A figure in a black cloak mourns three spilled cups, not seeing the two cups still standing behind him or the bridge that leads home. It is loss, grief and regret: but not everything is lost.
Grief over spilled cups, while two still stand behind you.
Waite’s keywords (1911): Loss, but something remains; an inheritance that falls short of expectation.
Reversed
Reversed, healing begins: acceptance, forgiveness, moving on; or, in a hard reading, grief that is denied and not allowed to be felt.
Acceptance after sorrow, turning back towards what remains.
Waite’s keywords (1911): News, alliances, kinship, ancestry, return, false projects.
In love
Upright Heartbreak, loss, regret over a relationship that ended or went wrong.
Reversed You begin to heal after a breakup, and to see what remains.
In work
Upright Disappointment at work; a failure or a missed chance that hurts.
Reversed Recovery after a professional failure; you learn from it.
In money
Upright A financial loss; regret over money spent or wasted.
Reversed You recover part of what was lost.
At home and in the family
Upright Grief in the family, a loss mourned together.
Reversed Reconciliation after a period of mourning.
On your path
Upright Loss teaches the soul what it truly values.
Reversed You turn toward the light again after sorrow.
Its counsel
Upright Mourn, then turn around: two cups still stand.
Reversed Let go of regret and walk across the bridge.
Correspondences
- Arcana
- Minor Arcana, suit of Cups
- Element
- Water
- Rank
- Fives: struggle, loss and unsettling change
Dreams that carry this card
Cups
Ace of Cups · Two of Cups · Three of Cups · Four of Cups · Six of Cups · Seven of Cups · Eight of Cups · Nine of Cups · Ten of Cups · Page of Cups · Knight of Cups · Queen of Cups · King of Cups