Five of Cups
The Five of Cups centers on loss, grief, and the necessity of mourning as part of the emotional spectrum. It invites experiencing sorrow fully in order to heal while warning against becoming so consumed by grief that one overlooks what remains. The card often signals a present disappointment or the resurfacing of an unresolved past loss. Its imagery—floodwaters, a toy boat, mullein, three empty cups and two full—balances deep sorrow with protection, refuge, and the reminder that not all is lost.
Keywords
Keywords
Loss, grief, sorrow, disappointment, mourning.
Meaning
The Cups are the suit of emotion, and therefore they must represent the full spectrum of it, from love and joy to sadness and grief, because we can't have one without the other. Grief is the price of love, as the saying goes. The 5 of Cups welcomes us into the full range of our sorrow, which we must experience in order to heal. It may signal a loss or disappointment in the present or the resurgence of a prior one we haven't yet properly mourned. (I pulled this card nonstop during a very happy, stable period in my life, simply because it was the first time I'd had the space and safety to grieve.) The message of the card is to allow these emotions to flow through us because they are deeply necessary, but also to not become so consumed with our grief that we forget the good thing we still have. We can mourn what's lost and appreciate what's here at the same time.
Imagery
In our card, a house is surrounded by the rising and swift-moving floodwaters of grief. A toy boat is carried on the current, reminiscent of the ferryboat on the River Styx while also hinting at refuge: we don't have to sink. The water is framed by mullein, a hedge plant whose magical properties include protection and courage, and which has connections with mourning through its use in ancient Roman funerary rites. Three of the five cups are empty, but two are intact and full, a reminder that not all is lost. Though the house is flooded, in the attic a light still burns.
Visual Description
A small yellow sand bucket lies tipped on its side with a matching shovel and a mound of sand spilling onto the surface; a bandage rests nearby. To the right sits a terracotta pot with two tall, thin stalks growing from the soil, and a wire mesh wastebasket with a single crumpled paper ball stands lower left. Scattered around the scene are a soda can with a straw, a slanted glass jar containing tiny glowing insects, a short glass container holding a single tooth, and two small metal lids.
Fifth Spirit tarot
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