CUPS

The Heart Speaks

Cups explore the complexities of the heart, the push and pull of relationship to others, the catharsis that comes with deeply felt emotions.  Ruled by the element of water, cups are symbolic of the inner feminine, the place within where intuition and nurturing reside.

In a deck of playing cards, Cups correspond to Hearts.

Rolf Eichelmann, New Century Tarot, Germany, 2003
The New Century Tarot by Rolf Eichelmann features the illustrator's colorful, modern reinterpretations of traditional Tarot arcana.

The Qualities of the Suit of Cups are Feelings, Emotions, Intuition, and Creativity.

In Astrology, the Suit of Cups is associated with Scorpio (Fixed Water), Pisces (Mutable Water), and Cancer (Cardinal Water).

CUPS SUMMARIES AND KEYWORDS

ACE of CUPS

Love, abundance and beginnings.  The Ace of Cups symbolizes fertility, joy, and spiritual sustenance.  It is a card that often relates to positivity and emotional openness.

UPRIGHT
Abundance
Affirmation
Fountainhead

REVERSED
Superficiality
Rejection
Promiscuity

TWO of CUPS

Self-reflection, self-expansion, finding room for new experiences.  The Two of Cups is a card of spiritual unions and harmonious partnerships, cooperation and friendship.

UPRIGHT
Friendship
Affinity
Cooperation

REVERSED
Imbalance
Quarreling
Misunderstanding

THREE of CUPS

Momentum, abundance, energy.  The Three of Cups connotes plenitude, healing, union, and victory, and often indicates time for sharing and communal spiritual growth.

UPRIGHT
Celebration
Jubilee
Merriment

REVERSED
Hedonism
Indulgence
Sensualist

FOUR of CUPS

Stable foundations, protection, reevaluation, and maturation.  The Four of Cups asks us to take time to reflect and contemplate, to pause before taking on new ventures.

UPRIGHT
Introspection
Contemplation
Dissatisfaction

REVERSED
Regeneration
Emergence

FIVE of CUPS

A point of no return, separation, grief.  The Five of Cups symbolizes a change in needs and priorities and suggests that we abandon regret and instead see our losses as gains.

UPRIGHT
Loss
Mourning
Regrets

REVERSED
Restoration
Acceptance

SIX of CUPS

Recuperation and return to self.  The Six of Cups marks a dawn after darkness, a renewed hope.  This card can also symbolize nostalgia and the playful innocence of childhood.

UPRIGHT
Nostalgia
Childhood
Reminiscence
Memories

REVERSED
Clinging
Attachment
Puerility

SEVEN of CUPS

Disorganization, lack of focus.  The Seven of Cups asks us to be wary of self-indulgent fantasizing and wishful thinking and to try our best instead to regain focus.

UPRIGHT
Temptation
Superficiality
Enticement
Decoys

REVERSED
Determination
Decision
Purpose Revealed

EIGHT of CUPS

End of the rope, breaking point, painful realizations.  The Eight of Cups encourages us to walk away from the past, to start afresh, to move toward the better and brighter.

UPRIGHT
Abandonment
Detachment
Spiritual Journey

REVERSED
Epicurean
Peripatetic
Drifting Aimlessly

NINE of CUPS

Optimism, renewed trust.  Finding harmony after a difficult time.  The Nine of Cups marks wishes fulfilled, blessings counted, and needs satiated.

UPRIGHT
Wish Granted
Comfort
Material Success

REVERSED
Overindulgence
Greed
Wish Not Granted

TEN of CUPS

Completion, love that radiates outward in all directions.  The Ten of Cups marks a moment of fulfillment and feelings as one with the world.

UPRIGHT
Happiness
Joy
Felicity
Content Family

REVERSED
Discord
Broken Family
Shattered Values
Family-Related Disappointment

PAGE of CUPS

Compassion, creativity, creative potential through a wellspring of emotions.  The Page of Cups is a card of intimacy, encouraging us to trust in our intuition.

UPRIGHT
Dreamer
Sensitive
Poetic
Receipt of Personal News

REVERSED
Quixotic
Delusional

KNIGHT of CUPS

Fantasies, our inner world.  The Knight of Cups suggests the exploration of our interior landscapes.  This card can also connote emotional love, proposition, and invitation.

UPRIGHT
Charming
Affable
Equanimity

REVERSED
Discouragement
Ennui
Unmotivated
Discomfiture

QUEEN of CUPS

Imagination, creativity through openness.  The Queen of Cups asks us to tap into our emotional depths, to nurture, to act with compassion and empathy.

UPRIGHT
Nurturing
Warm
Tender
Empathetic

REVERSED
Manipulation
Jealousy

KING of CUPS

Sensitivity, grace, giving.  The King of Cups suggests it is time for diplomacy, a moment to evaluate with an open-mind and offer service to others.

UPRIGHT
Diplomatic
Caring
Fatherhood

REVERSED
Overwrought
Distracted


Carl W. Rohrig, Rohrig Tarot, Germany, 1995
German artist Rohrig incorporates both classic and current pop culture iconography into his detailed dreamlike illustrations, creating his own surreal symbology for his decks.