The Suit of Cups


This suit relates to the Element of Water, the west, autumn, and deals primarily with emotions and relationships. They deal wih the emotonal level of consciousness. Cups mirror your spontaneous responses & your habitual reactions to situations. Representing passivity, quiet reflection upon events, love friendship and positive emotions.
(Please note that there are many types of relationships, not just love relationships such as boyfriend/girlfriend or marriages. You also have relationships with parents, children and other relatives, co-workers, bosses, etc.)


CUPS CORRESPONDENCES:
Ace: Water signs: Pisces, Cancer & Scorpio
2: Venus in Cancer
3: Mercury in Cancer
4: Moon in Cancer
5:Mars in Scorpio
6: Sun in Scorpio
7: Venus in Scorpio
8: Saturn in Pisces
9:Jupiter in Pisces
10: Mars in Pisces


Ace
A gray sky, perfectly clear except for a white hand, with opened palm holding a golden yellow goblet. From this goblet is a flowing fountain of five streams of water and 25 yods which fall into a pond of lotus (red water lilies in bloom). The water is calm with very light ripples. The white hand comes from ruffled clouds appearing to be part of a very decorative delicate sleeve. Above the bright yellow goblet is a white dove facing down with a white circle decorated with a cross in the middle. It appears that the dove wants to drop this Host into the flowing cup. The cup has an upside down M or a W inscribed on it. The white hand has radiating rays all around it.

You must always trust your inner feelings as it is an inner voice and your heart will lead the way. This is your intuitiveness and power talking to you.

There is a chance for a marriage either with love or in business partnership or new contract. Positive air is flowing and it is time to forgive and make up. This is a peaceful time in your life so use it and make this peace with friends or yourself.

It is time of fertility, a time for child bearing. Perhaps an adoption should be considered.

It is a time of giving rather than taking. You will have your turn as the old saying goes, "You get what you give." If you give prayers, He will hear.

  There are many rewards in the near future outlook when you get the Ace of Cups in a reading. The rewards are said to be in the giving. This Ace is all about deep emotions and generosity. Feel good when his beautiful card appears. It is your lucky day!

Medically this suit refers to the Urinary (kidney and bladder problems) andReproductive Systems

Water - Comes to us in the form of blood, tears, urine, perspiration, saliva, and sexual juices. A lack of water can bring about a dried up feeling (stiffness both emotional and physical), lack of moisture in the body, non-flowingness with life, difficulty with dealing with emotions and with others who are emotional.

Emotion - Close relationships, the family, lovers, rivals, premonitions, fears, memories, nostalgia, and most of all water is our unconscious.

Keywords - Love, anger, sentiment, sympathy, caring, tenderness and frustration.

"Cups are vessels that carry emotions and healing powers."

(This card usually depicts a chalice hovering above a body of water. The chalice is usually overflowing.)
The Ace of Cups signals an outpouring of emotion. There is the potential for a new relationship, often with a person as yet unknown to the Querent.
Reversed, this card can indicate a blockage of emotion, an unwillingness to let go and enjoy a relationship.



Two

Connection, truce, attraction.

Balance, Friendship Satisfying love, friendship,platonic love, a good partnership. harmony cooperation. Two opposing forces blend and yield a glorious whole.

Gendron
Beginning of a new relationship, romance. Partnership, Love, New ideas shared. Differences are resolved.

Faery Wicca
A unified concept of love(Ace)becomes duality: active partnership. Trust; sympathy; consummation of desires; vows, promises, engagements, proposal of marriage, intimate friendships.

Sacred Circle
There is a harmony in polarity male-female night-day summer-winter.

Opposites are necessary to existence and have equal value. P phase of harmony and cooperation in the area of relationships. Quarrels and differences in existing relationships are resolved and you may begin new friendships or even a romance. Success will come from working with other people.

(This card usually depicts two young lovers, each holding a cup. Often, there is a cherub smiling down at them.)
The Two of Cups signifies the beginning of a relationship, or the healing of one that has undergone difficulties. In either case, there is a sense of union and partnership.
Reversed, this card can indicate difficulties caused by the partners being on different wavelengths, or one putting more into a relationship than the other is.



Three

Three of cups has three maidens/women on it. Each with a wreath on thier head, each with different colored eyes. Brown haired maiden , blue eyes has a wreath of pink panseys, spring. Blondes haired maiden has green eyes with a hydreangea wreath, summer. The Black haired maiden had brown eyes with , what feels like a Yule wreath with berries.

There is a table in front of them, with three Chalices, and half eaten fruit. They are wearing beautiful robes.

Now, I envision myself in this card, as one of the maidens. I feel happy, celebratory, joyful. I have shared with my friends, laughed and there possibly is some dancing going on. Eating, drinking.

With this card, I would see the helping of others in a time of need, a good work atmosphere, a good friendship, accomplishments with the support of such friendship.

To know the three of cups is to know new things that regard the emotions. All around a good card where money, relationship, work, and spirituality are concerned. The cups overflow with these qualities.

If you are using reversals, which I do not, I would feel that in reversed the opposite would imply here. Possibly a betrayal in friendship, gossiping. Meditate on this card, feel it's possitive energy, the gifts it has to offer. The oneness of friends.

From: Robin Goodfellow
It might be added that, in a reading in depth, the "Three Fates" might be found. These, who in mythology, are the spinners of the woven web of life, are acting out the celebratory phase of a life. Depending on the position in the reading, one could infer the guidance of the Fates and their benevolence, in this situation. This could be especially auspicious if the card is near to the Wheel of Fortune in the same spread.
(This card usually depicts three figures clustered together, each with a cup.)
The Three of Cups indicates a relationship moving onto a new, deeper level. This could indicate "going steady," an engagement, etc, and sometimes it will indicate pregnancy, especially if the Querent is involved in a steady relationship and they want children.
Reversed, this card can indicate a relationship that seems to be going nowhere, or in which one person is pulling back emotionally.



Four

We encounter a young man,possibly a young woman, sitting cross-legged and cross-armed on a grassy knoll under a tree. Three full cups sit in front of him and a fourth cup is being offered to him by a small hand coming out the sky through a cloud. He is not taking the cup and indeed appears to be paying no attention to it whatsoever.This action, or inaction, leads to several interpretations of the card. One avenue of interpretation is that of apathy or indifference. That a complete satiation has occurred and the man cannot be tempted no matter how attractive the situation is that the cup is offering. Rather like the bringing out of the loaded dessert cart filled with mouth-watering delicacies, just after an equally mouth-watering full-course meal has just been consumed. The awareness is there that the taste would be fantastic-- but just not at that time. No interest is generated. Not that it would not be of interest at a later time. Another interpretation is that of defensiveness. This can be noticed in the body language displayed in the crossed arms and legs of the man. He may not be sure of what the cup has to offer. How would it change his life if he accepted it? Possibly he had been hurt emotionally before, as this is the suit of cups, and he is fearful to expose himself to that again. He has not rejected the cup either. This card is therefore saying that a new opportunity, possibly a romance, is being presented at this time. However, now is not the time for overt action. It is the time for contemplation, research and meditation... the cup will continue to be there and the decision to accept or reject it can be made later when all of the answers are in, and it feels right emotionally. No immediate action is required.
(This card usually depicts a lone figure beneath a tree, surrounded by four cups.)
The Four of Cups signifies dissatisfaction with a relationship. There is nothing inherently wrong with the relationship, it has just come to the end of the "honeymoon phase." The other person is no longer perfect, and faults which you didn't see before now become apparent. Remember that no one is perfect, even though they may seem so in the beginning.
Reversed, this card can indicate a refusal to see the other person's faults. You know they are there, but refuse to acknowledge them, insisting that the other is perfect in all ways. No relationship can exist for long if one person is always on a pedastal...let the other come down to earth, and learn to love faults and all.



Five

Named "Regret" in this deck. It is twilight, the sky and water are various shades of soft purples. Three chalices float on a moonlit lake. In front of them, two chalices twined with morning glories are tipped over and spilling out wine.

Gendron Tarot:
It is early evening, the landscape is apinted in shades of blue and purple. In the foreground there is a stream with rapids. A person draped in a dark cloak stands on a rock in the middle of the stream. On five other rocks a little bit away from him, five chalices stand...just out of reach, and blocked by the turbulent waters. In the background are some flat lands with rocks formations, leading up to foothills and finally a mountain in the distance.

A person garbed with a black cloak stands, head down and face hidden by his the hood. One hand can be seen grasping the cloak and wrapping it tightly around his/her body, as if keeping away coldness and protecting him/herself. Behind him on the ground are two upright chalices. On the other side of the figure are three chalices that have been tipped over and are spilling bright red wine over the ground....reminds me strikingly of blood. It jumps out of the picture, because the person and the background are all very dark, the landscape is gray like on a rainy day.

It is all about sorrow, loss, bitterness....and the person is so caught up in seeing what has been lost, he/she pays no heed to what still remains. Disillusionment and regret.....regretting what has been lost, disillusioned at the loss of what once seemed so secure. Disappointment. Yet it is important to not that this isn't as bleak a card as it seems, because there are still two cups remaining...there is hope, you just may not be seeing it because you are wallowing in bitterness and regret. Because the Cups represent emotions, affairs of the heart, this card also often means the loss of a loved one or ending of a love relationship.

Reversed, it means a new love relationship forming or a person you cared for deeply in the past re-entering your life. It is a "return of hope" as Eden Gray calls it, the dark clouds have parted and the sun shines through brightly illuminating the world in a brief flash.

(This card usually depicts a forlorn figure staring at over-turned cups, their contents spilling out onto the ground. Behind him are one or two upright cups.)
The Five of Cups generally indicates difficulties in a relationship, often involving separation. There is hope, however, as there is still enough feeling left to work on, providing, of course, that both parties want to make it work. There is a need to turn the focus from what's wrong (spilled away) to what's right.
Reversed, this card can indicate feeling that the relationship is not worth saving...that there is nothing left to work on.



Six

Memories, past, emotions
Very pink card overall, you see the back of a man looking on to a young girl bringing him a golden cup with a rose in it. She is walking around a wall where the 5 other cups are stacked in a pyramid, where a young boy has his back to us, is trying to climb up. Behind that further is a home with pink clouds around the roof. All are clothed in pink/purple tinged clothing.

Memories
Nostalgia, experience meaningful, but over
Memory for memory
New beginning or relationships, knowledgeable, environment, or a meeting
? REVERSED: living in the past, clinging, possible inheritance or gift from the past

this card is revisiting a time in the past that was special. Now it may be a time that has given you the wings to fly, or it could be a time you return to. Basically it calls to mind emotions from childhood that affect our day to day environment and how we deal with the present.
(This card usually depicts two children surrounded by six cups filled with flowers.
The Six of Cups is often refered to as "The Nostalgia Card," as it deals with issues from the past, often indicating someone from the past coming back into the Querent's life.
Reversed, this card can indicate a need to spend less time dwelling on the past, and more time looking to the future and getting on with life.



Seven

Description: There are seven filled cups floating on a cloud of smoke.  There is a person standing in front of the cups.
Seven of cups is a wish card. Each of the cups are filled with wishes such as wealth, beauty, Peace, and a nice home (castle) You can also see that there is a cup with a snake and a cup with a demon. Showing that wishes can go awry. Many people may consider this card a good oman. This in reality can be a mixed blessing; be carefull for what you wish for you may just get it and with a price as you can see that the cup standing for peace (olive branch) there is a skull; there may be peace but at what or whose cost?
The seven does caution you to beware what you wish for. The seven is more of a "pie-in-the-sky" type dreamers card. Sometimes, people "dream" things they don't want into reality. Hence, the "bad" things coming out of the cup. Another thing to remember is that sevens always indicate change of some sort, and cups symbolize the emotions, so look for the change to affect you emotionally. Concentrate on positive change. The change you hold in your thoughts is the one that will manifest, for good or ill.

The correspondence for this card is Venus in Scorpio. On the tree of life, this card is Victory and Venus.

Reversed, this card could indicate an unwillingness to deal with the day-to-day reality of life, a caution to get your head out of the clouds.

(This card usually depicts either a wizard behind seven cups (or a woman with seven cups floating above her head). The cups generally contain the following: a dragon, a faerie, gold and jewels, a castle, a rainbow, stars, and either a fish or octopus)
The Seven of Cups indicates choices to be made, often among several possibilities, all of which have emotional baggage attached. There is a need to make a decision, but often the number of choices is overwhelming.
Reversed, this card can indicate being lost in fantasies and pipe dreams, and not setting a goal to work toward.



Eight
br> In the eight of cups, we see a person walking away from a stack of cups. It obviously took some effort to build up those cups, and stack them so neatly. Why has this person turned their back on them? There is nothing for him in the direction he is walking. All we see is barrenness. Everything he has worked for is behind him. When this card shows up, it indicates a person disappointed enough to walk away from everything he has built up. It could indicate a disappointment in love, or a dissatisfaction with material success. It could also indicate that the person has overextended himself to the point of exhaustion. I would caution the person to slow down and take it slower before he gets totally burnt-out. The astrological correspondence for this card is Saturn in Pisces. Saturn is the planet of discipline. Pisces is the sign of the fish-- water; emotions. This is saying to slow down & set some limits on the emotions to avoid overextending yourself to the point of exhaustion.

The 8 of Cups stands for those moments when we realize, once and for all, that the past is gone. What was true is no longer true. It is indeed time to move on. Moving on can mean a physical change such as leaving a job, location or relationship. It can also mean an inner change - releasing old patterns, especially those that have dominated our thoughts and emotions. On the 8 of Cups, we see a man leaving on a journey. He has turned away from his old feelings (cups/river) to strike out on a new path. Sometimes moving on can mean searching for a deeper truth or reality. One day we wake up and realize that we have been asleep in our own lives - living a dream that no longer satisfies. Some changes can be wearying. Endings are not always easy. One of the signs of a readiness to leave is lack of energy. When you feel tired and dispirited, you know that something is wrong, and it's time for a new direction. Reexamine your life and your priorities. You will find where in your life you need to move on.

(This card usually depicts a lone figure walking away from a stack of eight cups.)
The Eight of Cups indicates turning your back on a relationship or situation and walking away from it. This is often accompanied by feelings of loss, depression, and mourning.
Reversed, this card can indicate a need to learn to let go, to give something up, and move forward, alone, into your future.



Nine

Nine of Cups (Pisces Cancer - March 2nd - March 11th)

Nines -- Corresponding Major Arcana Card: The Hermit

Nines represent personal integrity & completion, or the final stage of development. Nine is associated with the Moon - therefore dreams & delusions play a role in these cards. This final stage may bring certain problems with it, & past experiences & methods of coping become important here & are an intrinsic part of the meaning attached to the nines.

Upright - Fulfilment
The Nine of Cups represents stability & advancement. This is a card of great success, especially material success. It represents triumph, victory, and financial well-being. The enjoyment of good personal relationships, love & friendship, as well as comfortable material circumstances are indicated. This card reflects happiness which is either health, finances, work, luck, love or relationship. Your desires will be fulfilled, and this fulfilment will bring with it much satisfaction and contentment.

This is the traditional wish card, so whatever the querent desires here can be theirs -- however, everything does come with a price, and they should be careful what they wish for because they are likely to receive it! I usually warn my clients think over their desires very carefully, and make sure that if their wish is fulfilled, it is for their long-term good and happiness.

Reversed - Negative Self-Criticism In the reversed position, the Nine of Cups can point to disappointments due to imperfections and mistakes, smugness, overindulgence, greed, superficial or materialistic values, shallowness, gluttony, and excessive preoccupation with gratifying your own desires, oftentimes at the expense of the needs of others. It can also indicate ill-fortune due to over-indulgence in food, alcohol, or drugs and the consequences that come with it. It can also point to a wish that is not yet fulfilled, perhaps because it is desired too intensely or the querent is sabotaging their own efforts. Sometimes this card shows up reversed when the person being read to is going through a depression or lack of self-worth.
(This card usually depicts a smiling man with nine cups on shelves behind him.)
The Nine of Cups is commonly called "The Wish Card" as it indicates the fulfillment of a cherished wish, often something you have been working toward for quite a while.
Reversed, this card can indicate a need to realize that wishes come true through hard work and dedication.



Ten

A man and a woman (pretty small people in this card) are standing wit their backs against us. The man (on the left) is holding his arm around his wife's waist. At their side 2 children, a boy and a girl, are dancing around happily. The man is dressed in an orange jacket and the woman in a blue dress. The children are wearing the same colors as their parents. The couple is looking up at a big, big rainbow in the sky (The rainbow is what dominates the card) In the rainbow you can see all the ten cups. Both the man and the woman are raising their arms toward the rainbow. In the background there's a grassy hill, a river, some trees and a house hiding behind the trees.
This card symbolizes the family or maybe another group of people that you feel very close too, happiness, security and safety (both inner and outer), love, comfort and the home (or the feeling you get when you feel at home) You have reached your goal and found your way home. But if you look in the sky you'll find that there are more wonderful things coming (so don't stop reaching for the rainbow even though you've gotten this far). Not only the present is wonderful, but also the future.

(This card usually a family (father, mother, one or two children) standing beneath a rainbow that contains ten cups. There is a castle in the distance, and they are obviously happy together.)
The Ten of Cups indicates on-going contentment and permanence in matters of the heart -- lasting happiness, a permanent relationship, etc.
Reversed, this card can indicate that there may be adversity to be weathered, which often tests the strength of a relationsip.


Page
(This card usually depicts a young person standing on the shore of the ocean, a cup in one hand, and a fish poking its head out of the cup.) The Page of Cups indicates the start of something new on the emotional level; a renewal of your capacity to love after having been hurt, starting with love of the self.
Reversed, this card can indicate being too wrapped up in the self, being afraid to step out and share yourself with another.

Knight
(This card usually depicts a young man on a horse, gazing into the cup he carries.)
The Knight of Cups is a card of romance. This is thie fairy-tale knight in shining armor, who loves for love's sake. It can also indicate a secret admirer, worshipping from afar. If the card is referring to a person, it is a somewhat romantic and poetic young man, very expressive of his feelings.
Reversed, this card can indicate someone who tends to be a bit immature emotionally. All is well unti there is a problem to be dealt with, at which point he is nowhere to be found.

Queen
(This card usually depicts a woman seated in a large sea shell, staring into a cup.)
The Queen of Cups is a loving, expressive woman with deep feelings. She reflects a need to get in touch with and express your emotions. This card also indicates a need to develop your inner life, including the ability and willingness to listen to your intuition.
Reversed, this card can indicate someone who is selfish and demanding.



King
(This card usually depicts a rather sad- or thoughtful-looking man. seated on a throne, holding a scepter and a cup. In some decks he is staring into the cup. The throne is on the shore.)
The King of Cups is a caring, sympathetic man, an excellent listener, the sort of person that everyone takes their troubles to. Often he has been deeply hurt, but instead of becoming cynical he came through it with a deeper awareness of his own feelings, and a greater undertanding of other people.
Reversed, this card can indicate someone who has put a wall around himself, and who comes across as rather cynical and unfeeling, either trying not to care, or not to show that he does. It can also indicate someone who turns to alcohol to drown their feelings.


Tarot Card Spreads

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Tarot

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Major Arcana




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