TAROTEight of Cups
Upright
Moving away from a situation
Walking away and starting something new.
Creating distance from situations that don’t benefit you.
Moving elsewhere to seek a deeper fulfillment. Shedding an old skin to start again.
Intuition
The card shows King Odysseus embarking on his ten-year-long journey back from Troy.
He left several situations and overcome several obstacles on this journey back, as depicted in the book The Odyssey (Homer). This book is one of the oldest pieces of literature and is the most read non-religious ancient text.
Reversed
Inability to make the difficult decision to end a situation
A struggle to end a difficult situation.
Staying in a bad situation to please others.
Failure to detach and leave.
Astrologia
Mature responsibility and disciplined in moving forward. Wisdom coupled with intuition and compassion. Creativity and patience means an ability for great works. The ‘moving forward’ is often an internal journey, but it can devolve into escapism and illusions.
Eight of Cups
After the new choices of the Seven of Cups, we must leave behind an old Self or situation that has run its course or no longer benefits us.
This journey of disconnection, moving on, or the start of a transformation, is depicted in the Eight of Cups.
We see a man walking away from eight cups. The cups represent previous emotions. There are enough to represent a major event or situation; the man is not walking away lightly. He does so with purpose.
The man has walked between the two sets of cups, presuming they were once together. The man walking away has changed them.
On the horizon, mountains rise on either side, hemming the man into a specific route or causing him previous problems. Behind him, an eclipse dominates the sky. An eclipse signifies emotional cycles that have run their course, and the profound transformation that follows.
One of the oldest epic journeys occurs in The Odyssey. This is the oldest piece of non-religious literature still read by modern audiences. It tells the story of the return from the Trojan War (the subject of the preceding book, The Iliad). The man on the card is the hero of The Odyssey: Odysseus.
Odysseus
Odysseus (Latin: Ulysses) is a character in The Odyssey, one of the most influential pieces of literature in the West. Odysseus embodies many archetypes, from the Christian 'Wise Pilgrim' to the 'Byronic Adventurer' (a character who carries the weight of previous tragedies, drawing true strength from them).
Odysseus gave a good account of himself at Troy because of his intelligence, bravery, guile, and common sense. The trick of the Trojan horse was his idea.
His journey back took ten years. His main aim was to return to his kingdom before it and his family fell apart. Of the several hundred soldiers and sailors who accompanied Odysseus on the journey home, only Odysseus returned.
Description and Symbology
The card depicts walking away from something. It represents a loss that must happen before transformation to something better can occur.
The card depicts walking away from something. It represents a loss that must happen before transformation to something better can occur.
The man strides away with purpose. He no longer wants to play a part, or it is no longer in his interest to remain. Something has ended, or the man has something else to pursue.
The cups on the ground suggest an emotional or spiritual issue. The cups are split into two groups of four, leaving a gap in the middle. They are incomplete; the space in the middle is the place the man previously inhabited. He has set out for the thing that is missing. The incompleteness lies inside him, and he must move to fill that empty space in himself.
In the sky, we see an eclipse, symbolizing transformation. The man’s spear connects with the eclipse, suggesting he is the one undergoing transformation. The eclipse darkens the landscape, indicating the man is leaving in secret or suddenly.
Although the landscape contains equal parts of earth and water, there is no life. Mountains loom in the distance. This suggests an untenable situation or a difficult journey behind the man. He leaves a place that scarred him, caused difficulty, or hemmed him in and prevented growth.
Finally, the man is covered in red, denoting emotion. He has become emotionally detached from the situation he is leaving, but he is not unemotional. The emotions are now ones of release and escape. His energy denotes new adventures and a chance to change his life for the better after a period of stagnation.
He is ready and willing for transformation.
The man
The man walks away with purpose and emotion. Although he is moving away from an emotional situation, he has new emotions of his own, and these are symbolized by his red clothes.
The cups
We see four cups on the ground and four in the water, suggesting the man is leaving behind material possessions and emotions. They are no longer enough to keep him (or are the reason he is leaving), or he wants something else. The cups are separated by a space that looks like it would accommodate the man. In leaving, the man has taken something from the cups.
The landscape
Although the landscape behind the man contains both earth and water, there is no life nor emotion other than the cups. The cups were the only thing that held him there. The mountains beyond suggest he spent some time and effort reaching the cups (which for Odysseus would represent Troy), but now it is time to leave.
The Eclipse
The eclipse represents transformations. In leaving, the man is fulfilling a need for personal transformation. The eclipse is also an important symbol for those performing shadow readings.
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 need to walk away from relationships or friendships that no longer serve your best interest.
This may take courage and create a loss in the short term, but staying means putting up with something that does not suit you anymore.
In the long term, there is a need to let go and move forward from previously constraining situations.
You are locked in a relationship or friendship that is constraining you, but you are not ready to let go and move on.
This may be because you lack the courage or because you hope for better days, or you are overlooking serious issues for what you believe is going well.
There is also the chance that the real issue is you; living in a fantasy or expecting too much.
Whatever the case, there is a need to consider yourself and your goals, and this will mean making some space to reflect.
You are either dissatisfied with your current position or have a feeling that something is not right. This card suggests you are correct. You are not reaching your potential or are holding yourself back by remaining.
At the very least, look at the current market value of your job position (this is easy to do now via an online search of your positions ‘job-spec’) and actively explore other opportunities.
You are in a position you either don’t enjoy or are becoming bored with, but are not doing anything about through inertia or fear of the unknown and ‘the devil you know’.
It is time to break this situation, but you first need to gain the courage and momentum to do it.
You are unfulfilled in other areas of your life, and this may be affecting your physical or mental health.
It is time to consider what is good for your own development and leave any relationship that is both not fixable and not good for you in its present form. The card suggests at least one such relationship, friendship, or work related issue.
One or more issues within your life are preventing you moving forward, and you are either not addressing it through fear of the changes it would cause, or are ignoring it.
The time has come to address these issues as they are having an effect on your wellbeing. This will include stepping up and having the courage to remove such situations and relationships from your life.
Growing up always involves replacing one set of beliefs with another, more rounded and correct set. This is seen clearly as you move from child to adult, but what is less obvious is that it also occurs many times as you continue to grow.
Old beliefs are now holding you back, and you need to discard what no longer works.
This can be a painful exercise as it creates loss and initial confusion, but this loss is needed in any transformation.
You are being blocked by outdated beliefs that you feel are no longer relevant, but you still have a connection with or feel you have a moral obligation towards (possibly imposed by people in your life).
You are failing to take action on them for whatever reason, and they are now holding you back.
You must make a decision to drop what does not work anymore, or accept that you are being held back by it.
As you consider this, remember that only the first step is the hardest one.
It is time to reassess your priorities when it comes to money and finances. This may be because they reflect a previous lifestyle or relationships that no longer exist, or that you have simply changed as a person.
Whatever the problem, it is time to remove the deadwood and make your money work for you and not the previous you!
If nothing else, changing your finances is a bold statement that signals this new you.
Either through inertia or holding on to the past, your finances reflect a previous life or are being eaten up by things that you do not really want. In allowing this, you are blocking yourself from engaging in the real journey to you.
Either through inertia and fear of change, or loyalty to the past, you are not making the necessary changes, leaving you with nothing to fund your true passions.
At the very least, you should realize that most chains holding us back consists of many links, and the financial aspect is a large one in your current chain.
Yes, through proactive change.
No, through ignoring the need for change.
Reading the Card
The Upright Card
The Upright Eight of Cups signals a period of withdrawing from situations in your life. Remaining engaged in them no longer serves your best interest.
You face lack of personal growth, disillusionment, or toxicity. You are stuck in a rut. Create distance to escape the situation.
Moving away will spark transformation. You might not want this change as it brings regret or loss. But you must do it to move forward and get on with your life.
The Reversal
The Reversed Eight of Cups describes the same situation as the Upright card, except you lack the ability to move away.
External obstacles prevent you from leaving immediately. This causes a messy break or an extended period of stress during the disconnection.
You might be avoiding difficult decisions and succumbing to toxic positivity, telling yourself 'it will fix itself' or 'this just needs more communication'. The card lacks Air, leaving no communication component here. It is pure emotion (Water, Saturn in Pisces).
Finally, there is a chance the problem is you and overreaction or living in a fantasy world is the root cause. This does not alter the card's message; you still require time away to reconsider. The situation remains toxic to your growth, irrespective of who applies the poison.
Card Design Process
The standard card hides its intent, lacking a strong direction of travel because the man walks away from the viewer. This design brings the man toward the viewer, allowing us to see his expression and body language. He moves with definite intent, confidence, and direction.
Final Words
The Eight of Cups dictates detaching yourself and moving away from aspects of your life that no longer work. It represents a loss of the old and familiar, but this severance is necessary.
This is how we grow from child to adult: by moving away to find our own space. It is how we advance to further stages in life.
