Minor Arcana – The Suit of Cups

The Suit of Cups is representative of the element of water. Cups deal with the emotional level of consciousness and are associated with love, feelings, relationships and connections. Cups are about displays of emotion, expression of feelings and the role of emotions in relation to others. The Cups Tarot cards indicate that you are thinking with your heart rather than your head, and thus reflect your spontaneous responses and your habitual reactions to situations. Cups are also linked to creativity, romanticism, fantasy and imagination.

The negative aspects of the Suit of Cups (i.e. when the Cups cards appear reversed) include being overly emotional or completely disengaged and dispassionate, having unrealistic expectations and fantasising about what could be. There may be repressed emotions, an inability to truly express oneself and a lack of creativity. To find out more, read How to Interpret Reversed Tarot Cards.

The people represented by the Suit of Cups (i.e. typically the Court Cards) are emotional, artistic, humane and creative. They are connected with their emotional selves and will draw energy from what they feel within. They are said to correspond to the water signs in the zodiac (Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio) and to water as a symbol of the subconscious mind and reason.

Ace of CupsThe Suit of Cups traditionally represents the west and autumn. If using an ordinary deck of playing cards, Cups are represented by the Suit of Hearts.

Should a Tarot reading be predominantly Cups cards, then you can be sure that the client is seeking solutions to what are primarily emotional conflicts, love matters and emotions.

The Suit of Cups – Keyword Descriptions

Ace of Cups – New love, overwhelming emotion, happiness
Two of Cups – Unified love, partnership, communion, romance, relationship
Three of Cups – Celebration, friendship, harmony, creativity
Four of Cups – Honeymoon is over, boredom, hope, re-evaluation, apathy
Five of Cups – Don’t cry over spilt milk, despair, disappointment, regret
Six of Cups – Reunion, nostalgia, childhood, good karmic ties
Seven of Cups – Fantasy, illusion, possibility, choices, imagination
Eight of Cups – Turning away, abandonment, independence, withdrawal, loneliness
Nine of Cups – Wishes fulfilled, comfort, happiness, satisfaction
Ten of Cups – Attainment, marriage, familiarity, contentment, alignment of values
Page of Cups – A messenger, a service rendered
Knight of Cups – Kindness, an offer of love, romance
Queen of Cups – Emotional security, someone to turn to
King of Cups – Honourable feelings

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