Suit of Cups Tarot Card Meanings
Cups are the suit of water: feelings, love, friendship and intuition. They are the heart of most love readings.
Ace of Cups
Two of Cups
Three of Cups
Four of Cups
Five of Cups
Six of Cups
Seven of Cups
Eight of Cups
Nine of Cups
Ten of Cups
Page of Cups
Knight of Cups
Queen of Cups
King of CupsCups by the numbers
In the Golden Dawn system behind the 1909 deck, Cups belong to the element of water. The suit has 14 cards: Ace to Ten, then four court cards (Page, Knight, Queen and King).
Upright, 10 of the 14 cards lean yes, 2 lean maybe (Four of Cups and Seven of Cups) and 2 lean no (Five of Cups and Eight of Cups). Reversed, none of them leans yes: all 14 lean maybe. Each card's reason is in the yes or no table.
One card drawn from the full deck is one of the Cups 17.95% of the time (14 in 78). In a three-card reading, at least one Cups card turns up 45.23% of the time (1 minus C(64,3)/C(78,3)). When Cups is the most common suit in a spread, with at least two cards and at least a third of the spread, the story under your reading names it as the strongest suit: feelings, love and connection.
Quick meanings
| Card | Upright, in short |
|---|---|
| Ace of Cups | new love, emotional renewal, compassion, openness. Yes or no: yes |
| Two of Cups | partnership, mutual attraction, connection, harmony. Yes or no: yes |
| Three of Cups | friendship, celebration, community, joy. Yes or no: yes |
| Four of Cups | apathy, contemplation, withdrawal, missed offers. Yes or no: maybe |
| Five of Cups | loss, regret, grief, disappointment. Yes or no: no |
| Six of Cups | nostalgia, childhood memories, kindness, innocence. Yes or no: yes |
| Seven of Cups | choices, illusion, daydreaming, temptation. Yes or no: maybe |
| Eight of Cups | walking away, seeking meaning, letting go, disillusionment. Yes or no: no |
| Nine of Cups | contentment, satisfaction, wishes fulfilled, comfort. Yes or no: yes |
| Ten of Cups | harmony, happy home, lasting joy, family. Yes or no: yes |
| Page of Cups | creative surprise, intuition, tender feelings, curiosity. Yes or no: yes |
| Knight of Cups | romance, charm, an offer, idealism. Yes or no: yes |
| Queen of Cups | compassion, intuition, emotional depth, calm. Yes or no: yes |
| King of Cups | emotional balance, diplomacy, calm leadership, generosity. Yes or no: yes |
Questions
Who are the court cards of Cups?
Four cards: Page of Cups (creative surprise, intuition), Knight of Cups (romance, charm), Queen of Cups (compassion, intuition), King of Cups (emotional balance, diplomacy).
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