loss, regret, sorrow
Five of Cups Tarot Card Meaning
What Five of Cups means upright and reversed, with readings for love, money and career.
The picture and its symbols
Five of Cups shows a cloaked figure looking down at three spilled cups while two still stand behind. It belongs to the suit of Cups, the element of water (feelings, relationships and intuition), and its rank carries the theme of conflict and change (Five). Readers always point to the two cups left standing. Grieve what was lost properly, then turn around, and what remains comes into view.
Upright meaning
loss, regret, sorrow. Your mind stays on what was lost. Remember that something still remains.
- Love
- A breakup or disappointment has hurt you.
- Money
- There was a loss, but you have not lost everything.
- Career
- You have met failure or a setback. Take the lesson and get up again.
- Yes or no
- No
- Advice
- Putting what you feel into words is the key that opens the way.
Reversed meaning
recovery, acceptance, starting over. You accept the sorrow and begin to recover.
- Love
- You come to terms with a past breakup and make a fresh start.
- Money
- You settle the loss and draw up a recovery plan.
- Career
- You pick yourself up after a failure and try again.
- Yes or no
- Not yet
- Advice
- Notice whether you are holding feelings down or being swept away by them.
Timing
Because this is a Cups card, change is likely to show over a few weeks to a couple of months.
The question this card asks
What is still standing that the loss has kept you from seeing?
Draw the cards yourself
For entertainment and self-reflection only. Do not use a reading to make health, legal or financial decisions.