Suit of cups

Being a Pisces, cups might be the most intuitive suit for me to understand. They represent emotions, spirituality, and the idea of being filled from within. Presented as chalices in traditional tarot cards, this represents our bodies as sacred vessels that carry the intangible - love, grief, reverence, maybe God or Spirit. To be full is to feel the weight of whatever we are carrying and so our actions lead from this place. Carrying a lot of anger? You probably aren’t super nice to the grocery store clerk. Feeling taken by the beauty of the world? You may just have a magical day seeing old sights as new again.

This is what I feel when I think of this suit.

As each suit represents a different element of the earth, it’s no surprise that cups represents water. Water takes the shape of its container. This is important to remember when reading any cups in a tarot spread. It asks that we respect the container just as much as the water itself.

As a science-lover, I also find water deeply fascinating as it moves through the world unlike anything else. It cycles through various states of being - water, steam or water vapor, and ice. It can be incredibly dangerous and destructive in the form of hurricanes or tidal waves. It can be nefarious like a leaking pipe below the ground causing a sinkhole. And yet, it is a requirement for every living thing on this big green Earth. It exists all at once both everywhere and sometimes seemingly nowhere, constantly traveling back to itself through the rain cycle, through rivers and creeks, back to the vast expanse of the ocean.

If you watched Season 3 of White Lotus (no spoilers), you might remember the scene in which a Buddhist monk is pontificating on what happens when we die. In the scene he gently states that we each represent a drop of water that returns to the ocean upon death. We are all one actually, temporarily separated by the earthly plane. It’s a beautiful scene.

That’s all to say that this is what this suit means to me. Our emotions are fluid, as are our experiences. We must examine how we fill our cups and what were are filling it with. And to understand that when we feel empty, we will be full again, and that water is all around us, if we just know where to look.

Okay, I’ll stop being so serious. Here’s a breakdown of the story arc of the Cups:

Ace of Cups: As Aces always represent the beginning of a cycle, cups represents that initial injection of emotion - new love or friendship or setting off on a spiritual path. It’s the self-assurance one may feel when all there is only good vibes and inspiration, at the point where no doubt has set in. “Let’s go!” would be it’s motto.

Two of Cups: A second cup has been introduced. If it’s a new relationship, maybe things are looking a little more serious beyond the ‘fling’ of the Ace of Cups. If poured together, the contents of each cup could never be returned to their original cup with the exact water molecules it contained initially. There’s a marriage of feelings here that creates an ecosystem that could only be built from the unique combination of these two cups. Balance is created.

Three of Cups: There’s a third cup in the mix. Three’s company! This points to growth whatever it is we saw in the Ace. If it’s a relationship, maybe you’re making this thing Instagram official, meeting one another’s friends and family. If it’s an endeavor, perhaps it’s being shared with others, getting feedback, learning, reflecting, and refining.

Four of Cups: Coming from the Three of Cups, relationships have been flaunted and new endeavors have been evaluated by the group. Upon reflection, there might be second-guessing going on. You may have the ick. The meeting of the minds in the last card has you questioning whether this is even what you wanted. Maybe things were said that triggered some apathy. The advice here - get out of your head and take a look around at all that has built up to here. Can you appreciate it?

Five of Cups: Turns out, you cannot appreciate it. It left you high and dry. Your cups have turned over and the water has spilt all over the ground. This card is one of serious grief and loss, whether at your own hand or because someone or something wasn’t appreciated for what it was. But there’s still water flowing all around you - remember the rain cycle? It will make it’s way back once more.

Six of Cups: The grey cloud has lifted and perhaps you’re remembering happier times. It’s as if the cups have refilled themselves from within. There’s resilience here and hope for new beginnings once again, except with a little more experience under the belt. Perhaps the worst of the grief is over or there’s been a reunion with those that left. There’s a remembrance of the why that set you off on the pursuit at the Ace of Cups and the knowledge of how to seek out what you actually need, rather than what you think you need.

Seven of Cups: But not too fast! In the lessons learned from the last three cards, a whole world has opened up to you. Many cups appear before you, each with different contents. Select carefully, not impulsively.

Eight of Cups: Perhaps you didn’t like what you saw in those seven cups. You know what you want and what you deserve, so you walked away with head hung. Time to go within and do some soul searching. It’s time to revise. Push emotional and spiritual growth to the limits. Rather than choosing what was offered in the last card, you have to find on your own something no one is handing out.

Nine of Cups: In the lonely cabin in the woods you retreated to in the last card you had a dream, a vision, a whisper that told you what it was your heart truly desired. And like magic, once your heart and mind aligned, a wish was granted and you got exactly what you wanted and needed. After all this is called the ‘wish card’.

Ten of Cups: Boom. Happy ending. You are sitting pretty queen. This arc ends with fulfillment, belonging, harmony. The same energy of the Ace is seen here, except on the other side of the journey. Don’t be surprised if the cycle starts again.

Page of Cups: Most simply put, this card represents a kid with legos. They have building blocks and imagination to build their wildest dreams! If this came across in a reading and represented a person, this person would need the others around to have a little imagination themselves to see their vision. Being a Page, there is a earnest immaturity here. This person could be galvanized achieve their dreams with the right pep talk, but they may bluster at constructive criticism and give up when the going gets tough. They may be a little bit of a dreamer and not like to come down to the Earthly plane.

Knight of Cups: Talk about a dreamer. Be warned, this Knight (or Knightess) may charm the pants right off of you. This person may take you to an art museum to pontificate on the great masters. They will want to be out and about showing you how much they love showing you things. A little prone to vanity, handle tense moments with care. The deep waters that run beneath their surface goes both ways - loving and not-so-loving. They may be gone in the blink of an eye at any scare.

Queen of Cups: Like all Queens, she has been through the story arc of her suit enough times to soften her edges. In this case, she maintains a calm demeanor having been through the wringer and she knows what goes up, must come down, and not to attach to every moment inbetween. She’s great for advice and guidance. But like the Knight, and all cups, she is prone to cutting off emotions if they get too big for her. The problem usually is, the cutoff point is unknown to all, including her. Establishing and communicating boundaries is key.

King of Cups: Kings are about control and the big picture. This King knows how to stay grounded when presented with many options. He knows that the water that flows into his cup will always be replenished in due time. He is sharing and compassionate for this reason. Because he is so in tune, he also knows how to play other peoples emotions, if needed.