Minor Arcana

Suit of Cups: the 14 cards and their meanings

The Cups are one of the four suits of the Minor Arcana: 14 cards, from the ace to the ten and the four court cards (page, knight, queen and king). In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck the suit is linked to the element of water. Every card has a meaning upright and reversed.

The meanings follow the Rider-Waite-Smith deck Vrachka editorial team Editorial Policy

Cups

The 14 cards

Keywords

Upright and reversed

14 cards: Cups, by the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. Three keywords for each position.
No.	Card	Upright	Reversed
1	Ace of Cups	emotional fulfillment, new beginnings, love	emotional stagnation, disillusionment, bereavement
2	Two of Cups	harmony, partnership, alignment	discord, detachment, misalignment
3	Three of Cups	celebration, joy, kinship	isolation, lack of celebration, discord
4	Four of Cups	detachment, apathy, inner landscape	introspection, a fresh start, openness
5	Five of Cups	bereavement, sorrow, regret	accepting loss, forgiveness, navigating grief
6	Six of Cups	nostalgia, childhood, reminiscence	severed connection, profound isolation, diminished capacity for joy
7	Seven of Cups	choices, illusions, reverie	clarity, detachment, awakening
8	Eight of Cups	withdrawal, disillusionment, seeking truth	stagnation, fear of transformation, wavering
9	Nine of Cups	contentment, joy, fulfillment	dissatisfaction, disillusionment, stagnant joy
10	Ten of Cups	domestic bliss, soulful harmony, total fulfillment	family drama, a lack of joy, dissatisfaction
11	Page of Cups	new horizons, creative expression, romance	suppressed emotions, creative stagnation, lack of inspiration
12	Knight of Cups	romanticism, dreaminess, creative inspiration	insecurity, illusions, lack of commitment
13	Queen of Cups	empathy, compassion, intuition	insecurity, manipulation, suppressed emotions
14	King of Cups	compassion, emotional maturity, equilibrium	emotional volatility, manipulative tendencies, withdrawal