Associated with the element of water and the aspect of the heart, the suit of cups in the Tarot contains several beautiful connection cards.
With this suit we explore emotions, relationships, love and friendship, community, intuition, faith, spirituality, creativity and magic, diving into our own sense of inner wisdom with sensitivity, wonder and joy.
Although we tend to think of this as a sign of love, cups also acknowledge the harsher emotions we can experience: sadness, loneliness, anger, frustration, sadness and grief.
Like Water itself, the suit of cups contains endless depths, wild currents and rich beauty.
Basics of Tarot Cups
The suit of cups is one of the four suits in the Minor Arcana and contains numbered cards ranging from ace to ten and four court cards. These cards are connected to the astrological element of Water, which means that this suit is also linked to the three water zodiac signs: Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.
Each of the four Minor Arcana suits is associated with an aspect of our humanity.
Cups represent the heart while Swords represent the mind, pentacles represent the body, and wands represent the soul. Cups help us acknowledge our most tender and personal feelings, the people and communities we are drawn to, and the ways in which we need to be held and understood.
Besides Water and the heart, the get cups also represents creativity, attachment, attraction, love, family, connection, art, beauty, intimacy, vulnerability, empathy, perception and intuition.
Like the astrological element of Water, here we explore the depths we carry, the secrets we keep, the times we are fluid and the times we are stagnant.
As we move through the pack of cups, we discover a new source of emotions, build important connections, struggle with loneliness and disappointment, reflect on our history, make important decisions about where we invest emotional energy and become we are fully supported by the collective. .
When working with cards in the heading series, keep in mind that these cards ask us to explore a particularly complex topic and can help us delve deeper into feelings or reactions that we have not always fully recognized.
- What are you afraid to explore?
- What secrets are you keeping from yourself, and how do boundaries of protection help you heal and grow?
- How does connecting with others help us understand ourselves better?
The pips (or numbered cards) in the cup show us many ways to think about this energy, from opening our hearts to new connections to guarding them when we feel unsafe.
These cards can help us recognize and make space for our own sadness or pain, prompt us to be more generous with our energy, and show empathy or kindness in new ways.
The court cardsin contrast, represent individuals learning how to best use the energy of the cups.
The page is a child and student, one who is just beginning his journey with creativity and sensitivity; the knight is an adolescent, eager to prove his talent and desire through actions; the queen is a master and ruler who teaches others how to use this element internally, and the king is a master and ruler who teaches others how to use this element externally.
These cards can represent the querent, a person in the querent’s life, or can give advice on how to harness the energy of the pack of cups for themselves.
The Suit of Cups: Tarot Card Descriptions
Below I provide some simple interpretations of each of the fourteen cards in the deck of cups. You can combine these with your own research or intuitive ideas to develop a personal, powerful understanding of each of these cards, but this will give you a place to start.
Ace of Cups
Ace of Cups: A new beginning, a joyful connection, expansion and discovery. Opening the heart to a new connection, learning more about yourself and recognizing an invitation to grow. The full potential of the cup suit.
2 cups
2 cups: A change in intimacy, a new relationship, something that grows. Development within an important partnership. An opportunity for better connection or to learn more about another person.
3 of cups
3 of cups: Important friends, chosen family, the people who see us for exactly who we are. Celebration, community, the collective. Let us witness our triumphs and our sorrows.
4 of cups
4 of cups: Setting boundaries in relationships, moving away from intimacy, feeling bored or restless in our current position. Isolating ourselves, feeling lonely, or wanting to be selfish with our emotions. Withhold.
5 of cups
5 of cups: Loss, sadness, grief, mourning. An acknowledgment that something has changed in a way we didn’t want, an acknowledgment that some hope has been lost. Space for sadness and at the same time recognition of everything that is still present.
6 of cups
6 of cups: Thinking back to happier times, exploring old memories, digging into the past. Game, childhood, nostalgia, joy, simple pleasures. Finding magic again.
7 of cups
7 of cups: Getting lost in our own imagination, indulging in fantasies, losing touch with reality or postponing making an important decision. Dreaming of possible futures. Learning the difference between dreams and reality, paying attention to illusions.
8 of cups
8 of cups: Choosing to walk away from a difficult or harmful situation. Leaving behind something that no longer serves us. Choosing the self, starting a new journey, leaving something negative behind.
Recognizing when growth is not possible.
9 of cups
9 of cups: Comfort, pleasure, being content with where we are and how far we have come. Wishes come true, even when we realize we still have a few dreams we hope to achieve.
Delight, satisfaction, contentment.
10 of cups
10 of cups: Beautiful community, joyful partnerships, a sense of deep joy and happiness. Reciprocity, giving and receiving energy in equal measure. Feeling completely supported. Fulfillment.
Page with headings
Page with headings: A child of water, bringing news of a new creative opportunity, a romantic connection, or an invitation to community. Artistic explorations, a new beginning, an opening of the heart.
Knight of Cups
Knight of Cups: A water teen known for his optimism, romance, dreamy imagination, and wearing emotions on his sleeve. Pursuing an ideal, pursuing a conquest, taking on a new challenge, being willing to take a risk for love.
Jealousy, getting lost in the imagination, need for balance.
Queen of Cups
Queen of Cups: A ruler of water full of love, kindness, compassion, empathy, sensitivity and artistic gifts. Deeply intuitive, trusts himself. A teacher, artist and an excellent listener.
King of Cups
King of Cups: A ruler of water with a powerful understanding of emotions. Strength, resilience, the willingness to share emotions and support those who need it. Someone who leads with his heart, who is not afraid of what he feels. An intuitive authority. Deep care.
Working with cups
For many people, seeing cards from the deck of cups is a joyful occasion. After all, love is one of the most popular topics for tarot readings, and many people want to know more about the connections they can find and develop throughout their lives.
But it’s important to remember that these cards can also teach us a lot about how we experience the world, the impact that art and beauty, and connection and sensitivity can have on us. Spend time with these cards individually and think about the lessons they can bring to you as an individual, rather than just focusing on what they have to say within the context of relationships.
Which cards in this series are you most drawn to, and why? How do you understand the journey of the Cup Pack? How do these court cards feel different from those of other suits?
This post contains maps of the Fountain Tarot.
Related article: Everything about the wands in Tarot
