Five of Cups Tarot Card Meanings

Five of Cups Upright Meaning

The Five of this suit traditionally portrays the mess that is left after an emotional upheaval, such as a tantrum or fit of rage. Consequences run the gamut from a hangover and lost wages, to abuse and ruined relationships.

This card is also sometimes called Inheritance, suggesting the cross-generational legacy of such tragedies. Violent family patterns magnified to a much larger scale can become war.

Five of Cups Reversed Meaning

The Five of Cups reversed represents a paradoxical situation wherein what seems like the worst thing that could happen actually creates a better circumstance.

Any incoherent fear, once expressed and faced, can be transformed into a manageable issue. Then you are liberated from the dread of negative anticipation, wondering if the situation will blow up in your face. You are freer to act authentically as a result of this energy turn.

Five of Cups Advice Position

The Five of Cups in this position advises you to tighten your belt, make do with less and show more appreciation for the things you do have. If something is truly yours, it cannot be lost. When you are experiencing feelings of loss, it may be because of an inappropriate emotional attachment. If you promise things that you cannot deliver, then you might be setting yourself up for disappointment to follow. In overestimating our abilities, we are forced to face our limits.

Be grateful that as the cups fell, you lost only three of the five. Two are still intact, pristine and full of sacred energy. Do not cling to the setback. Focus on the potential.

Five of Cups Love Position

When the Five of Cups is in this position, you are assessing the mixed messages you received in the past about relationships, an emotional legacy of highs and lows which you could be inclined to repeat. Every family creates an emotional climate that ultimately shapes the character and style of each child.

Early confusion about whether you were loved or wanted colors how you react to and interpret people in your present life. The Five of Cups suggests that you may be agonizing over a pattern from the "bad old days" which is arising in your present life. Don't let yourself simply sink into feeling miserable. Get up and try to make it right again.

Five of Cups Career Position

The Five of Cups in this position points to patterns and traits from those who came before passing on their burdens to new generations. While the genius of the founders is visited upon those who come after -- so are their faults! Your current work or career situation illustrates that the best and worst things that happen to you may be conditioned by the originators' vision. You cannot entirely escape these inherited themes and characteristics. They may be built into the system. Such is the poignancy associated with this card.

In the image on the card, three cups have spilled. However, two cups are still full, so all is not lost. No matter what may have changed between then and now, there is still value in this endeavor. Begin to apply creative thought. Encourage new reactions to old stumbling blocks and bring in new behaviors. Make an effort to retrieve what can be saved and sustained as a resource for those who will come after you.

Five of Cups in a Yes or No Card Reading

The Five of Cups is a card of loss. If you're looking for simple Yes or No guidance and receive the Five of Cups, the answer is NO. Wait until you're emotionally prepared to move forward.