Six of Cups
Card meaning
One of the ways we can overcome the grief and mourning of the Five is to look to our past and the happy memories found there. This is the story of the Six of Cups.
Here, the cups are all turned up again, but instead of watery emotional energy, now the cups are filled with blooming flowers, impossible to spill even if the cups are toppled.
The Six of Cups is one of the only Tarot cards that refers explicitly to the past. There is a difference between reflecting on the past to draw strength from the lessons we’ve already learned and applying those lessons to help us in the present, and dwelling or getting stuck in the past. When the Six of Cups appears in a reading, it is because there is a lesson you’ve already learned that could help you now.
The past is immutable. Avoid the desire to look back with a mind to wishfully change the past (for this is how we get stuck there). Instead, look into your memories for moments of joy and gratitude, for these are the gifts of the past that are relevant in the present.
This is also another card that can refer explicitly to sex and childbirth. These things are represented in the childlike nature of the card, because we tend to look back on such events without regret—with a sense of wonder and fullness.
Frequently Asked Questions About Six of Cups Tarot Card
The Six of Cups points to the past, happy memories, and lessons already learned. The cups are filled with blooming flowers, representing joy that cannot be spilled. It signals that a past lesson is relevant and useful in your present situation.
In shadow/reversal, the Six of Cups warns of dwelling or getting stuck in the past. When nostalgia becomes wishful thinking or regret, it prevents forward movement. True healing uses the past as a resource, not an escape.
We overcome the hardship of the Five through the lesson of the Six. After grief and loss, the soul turns to happy memories and past strength as a healing resource, learning that what has already been lived contains gifts for the present.
Tarot cards are too layered and contextual to reduce to yes or no. For that, try a pendulum or dowsing rods. The Six of Cups leans yes for questions about healing, reconnection, or drawing on the past.
In love, the Six of Cups often signals reconnecting with a past partner or reliving shared joyful memories. It can also reflect a relationship with a childlike sense of wonder and fullness, or one with deep roots in shared history.
The card explicitly refers to sex and childbirth as events tied to its childlike imagery. These milestones are ones we tend to look back on without regret, holding a sense of wonder and fullness, emblematic of the card’s themes.
The Six of Cups is a Water element card. Its keywords are Remembering, Movement, and Sharing. It is one of the only Tarot cards to refer explicitly to the past, making it distinct among the Cups suit for its backward-looking energy.
In a career reading, the Six of Cups suggests drawing on past experience or returning to a former field or employer. A skill or lesson from your professional history holds the key to a current challenge. Look back to move forward.
