The Incidental Tarot A posse ad esse

Cups

Roses in this deck

Cups are summer: feeling, love, emotions, relationships, pleasure.

The suit of Cups on olive linen

In this suit

14 cards
The Rose Key — Ace of Cups from the Rider–Waite deck
Ace of Cups
The Rose Key
 Two of Roses — Two of Cups from the Rider–Waite deck
Two of Cups
Two of Roses
 Three of Roses — Three of Cups from the Rider–Waite deck
Three of Cups
Three of Roses
 Four of Roses — Four of Cups from the Rider–Waite deck
Four of Cups
Four of Roses
 Five of Roses — Five of Cups from the Rider–Waite deck
Five of Cups
Five of Roses
 Six of Roses — Six of Cups from the Rider–Waite deck
Six of Cups
Six of Roses
 Seven of Roses — Seven of Cups from the Rider–Waite deck
Seven of Cups
Seven of Roses
 Eight of Roses — Eight of Cups from the Rider–Waite deck
Eight of Cups
Eight of Roses
 Nine of Roses — Nine of Cups from the Rider–Waite deck
Nine of Cups
Nine of Roses
 Ten of Roses — Ten of Cups from the Rider–Waite deck
Ten of Cups
Ten of Roses
 The Muse — Page of Cups from the Rider–Waite deck
Page of Cups
The Muse
 The Bard — Knight of Cups from the Rider–Waite deck
Knight of Cups
The Bard
 Queen of Roses — Queen of Cups from the Rider–Waite deck
Queen of Cups
Queen of Roses
 King of Roses — King of Cups from the Rider–Waite deck
King of Cups
King of Roses

What kind of energy, what the suit is about

Energy: flowing, soft, receptive, deep, enveloping — but sometimes too emotional or smothering (too much water turns into a swamp or a storm). This is “I feel, I care, I get attached” energy.

What it’s about: love, friendship, family, empathy, imagination, closeness, hurt, illusions and nostalgia. If Wands act and Swords think, Cups feel and live things through.

What people ask

When Cups dominate a reading, the questions are almost always about feelings and relationships:

  • “What does he feel for me? Does he love me?”
  • “How will our relationship go? Will we make up?”
  • “How do I find peace of mind? How do I deal with anxiety?”
  • “How do I bring some harmony into my love life or my family?”

Situations Cups describe

  • A romance developing: falling in love, dates, a wedding, saying “I love you.”
  • Family get-togethers, celebrations, warmth, comfort and trust.
  • Emotional crises: deep hurt, disappointment, a love triangle, depending on a partner.
  • Living in illusions, idealizing a person or a situation — rose-tinted glasses.

What kind of person

Character: empathetic, romantic, sensitive, a loyal friend or a loving partner. Someone who lives by the heart rather than cold reason.

Strengths: sincerity, compassion, deep attachment, a rich imagination, intuition.

Weaknesses (too many Cups): moodiness, taking offense easily, escaping reality into illusions or bad habits (trying to drown the pain), emotional ups and downs, depending on other people’s opinions and moods.

Pace, season, element

  • Element: water.
  • Pace: slow, smooth, in waves — “the tide comes in, the tide goes out,” “going with the flow.”
  • Season: summer — feeling, love, emotions, relationships, pleasure. In astrology the water signs are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

When Cups dominate a reading, the situation runs entirely on emotions. The mind may switch off completely, and what matters most is the state of the heart — vulnerability or a deep attachment.

From Tahmina’s readings

Four of Cups — a reading on “why can’t I get married.” Cups at their worst: “emotional fatigue… being closed off… the feeling that ‘they’re all the same’… apathy, being tired of dates, or being afraid of getting hurt again. As if you’re sunk in old hurts and old relationships, and the picture in your head gets idealized — so you turn down the offers that come.” Classic Cups: escaping into illusions and rose-tinted glasses, shutting down emotionally.

Ten of Cups + Nine of Cups — a reading on “why does he keep coming back.” Cups as emotional attachment. The Ten of Cups is “safety, comfort, family warmth — emotional safety above all… a source of deep peace.” The Nine of Cups is “the gain isn’t material, it’s emotional… his ego gets a lot of fuel from you… he just feels really good.” Water here means the bond is held together by feelings and emotional fulfillment.

Reading Cups in your own question

Ask me about your own situation — I’ll lay the cards for it, record the reading and send it back within 24 hours, with a written summary and a photo of your spread.

Ask your question — from $30
You pay for the answer, not for the minutes.