A Breakdown of the Cards – Minor Arcana (Cups/Chalices) (Ace-7)

Cups – (aka hearts, chalices, goblets, moons, blooms)  – Water – Emotions and feelings, relationships and love – They are associated with the element of Earth.

The cups suit is similar to the swords suit because the swords journey is an internal battle between the mind and the self (remember mental and perspective with the suit of air/ swords); while cups is more about an external battle (remember feelings and emotions with the suit of water/ cups) ~ “Cups are how we wear our hearts on our sleeves, and that is our external interaction with the world”.

Ace of Cups  

1. Number 1. In numerology, this represents the primal force, that does not let anything stand in its way. It is a number of creation and although and odd number, it can allow for change and growth along its path.
2. Aligns with Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces
3. Upright Meaning – Compassion, creativity, expression, the opportunity of spiritual fulfillment, a feeling that the glass is overflowing or lots of emotions.It can also indicate a new love and relationship.
4. Reversed Meaning – A feeling of not enough or blocked emotions, bottled up emotions, repressed feelings, an emotional roller coaster.
5. Key elements – A single cup held by a hand (consciousness) often with emanating rays (meaning trusting intuition and spiritual influence). The cup is overflowing and has 5 streams of water overflowing out (represents the 5 senses). Lotus blossoms in the ocean below represent spiritual awakening.

Two of Cups

1. Number 2 in numerology represents duality. These are likely opposites or different approaches. It is a number with creative and underestimated power when successful in integrating both aspects.
2. Aligns with Venus in Cancer
3. Upright Meaning – Balance, mutual respect and a harmony in a relationship. This is often a romantic partnership card, even more so than the Lovers card. It is a unifying start of opposites in a loving relationship.
4. Reversed Meaning – Untrust of a current relationship, emotional baggage from a previous relationship. It could indicate a break-up or a lack of harmony in the relationship. It could also indicate a physical but non-emotional relationship.
5. Key elements – Two people together in a ceremony (wedding) holding cups, with the caduceus of hermes (snake double helix meaning duality and balance.) between them. Often there is a lions head above them meaning Fire and passion indicating sexual and emotional attraction.

Three of Cups

1. Number 3 in numerology represents a disharmony of sorts but looking towards the future. I always see it as building for the stability and balance of 4, but not quite yet there.
2. Aligns with Mercury and Cancer
3. Upright Meaning – Friendships, harmonious relationships and something often compared to the “Sex in the City” grouping of friends. It suggests to find comfort with friends or a creative outlet. The disharmony here is needing to withdraw from the difficulty of the day-to-day and emotionally reconnect with those who are your solid support system.
4. Reversed Meaning – In reverse this card could indicate you as a person coming between a relationship or even a 3rd member in a romantic triangle. It can also indicate stifled creativity, isolation, or a disconnect from your friends and support group.
5. Key elements – Three women are dancing in a circle with their cups raised into the air. They are connecting on both an emotional and physical level of friendship, there are fruit and flowers on the ground and a sense of abundance and growth.

Four of Cups

1. Number 4 in numerology represents a balance, strength and stability. it is a masculine number and somewhat based in logic, organization and patience.
2. Aligns with the Moon in Cancer
3. Upright Meaning – This card can indicate boredom of life and unmotivated by it. It suggests turning inward to find the answer you seek. It is a time to wake-up and be an active participant in the outcome of our future. It can also indicate defensiveness, stubbornness or ungrateful at the point of stability. Often it suggests there is opportunity but there has not been the decision to move forward due to the focus on the emotional hang-ups. It is a card of balance but taking for granted the balance of relationships and support you have received from them.
4. Reversed Meaning – Something positive is on your way but you have to look right in-front of you to see it. Keep your eyes open to new offerings. Is your heart closed to someone or the possibility of something new? This could also indicate a wanting to break free but the emotional aspects can be dealt with to move forward.
5. Key elements – This shows a young man sitting under a tree, alone and angry or contemplating over three cups out in front of him, while one is being offered to him with a hand coming out of the clouds (he seems to be ignoring this gesture).

Five of Cups

1. Number 5 in numerology represents dynamic energy, a bit of chaos, change or the need for freedom
2. Aligns with Mars in Scorpio
3. Upright Meaning – Disappointments, loss, wallowing in self pity instead of moving on. Not letting go of the past, missing out and bitter memories. With this card it is important to look to the past, learn how you got to where you are and see there is a clear way out.
4. Reversed Meaning – Lessons learned, recovery after regret, learning to be open and take emotional risks again. This card is about personal desires and goals, following what will make you the happiest in life.
5. Key elements – This shows a figure in a cloak, standing alone, looking solemn. He has two upright cups behind him and three on the ground in front of him which are tipped over. A powerful river flows before him as well as a bridge that leads of fto a castle.

(Six of Cups

1. Number 6 in numerology represents harmony and is one of the most balanced numbers when thinking of kindness, love, satisfaction, and so on.
2. Aligns with the Sun in Scorpio
3. Upright Meaning –  Nostalgia, generosity and happiness from memories of the past. It can represent the inner child or remind us of what made us happy in the past may help us understand our happiness in the future. It may also indicate actual children, pregnancy, or adoption.
4. Reversed meaning – Clinging to the past and it is preventing progress in your current life. Perhaps unrealistic ideas about feelings and expectations of what will make you happy. It can also bring up fertility issues or abuse experienced during childhood that has emotions that are still manifesting.
5. Key elements – The six of cups shows a boy smelling on of the 5 flowers and sharing it with a younger girl.The house in the background shows comfort, security. The card feels bright and positive.

Seven of Cups

1. In numerology, 7 represents not taking anything at face value, hidden truths, and nothing is as it seems.
2. Aligns with Venus in Scorpio
3. Upright Meaning –  Fantasy, illusion with wishful thinking. As an individual this person can be caught up in their own dreams or illusions and the effort has not manifested into making this a reality in the real world. There is also an aspect of compartmentalizing emotions into their specific place so one can continue functioning out of necessity.
4. Reversed Meaning – Illusions, temptations, unclear in what will fulfill you. You are refusing to see what’s actually going on with you and your emotions and where you place your efforts. Take some time to re-evaluate your feelings to understand why these emotions need to be inventoried.
5. Key elements –  A man faces 7 cups floating in the clouds,filled with symbolic imagery. His stance indicates he is take aback, with the symbols ranging in both positive and negative. These cups each have a single item rising from them – a snake, representing wisdom and knowledge; a shrouded figure, representing the need for illumination; a human head, representing a companion for the conjurer; a tower, representing stability and power; treasure, representing abundance and wealth; a laurel wreath, representing victory or honour, and status; and a dragon, representing supernatural forces.