TAROTFive of Cups
Upright
Disappointment, grief, regret, living in the past
Mourning a loss or weighed down by a disappointment.
Dwelling on the past such that you are unable to view the future clearly.
Intuition
Some tarot cards show a man in black and that can look ominous rather than an image of grief for beginners (and with Tarot, first impressions of any card are important!). To fix this, it was decided to use a far less ominous woman who is more clearly grief-stricken. The path forward and away from the point of grief is also now much clearer.
Reversed
Moving forward from past disappointments.
Understanding the past and coming to terms with it.
Seeing what you still have rather than dwelling on what has been lost.
Forgiveness and rejuvenation.
Astrologia
Intense passion. Resourceful. Transformation and growth. Financially responsible. Prone to aggression and name-calling, destructiveness and secrecy.
Five of Cups
The Four of Cups explores disconnection through a lack of drive or an inability to cope with normal events. The Five of Cups explores a different kind of disconnection. It delves into profound grief and disappointment.
The card shows a woman unable to move through grief. Three overturned cups containing wine sit in front of her. The spilled wine resembles blood, signifying injury and pain.
The woman misses the clear path taking her forward to a bridge, over the river, and into the safety of a walled city. She ignores the two upright cups behind her, representing the things she still has. She remains rooted in grief.
Tragedy permeates mythology. One name stands out as poignant.
Queen Niobe
Queen Niobe is the archetypal bereaved mother. She bore several sons and daughters, traditionally numbering seven of each.
During a ceremony honoring Leto (goddess of motherhood), Queen Niobe bragged she had more children than the goddess. Leto bore only two children: Apollo and Artemis (seen in the Ace of Swords and The Chariot).
Apollo and Artemis flew into a rage and swore immediate revenge. Artemis killed the Queen’s daughters with her bow. Apollo killed the sons in the exact same manner.
Queen Niobe, wracked by grief at the sudden loss of her family fled to a high mountain, Mount Sipylus and pleaded to the sky for the gods to end her pain. Zeus, taking pity on her, turned her to stone so that the Queen would gain a heart of stone and no longer grieve.
The depth of her grief caused this transformation to fail. A stream trickled from the rock and continues to flow today.
Description and Symbology
We see a woman dressed in black, deep in grief.
She stands on a path stretching into the distance, over a bridge, and into a city. Grief renders her stationary. She moves neither forward nor backward. If she walked down the path, she would find comfort and protection in the city.
Three overturned cups spill red wine in front of her. These symbolize the loss she grieves. Behind her sit two upright cups. These signify things she retains. Her grief blinds her to their presence.
Recognizing the woman as Queen Niobe reveals the symbols of the two gods causing her grief. The raven of Apollo flies overhead. In the distance, we spot the hare of Artemis to the right of the path.
The grieving woman
The woman is Queen Niobe, representing the archetype of the grieving mother.
The path ahead
The path represents the life choice to move forward after pain and distress. At the end of the path, we see a bridge leading to safety, implying that moving forward is the correct choice.
The spilled cups
In front of the woman, we see three overturned cups with red wine spilling from them. They represent the woman’s loss.
The unspilled cups
Behind the woman we see two upright cups. These represent the things the woman still retains. Because they are behind the woman, she may not notice them.
Tips for Readings
The following table shows the upright and reverse meanings for general questions. The last row ('Yes/No') is useful when you are picking a single card to decide a yes or no decision.
Upright
Reversed
You are holding on to past hurts or slights (perhaps even from an earlier relationship) and this is negatively affecting your relationships today. This card suggests addressing the losses you have suffered in the past by concentrating on the gains you have made and the distance you have travelled away from the past.
You are approaching a turning point where you are either learning from past mistakes or moving forward from them, and looking to the future rather than carrying old wounds.
You are disappointed in the path your career has taken in the recent past. This disappointment may be rooted it setbacks, feeling undervalued, or being put on a path/project you feel does not suit you.
Rather than dwelling on past mistakes, it is better to concentrate on what you have, and how you can grow this via retraining or simply a better sense of your own worth. Be aware that the path this new-found confidence takes you may mean moving forward and away from your current situation.
You are regaining confidence in yourself and moving forward from a previously stagnant career path.
The card advises you to look forward rather than keep glancing back.
You have gone through emotional struggles in the recent past and these are having a drag-effect on your health. It is time to concentrate on the things you have rather than the things you have lost, and one important thing you have should be your health. Look after it!
You are beginning to come to terms with previous emotional knocks or disappointments in your life. Spend some of that new-found confidence on your health, as it may have been too low down on the to-do list!
You have been jarred by an emotional incident or disappointment and although this is often painful, it is also a point of new growth.
Redefining your purpose and place in the world (as well as your priorities) is a better way to move forward over dwelling on grief or loss.
Take forward valuable lessons from previous disappointments or losses. This may mean re-evaluating priorities and what is important to you moving forward.
It may involve finding your way in a new period of your life (where it is important to make new rules rather than hold on to the old ways).
It may just mean you are now enjoying life more now that a difficult period has ended, in which case keep doing it!
Either you are going through a bad patch in your life where money is at the back of your list of important considerations, or money is one of the sticking points.
In either case, your emotional state right now suggests some professional help is in order, because you are already weighed down through emotion or disappointment in others.
You are in a better place after previous disappointments, setbacks and emotional events. Now is a time to consider whether your new phase in life also needs a fresh look at money matters.
Make sure they reflect your new life and not the old one!
No, through concentrating on previous loss.
Yes, through moving forward and growing beyond previous restrictions and losses
Reading the Card
The message of the Five of Cups is of letting go of past issues and disappointments. Acknowledging and processing unwelcome emotions and thoughts is following the path forward to a better future, as is remembering what you have just as strongly as what you have lost.
Acknowledging and processing unwelcome emotions and thoughts is following the path forward to a better future.
The Upright Card
The Upright Five of Cups represents the traumatic loss of something important, or a major disappointment. These problems stop you in your tracks. You are unable to move through grief, stuck dreaming of a better past and unable to face the future.
The card illustrates this loss through the three spilled cups and the grieving figure. Yet a path ahead leads to safety and protection. Two cups remain upright, waiting for the figure to turn and see them.
Disappointments must not permanently halt our journey. We may lose something, but we rarely lose everything. What remains is the reason to carry on.
The Reversal
The reversed Five of cups suggests healing after a traumatic loss or disappointment. You will realize what is lost through a coming to terms with it. Forgive, or realize there is more to make you want to carry on than there is to force you to stop.
Forgive yourself if you feel you played a part or did not do enough. Coming to terms with a loss gives you profound insight into what you retain, revealing how precious it truly is. It shows you the inconsequential nature of things you previously held as important.
This realization acts as a strong force for regrowth in a new, better direction.
Card Design Process
As noted previously, a major design goal was ensuring the main character wearing black appeared obviously grieving, rather than ominous. Another was to show the character on a clear path to safety, yet rooted to the spot by their grief.
Final Words
The Five of Cups denotes dwelling in the past, trapped by past hurts, disappointments, or major negative events. This prevents you from realizing what you possess now, forcing you to look backward rather than forward.
To move forward, the past must be put to rest. When you achieve this, the path ahead becomes clear, because it was always there. You simply need to look forward, rather than staring at your spilled cups.
