The Nine of Cups is about having more than enough of all the good things in life. You have an abundance of emotional resources, and your wishes are being fulfilled.
Ask the Universe with clarity for what you want and reap the rewards. Love, creativity, health, and security are all yours, and this card shows you’re overflowing with emotional fulfillment.
Be careful, though, as The Nine of Cups can also stand for overindulgence that leads to dissatisfaction. Count your blessings but don’t take all the good in your life for granted.
When you see The Nine of Cups card reversed, it can mean that you’ve prioritized material gains over spiritual and emotional health. You might have all the money in the world, but it feels hollow if you’re not living a life of connection and purpose.
Have you been working so hard for security and possessions that you’ve lost sight of what truly matters? Look inward to define your priorities and spend more time doing the simple things that make you happy, with the people you love.
The Nine of Cups card can also mean you’ve gotten what you thought you wanted, but you’re feeling unfulfilled. You’re harboring a sense of disappointment, and this can breed negativity.
This card can also show you had everything you desired but lost it, so you’re feeling a lack of accomplishment. Spend some time reflecting inward to see where things went wrong and how you can make changes moving forward.
Reading this reversed card using the “blocked/restricted” meaning
Okay, let’s talk about how you can read your reversed Nine of Cups card.
First, you can use the “blocked/restricted” reversed card meaning. When you read your cards this way, you’re looking for an obstacle standing in front of the card’s upright meaning.
For The Nine of Cups, this means something is blocking your emotional fulfillment. You may have what you thought you wanted, but it’s not bringing the sense of contentment you expected.
For example, you might pull the reversed Nine of Cups card thinking about a job promotion. You work in sales and just got promoted to regional sales manager. This means a huge salary boost and a whole new career path.
It’s something you’ve been working towards with determination for the past year. But to get where you are, you’ve been putting in a lot of long hours, so you’ve had almost no time to connect with your friends and family.
In fact, they’ve stopped reaching out because they know you will tell them you’re too busy. When you got promoted, you felt weird reaching out to invite people to celebrate with you. The fact that you’re alone in your accomplishment has left it feeling hollow.
Here, the reversed Nine of Cups card tells you to reach out to your loved ones anyway. You might owe them an apology for your absence, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still want to hear from you.
It’s never too late to make amends, and reaching out will help you rebalance your life. The next time something big happens, they’ll be there to enjoy it with you, and don’t forget to celebrate their big wins too!
Reading this reversed card using the “opposite” meaning
You can also read your reversed Nine of Cups card using the “opposite” reversed card meaning. When you read your cards like this, you use the opposite of the card’s upright meaning.
So for The Nine of Cups, instead of fulfillment and success, you have dissatisfaction and failure. Something didn’t work out the way you expected, and it’s leading to spiraling negativity.
Say you pull the reversed Nine of Cups card thinking about a business investment. You have a friend who started their own DJ company, and you were one of the original investors.
You looked over their business model, and with their experience and knowledge, you thought it was a slam-dunk. But the competition was steep, and after the first year, they’re already closing up shop.
You’ve lost money, and you’re angry with your friend for not taking your suggestions seriously. Here, the reversed Nine of Cups card tells you not to hang on to this negativity.
It’s very hard losing money with no way of getting it back, but that’s the risk you take when you become an investor. Also, holding this against your friend will only mean that you have negativity in your heart and will lose your friendship along with your money.
You can’t change the past, but you can learn from this experience and use it to help make decisions in the future. Also, remember that your friend is struggling too, and they need your support now more than ever.
Reading this reversed card using the “worse” meaning
Another way to read your reversed Nine of Cups card is using the “worse” reversed card meaning. When you read your cards this way, you take the card’s upright meaning and put it in a negative light.
For The Nine of Cups, this means you’ve found success and recognition, but perhaps at the cost of losing something even more important.
For example, say you pull the reversed Nine of Cups card thinking about a partnership. You have an Etsy shop you started with a girlfriend.
The two of you have been best buds since you were teenagers, and you both enjoy making jewelry, so you started a business together. It was slow-going at first, and the fact that you weren’t making much money led to a lot of issues.
You decided you wanted to take the business in a new direction, focusing on making simple jewelry with natural stones instead of your friend’s big and glamtastic costume jewelry. Because you were pushing this new image, you moved forward without your friend.
Recently, things took off with your simple jewelry line, and you’re getting a lot of orders. But your friendship is suffering, and it seems like you sacrificed that relationship for your success.
Here, the reversed Nine of Cups card tells you to reach out to your friend to start a dialogue, and apologize for not treating your business like a true partnership. They might still want to work with you and blend your visions for the business.
If not, you might at least be able to build your bond again. Recognize the mistakes you made and apologize for where you went wrong. You can’t undo the past, but you can try to move forward and strengthen your relationship.
Reading this reversed card using the “no/not” meaning
Finally, you can read your reversed Nine of Cups card using the “no/not” reversed card meaning. When you read your cards like this, you put a “no” or a “not” in front of the card’s upright meaning.
So for The Nine of Cups, this means “no success” or “no satisfaction.” The path you’re on right now isn’t leading to fulfillment, so it might be time to change course.
Say you pull the reversed Nine of Cups card thinking about a romantic relationship. You’re dating someone who has a lot of great qualities. They’re funny, good-looking, successful, and your family loves them.
But, when you spend time with them, they’re not very emotional or sentimental, and you are. They don’t enjoy cuddling or candlelight or long walks under the full moon. They tease you when you cry at movies and don’t understand your need to talk about every little thing.
Here, the reversed Nine of Cups card tells you this might not be a great fit. Even though they look good on paper, if they can’t understand your need for emotional connection, this relationship will ultimately leave you feeling unfulfilled.
Talk to your partner about how you’re feeling and what you require in a romantic relationship. If they can’t understand and provide what you need, they are not the right person for you.
You can find someone who is a better fit – you just have to give up the good thing you’ve got going on to find someone who is truly great.