Five of Cups Tarot Card Meaning

A single glance at this tarot card gives rise to feelings of depression and hopelessness. A melancholy figure with a bowed head sadly contemplates the cups overturned at his feet—he has irretrievably lost something important in life, he is empty and inconsolable.

The whole figure of the protagonist, cloaked in a mourning shroud, provokes an inevitable sense of grief. However, hope still exists—behind the man stand two full cups, and across the River of Sorrow a bridge is cast towards a new life. Perhaps one should reflect on what they possess, instead of dwelling on what they have lost?

In an upright position, the Five of Cups card foretells emotional and personal losses—a severance of connections, a marriage breakdown. A wedding may be ruined, a loved one may leave, friends may betray, relatives may deceive. However, the Five of Cups tarot card sometimes does not foretell but simply states a fact—perhaps a negative event has already occurred, and you are now in a perturbed emotional state, unable to accept and come to terms with what happened.

Yet, there is a positive meaning inherent in the Five of Cups tarot too—however heavy your losses and deep your experiences are, you will manage to surface from this abyss of despair and revive your life. Remember, everything in life is fleeting, and loss is inevitably followed by a rise and acquisition. Are you too focused on your feelings? Be more optimistic—your vessel is half full!

The Five of Cups tarot major arcana indicates that far from everything is lost: there are still people, objects, aspirations, and desires that keep you afloat and allow you to look into the future with hope!

Key Meanings of the Upright Five of Cups Card

• Bitterness of loss, devastation, ruin, disappointment in life, sadness, confusion, melancholy, depression, farewell.
• Inner discord, shattered illusions, unrealized plans, creative stagnation.
• Family troubles, problematic relationships, discordant union, lack of understanding.

The reversed Five of Cups tarot card brings encouraging news—your period of misfortune and loss has come to an end! The pain will gradually dull, emotional wounds will heal, a new page in life will open—pristine and snow-white, allowing you to craft a new plot and write a beautiful story, devoid of the mistakes and misses of the past.

The reversed Five of Cups tarot card promises a calm and favorable life stage, which will allow you to restore your strength and emotional balance, and to plan for the future. At the same time, this arcana advises you to have a good memory to draw constructive conclusions from previous failures, becoming wiser and more foresighted.

Through deep inner experiences, you can pave your way to the future. Let the unpleasant lesson presented by Fate become a guarantee of upcoming successes and achievements!

Key Meanings of the Reversed Five of Cups Card

• Finding harmony, inner peace, renewal, courage, inspiration, encouraging news, anticipation of positive changes.
• Experience of the past, ability to analyze and draw conclusions.
• New love, meeting, budding relationships, marriage, recovery.

In love readings, the upright Five of Cups card predicts emotional breakdown, parting with a loved one, and emotional turmoil. You have become disappointed in previous relationships, or they are not unfolding as you imagined, and now your heart is filled with negative emotions and grievances.

Perhaps a promising acquaintance turned out to be a dud, and you took it to heart. Let it go—the pain will immediately leave. Don't retreat into your shell, avoid self-digging, don't look at life too gloomily—new hopes and happiness are nearby, you just need to reach out!

In the reversed position, the meaning of the card changes to the opposite, suggesting reconciliation with your beloved.

When Divining About a Suitor or Lover

In readings about a suitor or partner, the upright card indicates that your chosen one is a person who has become disappointed in love. At least, for some time. They need understanding and support.

A reversed card suggests that your chosen one in love is a person who learns from mistakes. Perhaps they are not perfect, but they are quite capable of becoming so, as the real experience in love is hard to overestimate!

In business spreads, the Five of Cups card speaks of contract breaches and losses. All past shortcomings come to the surface, partners and colleagues betray, superiors turn resentful, plans go awry, and the end of it all seems nowhere in sight. A negative mindset and the inability to see perspectives further exacerbate the situation, plunging the person into a whirlpool of troubles.

Perhaps you simply perceive the situation myopically, stubbornly overlooking the positives and focusing only on the negatives? Then, recall the first commandment of an optimist - the glass is always half full!

In the reversed position, the meaning of the card changes to the opposite, predicting improvements in affairs and good news in business.

In divination for a person, the upright card is interpreted as someone who has experienced disappointment in something or someone. From time to time, they are tormented by regrets about the past, finding it difficult to come to terms with the current state of affairs.

In the reversed position, this card represents a person whose life is not stagnant: they learn from their mistakes, strive not to repeat them, and boldly move forward. Difficulties temper them, making them stronger!

In the upright position, the card advises you to let go of futile regrets about the past. What good is it to regret something that cannot be changed? Life demands progress and moving forward.

Appearing in the reversed position in the spread, the card advises you to rid yourself of useless regrets about the past: they hinder you from living in the present and moving forward.

If the card appears in the upright position, the forecast for your situation is ambiguous. Regrets about the past may hinder you. What's the use of lamenting over things you cannot change? Life demands forward movement.

In the reversed position, the forecast for your situation is uncertain. You have the potential to achieve your goals, but only if you refrain from repeating past mistakes.

With the 0 card, The Fool – Parting with a loved one, lack of motivation, loss of balance.

With the 1 card, The Magician — Unfulfilled hopes, death of a relative, inheritance.

With the 2 card, The High Priestess — Unpleasant news, realization of a problem, self-analysis.

In combination with the 3 card, The Empress — Unpleasant memories, meeting with an ex, disappointment in someone.

With the 4 card, The Emperor — Dominance of logic, rethinking behavior, overcoming failures.

With the 5 card, The Hierophant — True understanding of things, realization of the falsehood of the path, disillusionment with religion.

With the 6 card, The Lovers — Hopes did not come true, get involved in someone else's game, bad news, a difficult situation.

With the 7 card, The Chariot — Unexpected find, family troubles, foolish behavior.

With the 8 card, Strength — Deep understanding of things, correctness, secret knowledge that helps understand what is happening.

With the 9 card, The Hermit — Cut off the unnecessary, get rid of unnecessary acquaintances, bring feelings in order.

With the 10 card, The Wheel of Fortune — Problems from the past, unnecessary burden of guilt, introversion or fear.

With the 11 card, Justice — Read an official document, announcement of a will, nerve-racking situation.

With the 12 card, The Hanged Man — Unpleasant meeting with relatives, public event, bad news or expected deterioration of affairs.

With the 13 card, Death — Disinheritance, offense or unwarranted claims, review habits and give up something.

With the 14 card, Temperance — Spiritual path, choice of religion or philosophy, self-improvement.

With the 15 card, The Devil — Unfulfilled hopes, reckless life, fleeting remorse for what was done.

With the 16 card, The Tower — Heavy loss, emotional crisis, too late to realize.

With the 17 card, The Star — Believe and be deceived, disappointment, mourn a dream or temporarily part with a loved one.

With the 18 card, The Moon — Bad way to relax, bad premonitions will come true, bad news.

With the 19 card, The Sun — Receiving compensation, consolation, return to the usual routine.

With the 20 card, Judgement — Litigate for inheritance, quarrel with blood relatives, unpleasant situation with household members.

With the 21 card, The World — Desire to be alone, lose interest in work, disappointment in current relationships.

With the Ace of Wands — Being on the brink of disappointment, finding out about betrayal or treachery, loss of strength.

With the Two of Wands — Negative thinking, expecting failure, pessimism, and exaggerating danger.

With the Three of Wands — Getting disappointed in a project or relationship, receiving unpleasant news, making discouraging conclusions.

With the Four of Wands — Retreating within oneself, receiving bad news from relatives, experiencing difficulties at home.

With the Five of Wands — Withdrawing within oneself, receiving bad news from relatives, experiencing difficulties at home.

With the Six of Wands — Losing leadership, reevaluating behavior or the habit of giving orders, family disagreements.

With the Seven of Wands — Melancholy, lingering resentments and unspoken grievances, having a difficult character, pessimism.

With the Eight of Wands — Conflict of interests, a bad or unfavorable offer, dissatisfaction with work or relationships.

With the Nine of Wands — Declining an offer, reliving sorrowful events, withdrawing within oneself.

With the Ten of Wands — Pessimism, despondency, obsessing over existing troubles and withdrawing within oneself.

With the Page of Wands — Acting judgmentally or impulsively, making a mistake, gaining a bad reputation or feeling ashamed.

With the Knight of Wands — An impulsive nature causing more problems, lack of support or understanding, receiving unpleasant news.

With the Queen of Wands — A plan or agreement falling apart, inability to compromise, a project going awry.

With the King of Wands — Loss of interest, a decrease in energy, losing one's grip.

With the Ace of Swords — Overcoming depression, becoming disillusioned with the world order, sticking to one's opinion.

With the Two of Swords — Confusion, lack of information, a difficult moral choice.

With the Three of Swords — Experiencing a rift with a close person, mourning the betrayal of a significant other, a harsh lesson.

With the Four of Swords — Isolation, deep contemplation and reflection, reclusiveness and secrecy.

With the Five of Swords — Evaluating the current situation, experiencing loss, going through failure and loneliness.

With the Six of Swords — Closing a specific chapter, changing activities or careers, making the decision to end a relationship.

With the Seven of Swords — Receiving less than expected, falling victim to deceit or fraud, a guilty conscience.

With the Eight of Swords — Briefly withdrawing from life, facing a difficult situation, losing moral compass.

With the Nine of Swords — Internal turmoil, introspection, a shocking piece of news.

With the Ten of Swords — A challenging period, feeling lost in complexity, total pessimism.

With the Page of Swords — Becoming disappointed in the fight, becoming more accommodating, needing to pretend or be hypocritical.

With the Knight of Swords — Being disillusioned with one's profession, disregarding others' arguments, dangerous conviction.

With the Queen of Swords — Falling under someone else's influence, attempting to break free from control, experiencing injustice or deciding to divorce.

With the King of Swords — The force of the law, falling victim to a hot temper, feeling injustice and powerlessness.

With the Two of Cups — A serious disagreement, withdrawing into the inner world with resentment, receiving confirmation of betrayal.

With the Three of Cups — Disconnecting from others, introversion, feeling tired of hypocrisy, needing some time to rest.

With the Four of Cups — Tiredness from disappointments, naivety and protest, learning from one's own mistakes.

With the Six of Cups — Controversial life experience, becoming disillusioned with the past, hiding unsavory actions.

With the Seven of Cups — Losing inspiration, an unattainable dream, lacking a creative approach.

With the Eight of Cups — Attempting to change one's own habits, turning down an offer, becoming disillusioned with relationships.

With the Nine of Cups — Feeling sad, experiencing sudden mood swings, feeling self-righteous.

With the Ten of Cups — Rejecting family life, seeking independence, facing disapproval from loved ones.

With the Page of Cups — Receiving consolation or approval, having an interesting idea, attempting to distract oneself.

With the Knight of Cups — Losing interest, deviating from a profitable path, finding one's own morals or principles.

With the Queen of Cups — Losing passion for socializing, becoming closed off in one's feelings, facing misunderstanding from society.

With the King of Cups — Receiving support from a mentor, dealing with an overbearing man, encountering an optimistic friend.

With the Ace of Pentacles — Squandering savings through incompetence, rejecting material possessions, suffering in pursuit of wealth.

With the Two of Pentacles — Becoming tired of a carefree lifestyle, becoming disillusioned with one's actions, inability to plan expenses.

With the Three of Pentacles — Futile attempts to earn, lack of negotiation skills, unfavorable conditions.

With the Four of Pentacles — Tiredness from economizing and self-restriction, experiencing financial stability.

With the Five of Pentacles — Financial failure, lack of means in everyday life, experiencing hardships and deprivation.

With the Six of Pentacles — Being dependent on others, receiving government assistance, seeking alms, begging for attention.

With the Seven of Pentacles — Hoping for the future, believing in something good, gaining a small profit.

With the Eight of Pentacles — Working on inner peace, coming out of depression, seeking help from a specialist.

With the Nine of Pentacles — Accepting circumstances, choosing logic and pragmatism, showing practicality.

With the Ten of Pentacles — Innate talents, suffering from one's own abilities, experiencing excessive pressure from family.

With the Page of Pentacles — Following one's own path, a difficult path of entrepreneurship, feeling exhausted.

With the Knight of Pentacles — Being successful but lonely, feeling envy, becoming disillusioned with one's profession.

With the Queen of Pentacles — Forced hypocrisy, hidden talents and abilities, facing misunderstanding from society.

With the King of Pentacles — Stable success, dealing with a distant leader, losing interest in work or enrichment.