The Five of Cups is a pretty sad card. It’s about loss, regrets, and feeling abandoned. And even more than that, it’s about being stuck wallowing in a place where you can’t find hope or help.
Traditionally, the Five of Cups tarot card shows a man in a dark black cloak with his back turned to the viewer. He’s focused on the three spilled cups in front of him and doesn’t notice the two upright and full cups directly behind him. He seems very melancholy and is obsessively focused on what he lost. He’ll never be able to get it back.
He’s so focused on his grief and loss that he is blind to the opportunities and new start waiting for his attention.
This card arrives when it’s time to move on. You need to move through the stages of loss and grief so you can get on with your life. Feel the pain, forgive God, forgive the people you have lost, forgive yourself, and forge a new life.
This card can also indicate deep relationship problems that will result in a separation or the end of a relationship. Some things can’t be fixed.
It’s actually less painful to accept the reality of your situation and move on than it is to live on the dregs of what someone else can’t (or won’t) give you.
Keywords for the Five of Cups Tarot Card
- Loss, betrayal, disappointment
- Relationship problems, separation
- Needing to work through the stages of grief
- A bittersweet marriage or situation
Keywords for the Five of Cups Reversed
- Forgiveness, moving on
- Acceptance, recovery
- Hope and happiness return
Patterns and Correspondences of the Five of Cups Card
- The Cups suit = rules the emotions
- Suit of cards = hearts
- Timeline = weeks to months
- Number 5 = the turning point
- Zodiac sign = Scorpio
- Element = Water
Keep reading for sample tarot readings using The Five of Cups card, but first…
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Five of Cups Tarot Card Meanings for Love
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If you are in a relationship that is struggling, there are significant problems that can’t be fixed. You’ve already spent enough time mourning what isn’t and what never will be. Instead of more grief, give yourself freedom and move on to something better.
If you are looking for a new relationship partner, you may be caught in the past. You can’t move on to find lasting love if you are still fixated on a relationship that didn’t last.
Not all relationships are meant to be forever, but all relationships have lessons for us. Once you’ve learned the lessons from your past relationships, integrate them into your life, put the past behind you, and move on to something better.
Five of Cups Tarot Card Meaning for Work
If you are feeling unseen or unheard at your job, speak up. You need to reach out and ask for what you need, as scary as it may seem.
If you are feeling stuck and confused about your career, you may be trying to hold on to dreams and goals that no longer serve you. It takes a lot of courage to admit the dreams you once had no longer feel true. It takes even more to do something about it.
Remember, in the Five of Cups card, he has two full goblets behind him. You have many opportunities as well, so move past your fear and begin exploring the possibilities around you.
Five of Cups Tarot Card Meanings for Health
Deep loss, depression, and grief take their toll on your body, on your mind, and on your spirit. If you have been feeling the heaviness of despair, it’s time to reach out for help.
Take care of yourself and turn back toward the positive things you still have in your life. It is hard to focus when you are in pain, but you have many things to be grateful for. Begin recording your blessings in a Gratitude Journal and search your life for positive new starts.
Five of Cups Tarot Card Meanings for Money and Finances
You may have made some serious money mistakes in the past, but it’s time to move past them. Forgive yourself and everyone else involved and start over.
Taking care of your money is actually fairly simple. Spend less than you earn and be a good steward of what you have. That’s pretty much it.
In practice, however, we complicate things very quickly when our emotions, conditioning, and ego get involved.
Work the basics, over and over, until you feel confident with them. Work on your money-mindset (the inner work of money) before you start tackling the outer work. And do the “boring bits” like maximizing your employer’s 401k match, automatically saving 10% of every paycheck, and keeping to a budget. These strategies are boring, but they work!
Five of Cups Tarot Card Meanings for Spiritual Guidance
When you are feeling abandoned, unloved, lost, or betrayed, the first place to turn to is your spiritual guide. There is always something bigger than your problems to help guide you to better questions, better answers, and a better attitude.
This could be God, the Universe in general, Source Energy, or your future, wiser self.
Deep within you, you already have a connection to that guide. Take the time to make your relationship stronger, so you will always have that connection to serve you when you feel low.
Start by writing down the things you are grateful for every morning and reviewing your list every night. It’s impossible to feel abandoned and separated from your spirit when you feel grateful for everything your guide has provided for you.