Sipping Illusions - The Seven of Cups, The Devil, and Drinking Calories
How these tarot cards represent the liquid temptation.
This is a wake-up call for most, because most have fallen into the trap of drinking calories without realizing how much they add up.
That fancy Starbucks frappuccino, the seemingly innocuous fruit juice, or even the occasional cocktail makes quite a difference in our health and weight.
Two tarot cards that perfectly symbolize this phenomenon are the Seven of Cups and The Devil.
The Seven of Cups is an illusion, poor choices, and wishful thinking-often how we rationalize drinking high-calorie beverages.
In contrast, the Devil is about indulgence, addiction, and being chained to unhealthy habits.
Together, these cards can show just how devious and destructive drinking liquid calories can be. So let’s talk about it!
The Seven of Cups: The Illusion of Healthy Choices
The Seven of Cups is a card of illusions, options, and often unrealistic thinking.
It's a card of being overwhelmed with choices, some of which seem beneficial but are actually deceptive.
And that perfectly aligns with how people approach drinking their calories.
Yup, it is so easy to convince ourselves that smoothies are healthy, fruit juices are nutritious.
Additionally, those fancy coffee drinks are well-deserved treats, all while we choose to ignore their hidden sugar and calorie content. So easy to ignore!!
Ten years ago, I felt like I didn't want to drink my calories.
Then, in the throes of caregiver burnout, I got into the habit of stopping at Starbucks every day for my favorite mochaccino with whipped cream. Yikes.
I shudder when I think about it really.
At the time, I didn't drink regular soda and thought I was being so smart. Nope!
The reality was I was just fooling myself, as one mochaccino contained more calories than a can of Coke. OMG!
The Seven of Cups represents precisely that kind of thinking: where we pick and choose what we want to believe rather than deal with reality.
Those frequent visits to Starbucks were contributing to me being 300 lbs.
To make it worse, I would also eat a pastry with it. Holy geez.
Sure, I wanted to believe the treat was something I needed because I had a stressful life; the truth in my heart, though, was different.
What I was doing was just feeding an addiction.
The Seven of Cups' illusions are comforting yet blind us from making better choices.
Thankfully, that is no longer my reality.
The minute I stopped buying into my own rationalizations, I was able to break my habits and get back in the driver's seat.
The Devil: The Chains of Indulgence and Addiction
While the Seven of Cups is all about delusion, The Devil represents overindulgence, overconsumption, and addiction.
This card shows up when we feel controlled by unhealthy habits, which include emotional eating, binge drinking, or consuming too many liquid calories.
As I reflect on my former behavior, I can clearly see The Devil in those Starbucks runs.
I wasn't just indulging at odd times; I was caught up in a vicious circle, finding comfort with calorie-laden drinks.
The Devil's energy is addictive. Those sugary, creamy drinks had just that sort of temporary satisfaction but kept me wanting more.
The more I drank, the more impossible it was to stop, even after I realized I was getting heavier and feeling worse.
Sure, I could rationalize continuing.
That is, in essence, The Devil card: knowing something is bad for you and feeling powerless to resist.
This required a conscious effort to break free.
So, when I finally made up my mind to shed those pounds, one of the first changes was cutting those high-calorie drinks.
That simple shift helped my weight drop.
I traded sugar-chained lattes for the need to be hydrated with water and naturally flavored carbonated beverages. Sometimes I drank diet soda.
Those beverages that held my captive attention mean nothing to me now.
In fact, the idea of them makes my stomach turn.
I haven't thought once about a drink since that wine from that vineyard in Wales when I visited the UK and Ireland in 2023.
I was freed from the clutches of The Devil, regaining my agency.
Seven of Cups and The Devil: A Combination that Can Be Dangerous
When the Seven of Cups and The Devil appear together, they caution against self-deception combined with destructive indulgence.
This is exactly what happens in the case of people unknowingly drinking their calories.
The Seven of Cups clouds judgment, making us believe that liquid calories don't count as much as solid food does.
Meanwhile, The Devil keeps us hooked on those habits, reinforcing the cycle of overconsumption.
Most people have problems with weight loss, and they don't recognize how much their choice of beverages affects their progress.
The mere elimination of high-calorie drinks would greatly reduce the daily intake of calories without extreme diet changes.
Unfortunately, The Seven of Cups convinces us that those drinks are harmless, and The Devil ensures we keep consuming them.
A lesson learned the hard way. My journey was one of breaking loose from the illusions and temptations that once ran my habits.
Presently, I am conscious about what I consume and make choices that go hand-in-hand with my health goals.
If you struggle with weight loss or mindless calorie consumption, it is now time to acknowledge these two tarot cards' ruling in your life.
Awareness is the beginning to break free.
Tarot has a way of shining a light on blind spots, and in this regard, drinking our calories is no exception.
The Seven of Cups and The Devil perfectly illustrate both the mindset and habits responsible for weight gain.
The illusions of the Seven of Cups coupled with the addictive tendencies of The Devil create a hazardous cycle of overindulgence.
Freedom, however, can be obtained. We can let go of such patterns by being more aware of what we are doing and making conscious changes.
One of the simplest and most potent ways to look after ourselves is giving up high-calorie drinks.
In choosing awareness over illusion, discipline over indulgence, we free ourselves from the hold these cards represent.
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The lines in the drive through should be enough to show people the sickness of those places (I do enjoy an americano latte from time to time)
This was beautifully done. I love this real example to highlight the seven of cups and the devil card. Magical ✨
I don’t go to Starbucks much anymore, rarely. I get the most sugar free/low sugar latte I can make. My compromise is a grande iced soy latte with 2 pumps of sugar free vanilla flavor and cinnamon on top. Still have the illusion of sweet and most of the sugar comes from the soy milk (points for the bonus protein). The fake sweetners they normally put in a grande is 3 shots, and that is so gross with the overkill of the fake sweetness, I would compare it to a diet soda.
I did the sweet Starbucks and full strength sodas up to about 30. Then I was borderline prediabetic. I am not an overweight girl, very petite actually. I have messed up my glucose processing pretty much permanently. I am permanently high normal now with my a1c, even after 15 years of reducing direct sugar. I still eat carbs, but I also do intermittent morning fasting every day, eat lighter meals, and still indulge sometimes without worrying about it. I think I have found a good balance. Artificial sweeteners are awful, but a necessary part of this. One thing that changed for me was that my palette changed to more savory foods. I just don’t want alcohol or sweets at all.