The Meaning of
the "Ten of Cups" Tarot Card

The Ten of Cups shows us an image of domestic bliss.

A well-dressed husband and wife stand arm-in-arm in a perfect landscape. They each raise one arm to the heavens in wonder and thanks as their children play nearby.

In the background we see their home, perched on a hill surrounded by lush trees, fertile land and a clear blue stream.

Overhead, a rainbow arcs across the blue, cloudless sky. Within it are ten floating cups.

This is a couple that has it all: A home, love, family, financial security and visual beauty all around.

Their pose seems to say "look what we have been blessed with".

This is a couple that has it all: A home, happiness, love, family, financial security and visual beauty all around.

The Ten of Cups shows us a state of domestic bliss, happiness, security and prosperity. One of the happiest cards in the tarot deck, the ten of cups references contentment on almost every level, from romantic to financial.

In contrast with the Nine of Cups, which depicts a merchant who has not yet arrived at a state of true wealth and happiness, the Ten of Cups shows us what it looks like to have actually arrived.

The card references a blossoming of success and happiness, achieved after years of hard work and diligence.

It may directly reference this success in romance or business — but it may also reference a perfect alignment of interests between people, groups or forces.

When the Ten of Cups appears in a reading, it may directly reference this success in romance or business — but it may also reference a perfect alignment of interests between people, groups or forces.

On the card, we see a man and a woman, in perfect balance and alignment. They are almost exactly the same height. Their arms are raised at the same angles. Their postures are perfectly balanced and symmetrical They mirror one another and even echo the shape of the Roman numeral X shown at the top of the card. Likewise, the children are playing together in harmony.

While the literal meaning of the card may be happiness on the homefront. A very common meaning of the card is involves this smooth synergy and balance between parties and ideas.

There are several different ways to interpret the reversed Ten of Cups. The card does not generally indicate outright arguing or strife — although at times, it may.

More likely, the inverted orientation indicates tensions which arise when we place the wants and needs of others before ourselves. If the upright position is the manifestation of happiness and lifelong desire, the inverted position suggests that those desires have been placed on hold for some reason.

When we consistently put ourselves second, that action keeps us from attaining our dreams. As time goes by, that pattern creates dissatisfaction and tension.

The normal alignment of interests between family members, partners, friends or co-workers is disrupted or blocked by something.

Another common interpretation of the inverted Ten of Cups is that the normal alignment of interests between family members, partners, friends or co-workers is disrupted or blocked by something. A force or event of some kind has led to a divergence of goals, which ultimately leads to interpersonal tension and sets back greater objectives.

When the Ten of Cups comes up reversed, it's important to consider how goals and interests can be brought back into alignment. How can you get back on the same team?