Five of Cups
Elegy
“I can’t beat it. I can’t beat it. I’m sorry.”
Manchester by the Sea
Five of Cups at a glance
Finbarre’s interpretation: The Five of Cups is a card of grief but one where support is available.
| Upright | mourning, disappointment, acknowledging loss, emotional honesty, regret |
|---|---|
| Reversed | prolonged regret, refusal to grieve, returning after loss, reconciliation, selective memory |
| Linked card | Six of Cups |
| Soundtrack | Song To the Siren by Tim Buckley Open the full Tarot Interviews playlist on Spotify |
Upright meanings
- Mourning
- Disappointment
- Acknowledging loss
- Emotional honesty
- Regret
- A necessary grieving period
- Learning from sorrow
- Turning towards what remains
- Accepting changed expectations
- Compassion after failure
Reversed meanings
- Prolonged regret
- Refusal to grieve
- Returning after loss
- Reconciliation
- Selective memory
- Shame
- Bitterness
- Recovery beginning
- A false project abandoned
- Inability to see available support
Five of Cups in a reading
| Area | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Love | Emotional bond: A necessary grieving period. Reversed: Shame. |
| Career | Work: Learning from sorrow; turning towards what remains. Warning: Bitterness. |
| Money | Financial theme: Accepting changed expectations. Warning: A false project abandoned. |
| Feelings | Upright: Acknowledging loss. Reversed: Returning after loss. |
| Advice | Prioritise: Compassion after failure. Watch for: Inability to see available support. |
| Outcome | Potential: Regret. Obstacle: Selective memory. |
| Yes or no | No for restoration of the old form; possible for recovery. |
Symbols in Five of Cups
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The spilled cups | Something valuable has been lost and cannot simply be restored. |
| The two upright cups | Not everything has disappeared, even if grief obscures it. |
| The bridge | A route exists between the present loss and a safer place. |
| The dark cloak | Sorrow narrows attention and temporarily separates the figure from the landscape. |
A. E. Waite's original description
A dark, cloaked figure, looking sideways at three prone cups; two others stand upright behind him; a bridge is in the background, leading to a small keep or holding.
Waite's original divinatory meanings
Upright:
It is a card of loss, but something remains over; three have been taken, but two are left; it is a card of inheritance, patrimony, transmission, but not corresponding to expectations; with some interpreters it is a card of marriage, but not without bitterness or frustration.
Reversed:
News, alliances, affinity, consanguinity, ancestry, return, false projects.
Source: A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, first published in 1910, with illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith.
Continue through the deck
- Previous card: Four of Cups
- Next card: Six of Cups
Written and interpreted by Finbarre Snarey, tarot researcher, founder of the British Tarot Archive and coordinator of the UK living heritage submission for Rider-Waite-Smith tarot reading practice.
These interpretations reflect Finbarre Snarey’s understanding of contemporary Rider-Waite-Smith tarot practice. They are provided for education, reflection and entertainment only and should not be treated as medical, legal, financial, psychological or relationship advice.
