Minor Arcana - Cups
Hover over the cards to read their properties.
Cups correspond to the element of Water – the fluid from which all life emerged. It is without shape, elusive and changeable, yet powerful, creative and refreshing.
Cups represent the development of feelings and emotions during life – through experiences of separation, disappointment, conquest, union, fulfillment, creativity, and idealism.
The suggestion is that through these feelings we are able to understand the depths of the unconscious. Although feelings emerge and take shape from a surrounding situation, they respond to their own specific power and rhythm.
The Cup is associated with the heart, the vessel through which we experience emotions, and it contains the fluid world of feelings.
Ace of Cups
Sudden influences or changes that will enable new opportunities to emerge.
Longing; power of the heart.
New feelings possibly due to a relationship or an emotional encounter.
The birth of something connected to your heart: art, music, relationship or a child.
A sense of fulfillment, self-acceptance or self-love.
3 of Cups
Fulfillment; a connection has been made.
The idea of love has come to fruition. Infatuation.
Celebrations such as weddings, parties, and the holiday get-together.
Feeling support from others about ideas or values.
A sublime feeling of fulfillment and gratification for life.
5 of Cups
Emotional Crisis.
Sadness that is a result of an emotional attachment to an unfulfilled expectation.
A situation of loss where something remains; there are new alternatives to be explored.
Deep sadness of the soul. Regret over past actions. Relying too much on others for love. Betrayed by another or a break up of a relationship.
7 of Cups
Pursuing a Dream.
Temper imagination with realism.
Warning against illusionary hopes and false promises.
A choice with many options – if it sounds too good – it is!
Dreams and fantasies can be turned into reality.
Need to create a stable emotional basis in order to assess life.
Addiction and escapism.
9 of Cups
Wish card.
Overindulgence or hedonism.
Emotional stability, fulfillment, and happiness.
Avoiding worries and problems by concentrating on the simple pleasures.
Manifesting what the imagination has visualized.
Doing what you love and feeling satisfied with the process.
Wishful thinking leads to blinding idealism.
Page of Cups
Emerging Openness.
Creative ideas emerging from the unconscious require commitment before they can develop.
Open to new love and relationships, sometimes after hurt and withdrawal.
A capacity for love or the renewed faith in love.
Opening up to dreams or psychic flashes.
A message concerning the matters of the heart – a wedding, a birth, or an admirer.
Queen of Cups
(Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces)
Deeply emotional, artistic, sensitive, and mystical.
Often the object of one’s desires, she reflects the perfected characteristics of the viewer.
A person who evokes deep feelings hidden within us – they fascinate and yet confuse us, too.
Emotionally sabotaging yourself or manipulating others. Acting too idealistic.
When the Queen corresponds to an event, there is a need to get in touch with your intuition, listen to your dreams, and refrain from escapism.
Two of Cups
Beginning of relationship or a reconciliation of opposites.
A love affair, partnership, or encounter that provokes deep emotions.
Inner peace. Finding balance within a relationship.
The mirroring of your emotions through that of another.
Opening up to others through compassionate response. Feeling great affinity towards another.
4 of Cups
Doldrums; something taken for granted.
Discontent with what you have may cause brooding or imaginary worries.
Seeing only your point of view; you may need to re-assess your position.
Emotional dissatisfaction for no apparent reason, other than unreal expectations.
Feelings of apathy or resentment Turn within for answers.
6 of Cups
Acceptance.
Memory or renewal of something from the past.
Romanticizing or living in the past.
Past efforts bring present or future rewards.
Childhood memories, an encounter with an old friend, lover, or acquaintance.
The timing is right and a cherished dream should be acted upon.
8 of Cups
Renunciation.
Emotional stagnation. Being depleted or drained due to a hopeless situation.
Leaving the past behind or abandoning the situation is necessary; you have done all you can and there is nothing more to get out of it.
Unavoidable regret of leaving something of value during a transition.
Old emotional wounds could be hindering growth in current situations.
10 of Cups
A resurgence of Feeling.
The pursuit of pleasure has been attained. Happiness permeates all aspects of life. Listening to your passions and abandoning all reservations.
Reaching the peak of your emotions, whether good or bad and using the power to let go and move on.
Optimism, self-confidence, love, and contentment are abundant.
Knight of Cups
Vitality of Openness.
A time in which feelings and perceptions are used for a relationship or an artistic creation.
A pursuit of thoughts and fantasies may be causing one to chase an unobtainable dream or affair.
A quest for truth, beauty, or love.
Propositions in love or in the field of arts.
A rival in love. Fighting for an ideal.
Difficulty with commitment. In love with love.
King of Cups
(Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces)
Person who seeks to form relationships or to help others in some way.
Compassionate and empathetic to others, yet uneasy about one’s own feelings or personal life. Master of emotions who is able to change moods at will.
Forming relationships where one remains in control so they do not get hurt again.
Action based on intuition or deeply rooted feelings.
If the King stands for a situation, it is the intention of feelings that lead to changes in the environment.