The Suit of Cups is aligned with the element of water, which is fluid, intuitive and deeply emotional. Like water, Cups reflect our ability to flow with life’s changes and connect with others on a heartfelt level. They speak to the emotional realm: relationships, feelings, love, healing, and creative or spiritual expression.
Cups often reveal our need for connection, whether romantic, platonic, or soulful. They also highlight how we give and receive love, care for others, and process emotional experiences.
People represented by Cups can be sensitive, affectionate, imaginative and charming, but also emotionally intense, self-indulgent or moody. At their best, Cups symbolise compassion, psychic insight and deep emotional fulfilment. At their most challenging, they reflect grief, dissatisfaction and emotional upheaval.
ACE OF CUPS
The Ace of Cups represents new beginnings in emotional experiences. It signifies the start of deep feelings, love, compassion, and creativity. This card often heralds fresh opportunities for emotional fulfilment, spiritual growth, and heartfelt connections. It encourages openness to receiving and sharing love.
A new life
Card of receptivity and fertility
Pregnancy
A new creation
A whole new life
Creative opportunity
Birth of something new
Holy grail
Spirituality
2 OF CUPS
A significant relationship
The 2 of Cups represents partnership, mutual attraction, and emotional connection. It signifies harmony, unity, and the coming together of two people or forces in a balanced and supportive relationship. Often associated with romantic bonds, it can also indicate strong friendships or successful collaborations. This card embodies cooperation, reconciliation, and shared feelings, suggesting a positive and meaningful exchange between individuals.
Lion symbolises sexuality and wings of spirit
Friendship
Can be a platonic relationship
Lighter than lovers, more of a life partner or soulmate tie, as opposed to purely romantic
Relationships that produces something in life beyond what could be achieved alone
Healing in a relationship, or a person who gives you healing
3 OF CUPS
Emotional fulfilment
The 3 of Cups represents celebration, friendship, and communal joy. It signifies a time of coming together with others to share happiness, success, or a meaningful milestone. This card encourages embracing support networks and enjoying moments of emotional connection and gratitude.
The birth of a child
Parties
A wedding celebration
Celebration of an important day
Celebration with friends and family
Work producing good results
The end of a difficult period
Happiness
4 OF CUPS
The 4 of Cups depicts a figure seated beneath a tree, arms folded, gazing uninterestedly at three cups before them, while a fourth cup is offered by a hand emerging from a cloud. This card signifies contemplation, introspection, and potential dissatisfaction with current circumstances. It often suggests the need to look beyond present emotions to recognise new opportunities or perspectives that may be overlooked.
Discontentment & resentment
Dissatisfied with a situation, self or others
Fed up
Bored
Not happy with what is being offered
Sense that the grass is greener somewhere else
Looking for a better deal
Feeling sorry for yourself
5 OF CUPS
The 5 of Cups represents loss, regret, and disappointment. It often signifies focusing on what has been lost rather than recognising what remains. While it highlights emotional setbacks and sorrow, it also suggests the possibility of recovery and learning from past mistakes. The card encourages acceptance and the readiness to move forward.
Sadness & Loss
Mourning and sadness
Loss
Sorrow
Remorse
Black cape represents the colour of grief
Disappointment
Let down
Testing time in a relationship with regret over past actions
Betrayal
6 OF CUPS
The 6 of Cups represents nostalgia, childhood memories, and a sense of innocence. It often signifies revisiting the past with fondness, reconnecting with old friends, or experiencing moments of joy and comfort from earlier times. This card can also suggest kindness, generosity, and the sharing of happiness with others.
Sentimental experience
Your roots
Where you grew up
Reminiscing about your past
Sweet memories, good times past
Filtered memories which provide a sense of security
Warm secure feeling based on past experience
Underlying issues that are being covered up
An untrustworthy figure looms
7 OF CUPS
The 7 of Cups represents choices, dreams, and illusions. It often signifies a moment of decision where multiple options appear, each with different potential outcomes. This card encourages careful discernment to separate reality from fantasy and to avoid being overwhelmed by wishful thinking or unrealistic expectations. It highlights the importance of clarity and prioritising what truly matters.
Mixed feelings & emotions
Lost perspective
Uncertainty or confusion
Imagination run wild
A delusional state
Overwhelming emotional situation
Confused by too many things happening
8 OF CUPS
The 8 of Cups signifies a deliberate decision to leave something behind in pursuit of greater meaning or personal growth. It often represents walking away from a situation that no longer serves emotional fulfilment, despite past investments. This card encourages introspection and the courage to seek new paths, prioritising inner truth over external comfort.
Life cycles
Feeling it’s time to move on
Wisdom gain by a solo journey
Leaving in order to grow
Giving something up
Withdrawing from a situation
Progress by walking away from a situation
Truth beckons and requires us to act
9 OF CUPS
The 9 of Cups, the "wish card," signifies fulfillment, satisfaction, and achieving desires. It encourages appreciating abundance and success in love, career, or growth, while advising balance and confidence in manifesting. It symbolizes emotional well-being.
Indolence
Simple pleasures are good for a short while, allows us to indulge and escape the world so that we can switch off and enjoy ourselves
Physical and emotional satisfaction and pleasure – food, drink, sex – simple things in life
Avoiding worry and problems by concentrating on ordinary pleasure
Not telling the whole story, may be acting deceitfully
One cup is missing, a sign that you aren’t completely satisfied with your situation
10 OF CUPS
The 10 of Cups represents emotional fulfilment, happiness, and harmonious relationships. It signifies a sense of completion and lasting contentment within family, love, and community. This card often suggests peace, joy, and shared success, reflecting a stable and supportive environment where emotional needs are met.
Love, imagination & joy
Life brings happiness
Enjoying what you have, but particularly with family
Feeling of emotional completion
Permanence and ongoing contentment
Domestic happiness
Idealistic expectations of relationships and family
PAGE OF CUPS
New creative opportunities
The Page of Cups represents youthful creativity, emotional openness, and the beginning of new intuitive insights. It often signals the arrival of unexpected news or opportunities related to love, feelings, or artistic endeavours. This card encourages embracing curiosity, imagination, and a gentle approach to emotional exploration.
Childishness
Strong imagination
Birth of something new with ideas, relationships, self-discovery
Can be a child or a sibling
Messages of potential love through flirtation and infatuation
Ideas gestating
Gentle contemplation in relation to sensitivity and creativity
Looking for the value in one’s self
Psychic talent and its development
Flamboyance and theatrics
Dreams, dreaminess, daydreams and fantasy
KNIGHT OF CUPS
A New Romantic relationship
The Knight of Cups represents a messenger of love, creativity, and intuition. Often depicted as a young knight on horseback carrying a cup, this card signifies a journey or pursuit guided by emotions and dreams. It embodies romantic and idealistic energy, encouraging openness to new emotional experiences and the expression of heartfelt intentions. In readings, the Knight of Cups suggests following your heart, embracing inspiration, and moving forward with compassion and charm.
The idea of social activities, where we meet new people
Being in love
Romantic dimensions of love
Artistic and creative opportunities
Creative ideas that need to be sifted, refined and given a realistic lens
QUEEN OF CUPS
The Queen of Cups represents emotional intelligence, compassion, and intuition. She embodies a nurturing and empathetic nature, offering support and understanding to those around her. This card signifies deep emotional insight, sensitivity, and the ability to connect with others on a profound level. In readings, the Queen of Cups often encourages trust in one's intuition and highlights the importance of emotional balance and caring relationships.
Feminine beauty, sensuality & love
Intuitive, often very psychic
Loving intelligence
Achievement brought about using imagination
Harnessing direction of imagination with creative discipline
Deeply empathetic and sensitively aware
Ability to heal others
Always acts with an awareness of love
Devoted to one partner
KING OF CUPS
Connection to spirituality and divinity
A lover, priest, man of god or shaman
Responsibly comes before self-expression
Symbolizes success, achievement, mastery and maturity in healing and artistic work
Compassionate and empathetic
Ability to heal others
Sensitive and moody
The King of Cups represents emotional balance, compassion, and wise leadership. He embodies diplomacy and maturity, offering guidance with empathy and understanding. This card signifies control over one's emotions, suggesting the ability to navigate complex situations with calmness and integrity. Often associated with kindness and support, the King of Cups encourages emotional intelligence and thoughtful decision-making.