The Five of Cups presents a man in a long black coat looking below on three cups that have been spilled – representative of his frustrations and defeats. Behind him stand two cups symbolizing new potential, but because he is so settled on his wounds, he misses the possibilities open to him. In the background, a bridge crosses a large river and leads to the safety of the home on the opposite side. He can reach there if only he can move on from the spilled cups.

Upright
Regret, failure, disappointment, pessimism
Reversed
Personal setbacks, self-forgiveness, moving on
Astrology
Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Element
Water
Five of Cups

Upright Five Of Cups

Being one of the most pessimist cards in deck, The Five of Cups card often shows up in a Tarot reading when the events haven’t turned out the way you assumed, and you are sad and depressed. Instead of moving on, you are choosing to be lost in your self-pity. All you can focus on right now is what went crazy and how you failed. 

The Five of Cups hints you’re lost in the past. Your wounds and painful memories overwhelm your mind as you think about what occurred. You may criticize yourself or think you’re a victim of life’s events. These negative thoughts are holding you back from your complete potential – clear them so you can move on.

If someone has failed you, find it within your heart to forgive that person, freeing yourself from the frustration. And if you are disappointed with yourself, know that you did the best you could under the conditions and have now received life experience from your errors.

Think about what took you to this point and realize what important teachings you can take from the practice. Even when things go wrong, you can always find something positive by thinking about the experiences you got.

The Five of Cups card represents that new possibilities are in your way, even though things aren’t going according to your plan right now. It’s time to change your mindset and concentrate on where else you can go from this point. Be open to the deeper side of life and know many graces are in disguise.

Reversed Five Of Cups

The reversed Five of Cups implies that you have recently experienced a personal disappointment. You may think that you are a ‘loser’ and don’t want to let others know you’ve taken the wrong path. Or you may not be ready to communicate it to others and are keeping your emotions to yourself instead. But, now could be time to admit and share. People around you may not understand how much agony you’re in right now, so don’t be scared to talk with people you trust.

If you feel guilty about what occurred, criticizing yourself for the errors you made, the reversed Five of Cups asks you to forgive yourself. 

When this card shows up in a reading, you are realizing the meanings of the past, and you recognize the things learned from the adventure. You may even realize the value of the unpleasant event in the wider view of everything.

The reversed Five of Cups helps as a note that you cannot undo the yesterday. It is now time to release what no longer serves you, and open to the new possibilities available to you. If you have experienced difficulties, you will find that you will be more confident about tomorrow and join the exciting side of life again.