Minor Arcana - The suit of Cups

Cups are the element of water. These cards deal with feelings and emotion, intuition, love, relationships, loss, spirituality – everything that is the realm of the heart.

• new chapter in emotional life

• listen to your heart; time for personal work to find wisdom within

• failling in love (romantic or not; yourself, a practice, a dog, a friend)

• opportunity to open your heart - what does it tell you it wants?

• embrace who you are and live authentically, with integrity and self-respect

a beautiful exchange

• The Two of Cups is an exchange. You offer your cup – a container for all the love and pain and mystery in your heart – to someone, to something. In return, you receive their cup. There is so much trust here, so much willingness to be naked in this way.

• intime exchange between two people - enables us to be truly open and comfortable with someone else

• can also be about a practice, a role, or a place (or yourself) - opportunity to take a new path and follow your hearts desire

• Be vulnerable. Be truthful. Express yourself. Be generous with your emotions

joy and connection

• genuine friendships / celebration / good times

• you are loved

• reach out to friends

• You give a lot, you get a lot back

• ask for support or offer support

• If you’re struggling in a group situation just now, try to put aside an need for self-advancement, quiet that nagging urge for fame or recognition. Know that you are part of something bigger. Support the group itself, and it will necessarily lift you all up.

apathy

• feeling stuck, bored, or “without feeling”

• it’s up to you ; you can be grumpy/bored or accept how things are and that you feel uninspired or you can make a change

• adopt an attitude of curiosity, try something new, do something creative, go to the forest/beach - awaken your imagination

• losing interest in something you once loved - is it really over? time to accept and deal with that or find new/positive aspect in it

• saying no for positive reasons (not the “right” person, holding out for a better job) - passivity, but careful not to get stuck here

permission to grieve

• pure sadness, loss / life hurts

• letting those feelings out - it’s okay to be sad

• Healing can only take place when mourning is done

• remember that life goes on around you - symbols of possibility for joy, love and fulfilment (whenever you are ready)

• can also represent going back to an old wound (grief, guilt, grudge of the past)

rooted in kindness

• encourages us to bring more of this into our lives and to focus on what really matters

• look for simple ways to inject a little love and kindness into your situation

• If you’re overwhelmed with work or obligations, take a time out. Relax a little. Take a walk. Again, come back to what is simple, declutter or de-complicate where appropriate. Be kind to yourself.

• consider your roots: family and ancestry and where we each come from

• Imagine yourself rooting into something new

• Try to connect to a simpler time in your life – perhaps your childhood or any time you felt carefree. What mattered to you then? What were your goals? Where did you find joy, companionship, fun? (rediscovering old hobby)

• if stuck in the present - turn around and look at future

depth over breadth

• emotion and imagination lack meaning if they are not grounded in both action and outer realities of life (daydreaming, don’t connect with anything outside of themselves)

• dive into one or two of your ideas to see where they can take us - what we can create with brave choices

• excitement and fear of following your heart

• ‘make the impossible possible’, to actively manifest your desires, rather than admiring them as daydreams - what really lights you up? might need to let some things go

• difficulty picking a path; maybe you want to do All of the things / torn between lovers / lost and overwhelmed by too many things

• chose something and really go with it - rather than dabbling without purpose in many things - commitment

the courage to walk away

• making the difficult, sad, and ultimately wise choice to leave something behind, and forge a new path - brave goodbye

• act of self-respect - set ourselves free from the things that hold us back or hurt us

• generosity, the putting aside of the needy ego to allow healing to take place

• time to let go (if not already on your way); Look at what is not sustainable, what is not feeling okay. Honour the time you have put into this part of your life, think of what was good about it. You can take those good things with you, they are a part of you

feeling good

• Sometimes, you just want to feel good. Not in any especially profound way, not as a result of a load of hard work or a ‘journey’, but just, good, plain and simple

• this isn’t total fulfilment, but it’s damn close - let yourselfe breathe, feel safe, feel good. You are/have enough

• things are okay, our needs are met, we are safe

• Things are constantly changing, but now is a good time to stop and be present, to enjoy the things you have right now.

• superficiality: go a little deeper; don’t pretend thigns are perfect

• make a wish, name your desire - this card brings good fortune

heart’s home

• our heart came home - complete fullfillment of suit of cups (we are talking about spiritual home, emotional home, rather than bricks and mortar)

• We know who we are, where we are, why we are here (or we are joyfully surrendered to the mystery). We are loved and supported. We have the love that we need.

• celebration - honor good things in your life

• embrace the people around you who you love (kindness, vulnerability, generoisty, trust)

• personal vision of your real life/happiness: what does home mean to you / feel like? who and what is there?

• This card can point to a person who feels tied to someone else’s vision of happiness. define your own idea of happiness

• As always with the tens, know that this is the completion of something, that things are about to change. That doesn’t mean everything is about to fall apart! Only that this moment is the culmination of a lot of emotional work. Your heart has been on a huge journey and you’ve learned so much. Look upon it all and embrace who you are. Be proud. Soon it will be time to switch up the energy so as to go on a different kind of adventure.