, show off.

Dame Nellie Melba GBE (19 May 1861 – 23 February 1931), born Helen Porter Mitchell, was an Australian opera soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian Era and the early 20th century due to the purity of her lyrical voice and the brilliance of her technique. Melba was the first Australian to achieve international recognition as a classical musician.

One woman whose achievements were legendary, whose dazzling fame was greatly celebrated, who was said to be ‘one of Australia’s greatest daughters’ was Dame Nellie Melba. Her stage name paid homage to her birth-city, Melbourne.

Dame Nellie Melba (1861-1931), prima donna, was born Helen Porter Mitchell on 19 May 1861 at Richmond, Melbourne, eldest surviving of ten children of David Mitchell, building contractor, and his wife Isabella Ann, née Dow.

Melba left Australia in 1886 and the following year made her operatic debut in at Brussels. Called the Queen of Song Melba went on to conquer and rule over all the major opera houses in Europe and USA for almost 40 years.

Despite her fame, Melba never forgot she was a colonial born Australian. She wrote: “If you wish to understand me at all you must understand first and foremost, that I am an Australian”

In 1909 she purchased property at Coldstream near Lilydale in Victoria and established her Australian home and country retreat Coombe Cottage. Today, Coombe is still owned by Melba’s descendants.

Melba died in 1931 but her contribution to the arts in Australia lives on through the Melba Opera Trust, the Lilydale & District Historical Society and the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum at Lilydale.

The Nine of Cups in Your Reading

When the Nine of Cups appears in your reading, rather than believing that the universe has bestowed all this good fortune upon you, consider how your essence and endeavors seeded this harvest.

Well remembered now, Dame Nellie Melba was not an overnight success. It was not until 1884 that she made her début at a Liedertafel concert at the Melbourne Town Hall. After some success as a professional singer (she earned £750 in the first year) Melba accompanied her father, appointed Victoria’s commissioner to the Indian and Colonial Exhibition, to London in March 1886. At first she was captivated; but encouragement was not forthcoming. Sir Arthur Sullivan told her to keep on with her studies and in a year’s time he might offer her a small part in The Mikado; her one concert was smothered in fog and polite applause.

It is all too easy to look at the highly successful and underestimate the work that they put in to achieve their status. There is not doubt that it was only through sheer hard work that Melba achieved her extraordinary recognition and fame.

The appearance of this card in your reading implies you do have successes to celebrate. In many ways it can be thought of as a reminder to express gratitude for good fortune that has come your way.

  • Begin by making a list of the successes that come to mind. Examine your list and write a more full account of what was involved to achieve this.
  • The Nine of Cups is said to be the wish card. Imagine a Genie appears before you. If you are not sure what you are going to ask check out Shakti Gawain’s Creative Visualization for strategies to help connect to your feelings. Consider making a collage to help illustrate what you want. Alternatively, imagine going into a theatre and seeing a short documentary featuring your success. How does viewing this make your feel?
  • The Australian Dictionary of Biography features a diverse array of successful people. Why not use their approach and write up your biography?