Six of Cups (6 of Cups) tarot card from the 1909 deck by Pamela Colman Smith

Six of Cups tarot card meaning

An older child hands a cup of flowers to a younger one in a quiet courtyard, a picture of kindness, sweet memories and reunions.

nostalgia
childhood memories
kindness
innocence
reunion

Draw a card Ask yes or no

Arcana	Minor, suit of Cups
Number	6 of Cups
Element	Water
Yes or no	Yes upright, maybe reversed

Written by Orbitarot · Sources: our own meanings; card art by Pamela Colman Smith, 1909; A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1910 · Updated October 7, 2026

On this page (12)

What the card shows

In a sheltered village courtyard, a boy in a red hood offers a cup filled with white flowers to a smaller girl in a red headscarf. Five more cups holding white star-shaped flowers stand around them, one on a stone pedestal. A guard walks away in the background, leaving the scene peaceful. The flowered cups are usually read as simple gifts and goodwill, and the safe courtyard as the comfort of familiar places.

Six of Cups upright

The Six of Cups is a gentle card about memory and kindness. It often appears when the past is on your mind: an old friend gets in touch, you visit a childhood place or a song brings back a forgotten moment. The card invites you to enjoy those memories and the warmth they carry.

It also speaks about giving without strings. The boy offers flowers simply because it feels good to share. You may find joy in small acts of generosity right now, or receive them from someone who cares. The card can point to reunions, playful moments and a softer, more open way of relating to people. Let yourself be a little less guarded. A touch of innocence, curiosity and play can heal more than you expect. Some of the best things in your life may come from old roots.

Six of Cups reversed

stuck in the past
idealizing
nostalgia that holds you back
lost innocence
leaving home

Reversed, the Six of Cups warns against living in the past. You might be idealizing an old relationship, a former job or a time when life felt simpler, and comparing the present unfairly. Nostalgia can turn into a trap.

The card can also show a healthy step away from childhood patterns, such as leaving home, outgrowing old roles or setting new boundaries with family. Honor where you came from, but do not let it decide where you are going. Old photos are lovely to look at, yet the life you are building now deserves the same affection and attention.

Six of Cups in love

Upright: Single, you may reconnect with someone from your past or feel drawn to a sweet, innocent kind of romance. If you are together, it favors tenderness, shared memories and playful affection.

Reversed, you may be comparing a partner to an ex or clinging to how things used to be. It is time to focus on the present relationship.

Six of Cups for career and work

Upright: At work, you may return to an old interest, reconnect with a former colleague or find meaning in helping others. Work with children or in caring roles is favored.

Reversed, holding on to how things used to be done may block progress. Be open to new methods and new people.

Six of Cups as feelings

This person feels warm, fond and comfortable with you. They may associate you with good memories or feel a sense of familiarity.

Six of Cups as advice

Be kind without expecting anything back. Enjoy good memories, but live in the present.

Six of Cups in a tarot reading

The same card reads differently depending on where it lands. These are the readings our spreads use when Six of Cups appears in each position. Try it in a love reading, soulmate spread.

Upright

As the past	Sweet memories and old kindnesses sit at the root of this. Something from your childhood or an earlier chapter is still shaping where you are now.
As the present	The past is close right now. Nostalgia, a reunion or an act of simple kindness is bringing warmth and familiar feelings into the present.
As the future or outcome	A gentle reunion or a return to something familiar is likely. An old friend, place or interest tends to reappear with good feeling.
As the obstacle	Living in the past is the test here. Fond memories are comforting, but they can keep you from engaging fully with the present.
As advice	Reach out to someone from your past, or revisit something that once brought you joy. Let simple kindness guide your next steps.

Reversed

As the past	Too much looking back shaped what followed. Rose-tinted memories may have made the present seem dull by comparison.
As the present	The past is pulling too hard right now. Clinging to old times, or idealizing what once was, may be keeping you from growing.
As the future or outcome	Independence and growth are opening up. Leaving old patterns behind tends to make room for something better suited to who you are now.
As the obstacle	Idealizing the past stands in the way. Memories that look perfect in hindsight can make every new option feel like a letdown.
As advice	Honor the past, then turn toward the future. Ask what you want now, not what you wanted years ago, and act on that answer.

What A. E. Waite wrote about Six of Cups in 1910

Waite designed this deck with Pamela Colman Smith and published its meanings in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910, public domain). His words, as printed:

Divinatory meaning:

A card of the past and of memories, looking back, as, for example, on childhood; happiness, enjoyment, but coming rather from the past; things that have vanished. Another reading reverses this, giving new relations, new knowledge, new environment, and then the children are disporting in an unfamiliar precinct.

Reversed:

The future, renewal, that which will come to pass presently.

Memories, childhood and the past form the core of both readings. Waite also recorded an opposite reading of new relations and surroundings, and reversed, the card points to the future and renewal, where modern readers warn about clinging to old times.

Is Six of Cups a yes or no card?

Upright: Yes The card shows a simple, generous gift in a safe setting, which points to goodwill and happy outcomes, so it leans yes.

Reversed: Maybe Reversed, attachment to the past may cloud the answer, so the reply weakens to maybe.

Ask your own question with the yes or no tarot. No cards at hand? The yes or no oracle answers with a pendulum.

Learn more: how to read reversed cards, how to read this card with others, what the number 6 means across the suits.

Questions

What does Six of Cups mean in tarot?

An older child hands a cup of flowers to a younger one in a quiet courtyard, a picture of kindness, sweet memories and reunions. Reversed, the past pulls too hard, which suggests clinging to old times, rose-tinted memories or the need to grow beyond them. Yes or no: Yes upright, maybe reversed.

What does Six of Cups reversed mean?

Reversed, the past pulls too hard, which suggests clinging to old times, rose-tinted memories or the need to grow beyond them.

Is Six of Cups a yes or no card?

Yes when upright. The card shows a simple, generous gift in a safe setting, which points to goodwill and happy outcomes, so it leans yes. When reversed, it leans maybe. Reversed, attachment to the past may cloud the answer, so the reply weakens to maybe.

What does Six of Cups mean as feelings?

This person feels warm, fond and comfortable with you. They may associate you with good memories or feel a sense of familiarity.