Five of Cups Tarot Card
Five of Cups Meaning
Five of Cups is, in a way, a depressive card, carrying negative emotions, separation, lack of forgiveness, guilt and judgment, as well as all those dark feelings that throw us into the hole of self-questioning or self-resentment. It is an emotional phase that comes after great disappointments, when we are faced with the responsibility we have towards our heart to listen to it instead of listening to anyone else. The loss of contact with other people is expected here, for the flow of inner feelings needs to be regenerated so we can heal instead of relying on any outer figures or emotional exchanges for personal growth. This card requires us to grow up in a way, see that our only true connection is much wider and more profound than that with any one specific person, and its impact is never easy. To overcome obstacles and reminders it sends our way, we need to find forgiveness and love for our inner child in order to heal.
Love
Romance isn’t exactly promising with the Five of Cups in its way, for this card represents guilt, separation and wrongfully determined responsibilities between two people. Not only does it require solitude, but it also shows that what was done left consequences that must be accepted just as they are, pointing out to the importance of reality and personal boundaries of both people involved. Although it leaves little room for hopeful encounters and joyous energies, this card reminds us that we must live in the moment and take steps that are necessary for our own happiness, even if this means giving up on important emotional contacts with other people.
Career
Opportunities don’t exactly come knocking with cups empty and our path unclear. Five of Cups can be supportive of career moves that are rigid, unemotional and too strict for one's heart, and show our lack of motivation or interest in the job that needs to get done. This card can push us into career ventures that make us feel lonely when we would truly desire to be a part of a team, or close the doors we thought were open right in front of our face so we can see the actual value of living in the moment and acting on impulse. Its role isn’t to make us feel guilty or judge our professional ways, but to teach us how important the creative process in our life is for both our personal happiness and the course of our career, as a true calling.
Health
Five of Cups is often considered a bad omen when it comes to health related issues, but it is really our opportunity to heal the core of emotion that led to any dysfunctions and problems in our physiology. It may also show that we have been in the state of sadness or negative emotions for too long, and that the burden of joggling too many pessimistic views might leave its mark if we don’t change perspective and see what is needed for personal evolution. This card represents psychosomatic issues and depression, sleep deprivation and a deep need for rest that we must indulge in order to heal.
Five of Cups Reversed
Five of Cups in its reversed position represents our inability to use our negative emotions for growth unless if we turn to the Divine. It reminds us of the importance of faith on our quests and in each aspiration we thought to commit to. This position tells us it is time to leave the past in the past and move on, instead of staying in a dark state of mind or heart for too long. It is a reminder to snap out of emotions that we carry, see the bigger picture, and see what we have paid off instead of feeling guilty. Requiring solitude, it turns us to the source of knowledge and understanding of even the toughest of circumstances we’ve encountered.
Five of Cups Time Line
Past - Time for grieving and regret seems to be behind us with the Five of Cups in our past. It may represent a foundation that isn’t exactly healthy, but also a loop of time where we might feel like we have been spinning in circles for a while and finally found a way to get out. When we had very little and stumbled upon disappointment, the main question is – how we have dealt with loss and trauma and are we still tied by emotions that haven’t been metabolized even though our “dark ages” are now gone.
Present - This card will show in the present to point out the importance of moving on from the stagnant emotions we have been in for a while. The state it brings isn’t easy but it will be liberating if we build enough flexibility to embrace our shadows and dark sides to our own personality. It points to the lonely time we are in, to psychological barriers for a constant emotional flow, and our own resistance to circumstances that we have encountered lately.
Future - This isn’t a goal many will like to see for the future reading, for the Five of Cups announces the consequence of wrong actions made today. It is the time of contemplation after moves that scarred others and ourselves, and reminds us to check twice if we are choosing our current setting well. It is a clear warning sign that we must acknowledge, understanding that even though we must hit some lows to rise, we don’t have to do it intentionally when we can simply take the time to rest and calmly assess our options.
