The Meaning of
the "Five of Cups" Tarot Card
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What is the inverted meaning of
the "Five of Cups"?
The Meaning of
Tarot Card
The Symbolism of the Five of Cups
One of the more depressing images in the Minor Arcana is the Five of Cups card.
Standing under a grey, overcast sky, a lone figure contemplates three spilled cups on the ground in front of him. Two full cups stand behind him, but he takes no notice of these.
The figure looks downwards, his face buried in dark robes and misery. No effort is made to pick up the spilled cups. The figure stands motionless, transfixed by the loss.
A lone figure contemplates three spilled cups on the ground in front of him. Two full cups stand behind him, but he takes no notice of these.
An old castle rises in the background, along with a stone bridge which arcs over a rushing river. While there are green fields in the distance, the ground under the figure's feet looks sandy and lifeless.
A final detail to notice is that the liquid which has spilled from the cups is two different colors: Red and green. These colors may symbolize blood and sickness — or health and disease.
NOTE: Is the Five of Cups a man or a woman? Overall, the Suit of Cups is generally thought of as being a female suit. The lone figure represented in the Five of Cups card however, is often regarded as being male. But since there are very few distinguishing characteristics, the gender-identity of the solitary figure is open to your interpretation.
How to Interpret the Five of Cups
The imagery in the Five of Cups card might look depressing, but there's a positive message that can be extracted from the dark symbolism. The Five of Cups is less about misfortune, and more about our perception of misfortune.
As with the figure in the Four of Cups card, the figure in the Five of Cups ignores what surrounds him.
Even though three of the cups in the card have been spilled, two cups remain full. The full cups however, remain unseen by the depressed figure who wallows in misery and can only think about the spilled cups. Yes, the cards indicate a loss or a setback. But it's not the end of the world.
The Five of Cups is often a gentle reminder that what is perceived as a loss, or what is perceived as an obstacle — may not be nearly as bad as we think.
The Five of Cups is often a gentle reminder that what is perceived as a loss, or what is perceived as an obstacle — may not be nearly as bad as we think.
Perhaps someone is dwelling too long on emotions, or has been paralyzed because of a situation. While the loss may be acute and deeply felt, there is still so much that is good that is going unnoticed.
If we live too much in the realm of the emotional rather than the physical - we may lose focus on our immediate surroundings.
It's time to turn around and contemplate the unspilled cups we still have.
The Five of Cups Inverted
While the upright position of the Five of Cups represents a loss which is perceived to be worse than it is. The reversed position has two subtely different meanings.
When the Five of Cups appears reversed in a meaning, it may mean that we are in denial about a loss occuring. 3 of our cups have spilled but we cannot accept the loss this represents.
When the Five of Cups appears reversed in a meaning, it may mean that we are in denial about a loss occuring.
Often when we experience loss, we take on a gamblers' mindset — hoping to get back our loss somehow, instead of accepting the reality of our mistakes and learning from them.
Another possible meaning of the reversed Five of Cups is that it indicates a loss — either in the past or in the future — which goes unnoticed. This may be a loss of a physical item or a loss of value or status, that we have not yet noticed or accounted for.
The cups have already spilled but the figure is to overcome with emotion to internalize and accept that they are gone.
Common Symbols Found On the Five of Cups Card
Tarot cards often use a symbolic or iconographic language to communicate additional information about the cards. The Five of Cups includes at least six common, repeating Tarot symbols. Each of these symbols which repeat throughout the deck can add additional dimensions of interpretation to the card.
The symbols which appear on the Five of Cups card are:
Water
Water symbolism appears on the Five of Cups card:
In Tarot, water comes in many forms — ranging from small pools, to winding rivers and streams, to wide seas and oceans. While each of these representations of water may imply a more specified meaning, water in the most general sense represents emotion, nourishment and our intuitive nature. Water is more commonly found in the Minor Arcana cards, and is more often (but not only) associated with Cups cards.
Rivers and Streams
Rivers and streams symbolism appears on the Five of Cups card:
Water in general, suggests emotion. A brook or stream passing through a landscape often suggests a dimension of emotional overtones or spirituality to the card. A river may also suggest that emotion is a vital factor in the scene or issue at hand.
Read more about the symbolism of "Rivers and Streams" in Tarot
Bridges
Bridges symbolism appears on the Five of Cups card:
The image of bridges in Tarot symbolism represents a spiritual or emotional crossing of some kind from one spiritual or emotional state, to another. For most purposes, we read the foreground of the card image as symbolic of the current state, and the background of the card as a transitioned state. In other interpretations, bridges can be symbolic of overcoming some opposition or breaking through a psychological block of some kind. If we consider that the river or stream which runs beneath bridges typically represents spirituality or emotion, we can also think of a bridge-crossing as overcoming emotional challenges or tensions in some way.
Castles
Castles symbolism appears on the Five of Cups card:
Castles represent a combination of wealth, safety and authority. They are the highest tier of worldly achievements — representing familial dynasties and financial security. Castles also indicate a well-defended safe haven from opposing forces and a stable foundation from which to grow, plan and to seek success.
NOTE: The small castle in the Five of Cups Tarot card is depicted in the background separated by a stream. This separation is intentional and implies that the safety and wealth of the castle is inaccessible in some way because of the emotional scene at hand.
Green Fields
Green fields symbolism appears on the Five of Cups card:
Green fields in traditional Tarot symbolism generally point to prosperity, possibility, health and wholesomeness. While lush green fields are usually associated with positivity, they are sometimes included on cards with an overall negative message in order to contrast between negative and positive concepts — as shown in the background and foreground respectively.
NOTE: The lush green fields shown in the negative Five of Cups card are there to contrast the healthy background with the pain and disappointment shown in the foreground.
Grey skies
Grey skies symbolism appears on the Five of Cups card:
The colors of the sky in Tarot imagery often hide subtle clues regarding the meaning of the card. Grey-colored skies usually indicate a degree of unpredictability. This overcast or grey colored sky is not entirely bad, nor very positive.
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