Two of Cups
Mutuality
“God only knows what I’d be without you.”
God Only Knows, The Beach Boys
Two of Cups at a glance
Finbarre’s interpretation: The Two of Cups represents reciprocal recognition and a relationship entered by mutual choice.
| Upright | mutual attraction, partnership, emotional equality, reconciliation, shared values |
|---|---|
| Reversed | misalignment, unequal investment, broken trust, poor communication, projection |
| Linked card | The Lovers |
| Soundtrack | First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes Open the full Tarot Interviews playlist on Spotify |
Upright meanings
- Mutual attraction
- Partnership
- Emotional equality
- Reconciliation
- Shared values
- An honest agreement
- Intimacy
- Cooperation
- Trust developing
- A meaningful meeting
Reversed meanings
- Misalignment
- Unequal investment
- Broken trust
- Poor communication
- Projection
- Separation
- Dependence
- An agreement losing balance
- Attraction without compatibility
- Difficulty receiving another person clearly
Two of Cups in a reading
| Area | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Love | Emotional bond: An honest agreement. Reversed: Separation. |
| Career | Work: Intimacy; cooperation. Warning: Dependence. |
| Money | Financial theme: Trust developing. Warning: Attraction without compatibility. |
| Feelings | Upright: Emotional equality. Reversed: Broken trust. |
| Advice | Prioritise: A meaningful meeting. Watch for: Difficulty receiving another person clearly. |
| Outcome | Potential: Shared values. Obstacle: Projection. |
| Yes or no | Yes, when the choice is mutual. |
Symbols in Two of Cups
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The exchanged cups | Each person offers and receives rather than merely taking. |
| The caduceus | Connection carries the possibility of healing, negotiation and exchange. |
| The lion's head | Desire and courage rise above the agreement. |
| The level stance | Neither figure is visually subordinated to the other. |
A. E. Waite's original description
A youth and maiden are pledging one another, and above their cups rises the Caduceus of Hermes, between the great wings of which there appears a lion's head. It is a variant of a sign which is found in a few old examples of this card. Some curious emblematical meanings are attached to it, but they do not concern us in this place.
Waite's original divinatory meanings
Upright:
Love, passion, friendship, affinity, union, concord, sympathy, the interrelation of the sexes, and, as a suggestion apart from all offices of divination, that desire which is not in Nature, but by which Nature is sanctified.
Reversed:
Waite gives no separate reversed meaning for this card in the main Lesser Arcana section.
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: Ace of Cups
- Next card: Three 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.
