Six of Cups
Keepsake
“Those were the days, my friend.”
Those Were the Days, Mary Hopkin
Six of Cups at a glance
Finbarre’s interpretation: The Six of Cups brings the past into the present through memory, familiarity and acts of uncomplicated kindness.
| Upright | nostalgia, childhood memory, reunion, generosity, innocence |
|---|---|
| Reversed | idealising the past, arrested development, old patterns returning, refusing the present, difficult memories |
| Linked card | Five of Cups |
| Soundtrack | Do You Remember The First Time? by Pulp Open the full Tarot Interviews playlist on Spotify |
Upright meanings
- Nostalgia
- Childhood memory
- Reunion
- Generosity
- Innocence
- A familiar place
- Emotional continuity
- Kindness without calculation
- Old friends
- Learning from the past
Reversed meanings
- Idealising the past
- Arrested development
- Old patterns returning
- Refusing the present
- Difficult memories
- Unequal roles
- Outgrowing familiarity
- Future orientation
- Release from nostalgia
- A reunion that does not restore what was
Six of Cups in a reading
| Area | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Love | Emotional bond: A familiar place. Reversed: Unequal roles. |
| Career | Work: Emotional continuity; kindness without calculation. Warning: Outgrowing familiarity. |
| Money | Financial theme: Old friends. Warning: Release from nostalgia. |
| Feelings | Upright: Reunion. Reversed: Old patterns returning. |
| Advice | Prioritise: Learning from the past. Watch for: A reunion that does not restore what was. |
| Outcome | Potential: Innocence. Obstacle: Difficult memories. |
| Yes or no | Yes for reconnection; not necessarily for returning to the past unchanged. |
Symbols in Six of Cups
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The flower-filled cups | Memory is presented as something preserved and offered. |
| The older child | Experience or power is unevenly distributed within the exchange. |
| The courtyard | The scene is enclosed, safe and separate from the wider world. |
| The departing guard | Protection is present but beginning to recede. |
A. E. Waite's original description
Children in an old garden, their cups filled with flowers.
Waite's original divinatory meanings
Upright:
A card of the past and of memories, looking back, as, for example, on childhood; happiness, enjoyment, but coming rather from the past; things that have vanished. Another reading reverses this, giving new relations, new knowledge, new environment, and then the children are disporting in an unfamiliar precinct.
Reversed:
The future, renewal, that which will come to pass presently.
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: Five of Cups
- Next card: Seven 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.
