Five of CupsTarot card meaning
The Five of Cups is a Minor Arcana card in the suit of Cups. In tarot it means grief, loss and what remains. As a yes or no answer, it leans no.
Three cups have spilled and they deserve your grief. But two still stand behind you. The Five of Cups honors the loss and, when you're ready, only then, asks you to turn around.
In a yes or no reading: No · yes or no tarot →
- Element
- Water
- Astrology
- Mars in Scorpio
- Number
- 5
What the card shows
A figure in a black cloak stands over three spilled cups, head down. Behind him, two cups still stand full, and further back a bridge crosses the river toward a house. The grief is real and it is honored. The card only points out, quietly, which way the mourner is facing.
Five of Cups reversed
The mourning is completing its work. Reversed, it names acceptance arriving, the slow turn toward the two standing cups, and the bridge home visible again.
How to read a reversed card →Five of Cups in love
In love, the Five of Cups is grief: the figure in the black cloak staring at three spilled cups, back turned to the two still standing. It speaks of a recent breakup, of a betrayal, of what was lost and still hurts. The card does not rush the crying. It only points at the two cups left: something did not spill, and you will see it when you turn around.
Is Five of Cups a yes or a no?
The Five of Cups answers no, not yet. The figure in the black cloak stares at the three spilled cups and turns its back on the two still standing. What you ask is not ready because you are looking at the loss, not at what is left. When you turn around, the question will change.
Compare: the same card in all four suits
| Card | Keyword | Element | Yes or no |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five of Wands | friction | Fire | No |
| Five of Cups | grief | Water | No |
| Five of Swords | hollow victory | Air | No |
| Five of Pentacles | hardship | Earth | No |
Cards that often appear with it
- Six of Cups
The next card in the suit
- Five of Wands
The same number in the opposed element
- The Moon
The Major Arcana that rules this suit's questions
Number and correspondence
In the deck's old correspondences, the Five of Cups belongs to Mars in Scorpio.
Will this card find you tonight?
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