Uprightloss, grief, regret, disappointment
Reversedacceptance, moving on, finding peace
Upright meaning
The Five of Cups represents loss and regret. Attention is fixed on what has gone wrong, while what remains goes unnoticed. It points to grief, disappointment and the need to process feelings.
Reversed meaning
Reversed, it can show acceptance, recovery and the ability to turn toward what remains.
What the card shows
A figure in a black cloak bows over three spilled cups. Two cups still stand behind, and a bridge leads to a house across the river.
As your card of the day
It's natural to feel disappointment, but not everything is lost. Turn around and see what remains. Healing begins with acceptance.
“I honor my feelings and open myself to healing.”
Name one thing that is still good in a hard situation.
Questions
What does Five of Cups mean in tarot?
The Five of Cups represents loss and regret. Attention is fixed on what has gone wrong, while what remains goes unnoticed. It points to grief, disappointment and the need to process feelings.
What does Five of Cups reversed mean?
Reversed, it can show acceptance, recovery and the ability to turn toward what remains.
Is Five of Cups a yes or no card?
No. Disappointment is possible; focus on what remains.
Card pictures: the 1909 deck by Pamela Colman Smith (public domain). Meanings based on A. E. Waite's The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910), rewritten in modern language. For inspiration and reflection only.