Tarot Card Five of Cups: Loss and Disappointment
Description: A man stands in a black cloak, looking sad, his gaze lowered to three overturned cups, he does not see two more full cups behind him. Not far away, a river is visible, which separates the man from the city on the horizon, but the barrier is illusory — a bridge rises above the river.
Main upright card meanings:
- Deep sadness;
- Loss of a loved one;
- Loss of something important, but there is also hope with you;
- You are not alone with your grief;
- Deprivation of something you did not value;
- Disappointment, failure;
- Regrets, excessive pessimism;
- Miscarriage;
- Problems in the family;
- Inheritance, gift;
- Marriage, partnership;
- Rejection of naive ideas and transition to a more mature philosophy of life;
- Advice: strive to overcome regrets and remorse and have the courage to extract something useful from your shattered illusions;
- A card of failures and achievements;
- Indecision.
The main meanings of the card in the inverted position:
- The situation is now better than before;
- Old friends, lovers have returned;
- Courage to move forward;
- Good news;
- A constructive approach to misunderstandings;
- A painful ending, hardship;
- Irrecoverable loss;
- Hardship;
- Loneliness and grief;
- Lessons, experience of the past;
- Better times ahead.
A man in a black cloak stands, his head sadly bowed, looking at three overturned cups. Nearby is a river, an insurmountable barrier separating him from the beautiful castle where his (now unattainable!) beloved lives. It seems that this card symbolizes despair and continuous failures in life. However, behind the man there are two more full cups, and in the distance, where the river turns, you can see a bridge, crossing which you can reach the castle.
«Tarot of Aquarius» offers an interesting interpretation of this plot, showing a man who has taken to drink from grief.
No, life is not over, says this card: your grief is really great, and the losses are significant, but there will still be joys and gains ahead. You just need to look back, stop thinking about your grief — and it will go into the past, and a happy future will open up before you.
And even in an inverted form, it means almost the same thing, only you will have to wait a little longer. Or, if this card is in the «past» position, then it means that the troubles are already behind you.
(E. Kolesov «Azbuka Tarot»)
DESCRIPTION: Although two cups stand upright, the other three are overturned, and the wine of life has spilled onto the ground. A man dressed in a black robe looks down sadly. A winding river runs in the distance, passing a bridge leading to an abandoned castle. Element: Water.
EXPLANATION: The number Five represents change and uncertainty, and this card symbolizes deep sadness or the loss of a loved one. Perhaps a marriage or other relationship is falling apart. Life seems to be weighed down by disappointment and there is no meaning or joy in anything. It is significant that the figure in this card pays much more attention to the overturned cups than to the two that are upright. So although there is loss, there is also hope, but we must overcome our sadness and regret in order to take advantage of new opportunities.
REVERSED CARD MEANING: Things are looking much brighter now than they used to. Old friends or lovers have returned. We have enough courage to move forward.
SELF-DEVELOPMENT LESSON: Sometimes we are so absorbed in the sense of loss that we forget that everything in life is temporary. We must always strive to overcome regrets and remorse and have the courage to extract something useful from our shattered illusions.
( N. Drewry «Tarot. Step-by-step guide to study» )
The Five of Cups is a card of sadness, pain, despair and melancholy. It shows that we have lost something that was very important to us for a long time. It shows that we will not be left alone with our grief, but can count on the sympathy and help of friends. However, this consoling side of the card should not be interpreted in the sense that our grief is imaginary, and that soon we will be good and happy again. Often the card shows that our own frivolity was to blame, that we did not appreciate what we have, and therefore lost it. However, there is a way out of this situation: the card advises not to dwell on your grief for too long.
WORK: The Five of Cups is disappointment and pain due to a failed project. It can mean failing an exam, giving up a place, or a deal from which we expected a lot of profit, but only suffer losses. However, the card advises: analyze everything, find your mistake, check whether your attitude was too frivolous or negative from the very beginning.
CONSCIOUSNESS: The Five of Cups shows that we have experienced disappointment, pain and resentment and must now learn a lesson from this. Often this means abandoning naive, idealistic ideas and moving on to a more mature and pragmatic philosophy of life. This card has a particularly profound meaning in those cases when we finally realize that the cause of our disappointment was our own carelessness, inattention or capriciousness, or when the pain we experience forces us to reconsider previous patterns of behavior and develop a new outlook on life.
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS: In the area of personal relationships, the Five of Cups usually means the breakup of a previous relationship or disappointment in an acquaintance that seemed to promise so much. If this is truly a sad end to a once wonderful relationship, then we should ask ourselves what contribution we personally made to this. Often, we are surprised to find that one of the main reasons for the breakup was our own irritation, which developed on the basis of boredom. Only by realizing these reasons will we have a chance to learn a lesson from everything that happened, so as not to repeat our mistakes.
Fives in Tarot
The number «five» is associated with the Hierophant card, with the planet Mercury and the astrological signs of Gemini and Virgo. The metal Mercury is also called mercury. Mercury symbolizes change, freedom of movement, adaptability, flexibility, mobility, variety, travel and learning. People born under the sign of Mercury prefer intellectual activity to artisanal. They need to beware of impulsiveness and a chameleon-like ability to adapt their thoughts to the situation.
The appearance of fives in a reading indicates major changes, often concerning promotions at work, or possible travel. Some kind of public recognition is also likely. Fives often foretell adventures, solving interesting problems or moving. This is a time of tension and serious expenditure of nervous energy.
The number «five» represents Yang energy, restless, volatile and impetuous. This may be a time of hasty action, adventurism, excitement, freedom from the limitations of the past, important changes, uncertainty, scattered energy and creative possibilities. This time is favorable for literature, art, public speaking, advertising, travel, research, gambling, trade and communications. Since the character of fives is rather restless, this is not the best time for long-term hobbies.
Five of Cups Upright
Keywords and phrases: Regret. Self-blame. Sadness. Reflection. Unhappy ending. Unsettled emotions. Lack of communication. Loss of trust. Emotional disappointment. Betrayal in love. Excessive pessimism. Anxiety over separation. Saving what is left. Fading love. Family problems. A time of crisis in a love relationship. Breakup. Feeling abandoned. You are being scolded or punished. Separation, Divorce. Miscarriage. Unspent talents. Something is lost, but something remains. Don't cry over spilt milk. What's done is done. He who remembers the past will lose an eye. The glass is half empty, not half full.
Situation and advice: You have experienced a loss or disappointment. You may feel rejected or abandoned. However, all is not lost. Something remains, and that something is worth holding on to. You may be thinking of the glass as half empty, but it could just as easily be thought of as half full. If you are in a relationship that is bringing you nothing but pain, regret, and disappointment, it may be time to end it. Allowing yourself to grieve can help you release some of your emotions.
People:Those who are hurt, resentful, or emotionally wounded. Pessimists. Women who have had miscarriages. Children who are being abused.
Reversed Five of Cups
Key Words and Phrases:(Positive Meanings) Hope. Rekindling an old flame. Good news. Expectation. Acceptance. New relationships. Opportunities. Renewing old connections. A constructive approach to misunderstandings. Healing old wounds. The glass is half full.
(Negative meanings) A painful ending. Hardship. Inevitable losses. Regret. The end of an important relationship. Loss of love.
Situation and advice: Positive aspect of the Five of Cups in the reversed position: the emotional pain predicted by this card in the correct position is coming to an end. There is already light at the end of the tunnel, and you are already on the road to recovery from past wounds and losses. Someone you knew in the past will restore your hope for the future. An old friend may reappear in your life. Perhaps your former lover will return. Rapid changes in your emotional life can be a source of discomfort. But now is the right time to clear up all the past misunderstandings and heal wounded feelings.
Negative aspect of this card: it indicates the need to realize that some important relationship has ended irrevocably. It can predict possible hardship, loneliness or grief.
People:Old friends. People you once loved. Loved ones you have lost.
The meaning and inner meaning of the Five of Cups Arcana
The meaning of the Five of Cups in the upright position:
- Heritage, Inheritance, Gift, Meeting, Donation, Dowry, Family Estate, Transfer, Spiritual Testament.
- Tradition, Decision, Kabbalah.
Other meanings of the Five of Cups tarot in the upright position:
- loss, partial failure, unfulfilled inheritance, unsuccessful marriage
- regret, new hopes
Fives are generally undesirable in the layout, and in combination with the emotions of Cups, the card speaks of an extremely negative factors influencing the Client's life. The Five of Cups is a card of loss and disappointment, especially in personal relationships. The losses are not necessarily present; they may have happened long ago, but the pain of them is still fresh. However, with a positive attitude, the Client will be able to overcome grief and find hope and new goals.
The Five of Cups Tarot card may represent a coming union; perhaps a marriage or partnership. There have been setbacks, but there have also been achievements. Those setbacks were small, and the sadness is temporary. Also, an inheritance, but not as much as the Questioner wanted or expected. A change of plans, a change of environment or personal circumstances.
Reversed Interpretation:
- Paternal Relationship, Blood, Family. — Great-grandparents, ancestors, Father, Mother, Brother, Sister, Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, Cousin.
- Ancestry (lines), Origin, Race, Line, Kinship.
- Affinity, Close Relationship, Correlation, Union.
Other meanings of the reversed Five of Cups Tarot:
- news, marriage, family ties, return, hope
- promising future, lessons from the past
The reversed Five of Cups Tarot suggests that better times are ahead. Regrets associated with the worthy card have not yet passed, but are becoming less acute, and the Client is able to begin a new life. New opportunities are often accompanied by uncertainty; in this case, past experience will serve as a valuable lesson.
Inner meaning
Here, too, it is your mood that influences your outlook on the situation. The Five of Cups Tarot is a card of failures and achievements, but you probably only see failures and do not notice the achievements. If you see the good side of what you have, you will have the opportunity to achieve happiness. The Five of Cups Tarot card also predicts a union, possibly marriage, and warns that it depends on you whether you will be happy or not. Following the Four, the Five of Cups emphasizes: the reason for your unhappiness is that you deliberately (even if unconsciously) agree that your dissatisfaction and disappointment are fair. You choose the worst and discard everything positive; in fact, you harm yourself by trying to annoy someone else. Happiness and the fulfillment of desires have been waiting for you for a long time. They are still waiting. Everything depends only on you.
The Five of Cups Tarot is also a card of indecision, the inability to force yourself to think about important issues. Sometimes the Five foretells a change of environment caused by your desire to avoid these questions; in essence, you are running away instead of working on the situation.
Sources:
- N. Drewry «Tarot. A Step-by-Step Guide to Studying»
- E. Kolesov «The ABCs of Tarot»
- Unknown author «Basic Information for Reading Tarot Cards»
- H. Banzhaf «Self-study Guide to Tarot»
- Anthony Lewis «Tarot Made Simple and Clear»
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